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There are two main forms of providing a unique identification for a horse or pony, freeze marking or micro-chipping. This page is intended to provide a little more information about the techniques.

The mark is applied with an iron that has been frozen with liquid nitrogen. The horse feels little more than pressure. The process is painless to the horse, and no unusual restraint is required for the majority of horses. There is no special care required after the marking since the skin is not broken and there is no chance for infection. Soon after the mark is applied, the area becomes red and swollen. The swelling will be gone within 48 hours for most horses. Scales and dry scabs will form where the marking iron was in contact with the skin. This is normal and the scabs should not be removed. Normal, healthy skin will form under the protection of the scabs. The time required for white hair to grow depends on the time of year in which the horse was marked. White hair will appear during the normal spring and fall hair growth cycles. Grey and white horses will have no hair regrowth. A new freeze mark follows a natural progression of swelling, baldness, new skin and, finally, white hair growth. The marks are visible and can usually be read during the entire healing process.

The cold destroys the color producing cells in the hair follicle causing the hair to grow back in white. For grey or white horses, the iron is left on for a longer time, destroying the hair follicle and creating a bald mark. The pigment gradually returns to the skin at the marking site in greater concentration, making a dark outline on the skin. It has to be said that there have been some reported cases of grey/white horses that have had to be re-marked because the freeze mark has not shown properly. Also, ALL freeze marks, even those on dark horses, have a bald center to prevent the mark from being hidden by the use of dye. Contrary to some reports, freeze marks cannot be clipped off. In fact, it is recommended that you keep a coarse clip on a freeze mark to keep it highly readable.

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A Micro chip is inserted into the neck area of the animal with a micro chip needle. The micro chip needle is slightly larger than a typical vaccine needle, however, the process causes no more discomfort than a normal injection. Anasthaesia is not required nor recommended for this process. The physical performance of the animal is not impaired and there is no scarring. You are not injecting any substance that can burn or irritate; the chip is completely biocompatible and non-offensive. When implanted, a small layer of connective tissue forms around the microchip, preventing movement or migration of the chip.

A microchip system has two parts: a microchip and a scanner that reads it.

When the scanner is turned on, a radio wave signal is sent to the implanted chip. The chip sends it's number back to the scanner where you can easily read it in the viewing window.

The interaction between chip and scanner takes less than a second, allowing you to identify animals on demand.

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