Freezemark Brands

Something I always found intresting about mustangs is their brand on the left side of their neck. This brand is called typically called a Freezemark. The BLM (Bureau of Land Management) uses these Freezemarks to identify each mustang when they gather them from the wild. Freezemarks are painless to mustangs and easy to read when you get the hang of it. It follows the International Alpha Angle System, which uses a series of angles and alpha-symbols that cannot be altered. The mark contains the Registering Organization (U.S. Government), year of birth, and registration number.

Here is a key to reading a freezemark brand

The left side of the neck is shaved and washed with alcohol, and the mark is applied with an iron that is chilled in liquid nitrogen. The hair at the site of the mark will grow back white and show the identification number. Simple procedure.

Although every effort is made to apply freezemarks that are legible, occasionally freezemarks do get blurred. This can happen when the iron is applied and the animal moves. Other times it can be something as simple as the horses color. My oldest sister's mustang is a palomino. A very light, (banana colored as we call him) palomino. You can hardly see his brand unless it's shaved around it. One performance she did, we filled in his brand with bright red glitter so everyone could see it.

 This my mustang, Jasmine. She has a very clear brand



This is a another clear brand on a mustang. Credit goes to Google Images.