...And if you don't know where the horse orginally came
from? (She's 16yo, came here from a dealer in NY)
Maybe take her to an auction where there is someone qualified
to read these?
Were you saying, that someone else, outside of CA, can have
the exact same brand as yours?
Yep, very aware livestock theft exists, happened to a client
last year, when the horse was found, it was identified and she was notified
thanks to a micro-chip.
Do understand/agree on cattle branding. Cattle have one
purpose .. and its not in the show ring or a trail companion!
<wink>
Contact the agricultural department in the
state from which the horse came (where he was bred and registered) and they
should be able to identify the brand. It might be possible to go online
and find this, too, but I'm not certain. The location alone helps a
lot. Our brand can be used only on the right hip, because that is what
it is registered for. If we wanted, we could pay to have our brand
registered for anywhere on the entire right side, and no one in California
could use our brand on the right side of an animal but us. If someone
saw our Walking L on the right side, they would find out who the animal
belonged to or where it was bred. So far, we haven't had any reason to
command the right side, any location, for our brand. The right hip
serves us just fine. But if you ever saw a bovine with a Walking L brand
on the right hip, you would think..."Aha! That cow (bull,
calf) came from Big Creek Ranch. I suppose there may
be Walking L brand, right hip, in other states, but not in CA. It's
ours and ours alone.
That's why it's important to have
a registered brand for livestock. If we bred horses instead of
cattle, we would likely brand them, too. It's like engraving your name
on your camera, TV set, or whatever. Should it be stolen, it could be
traced. And don't mistake...livestock theft still exists.
BTW, since there are so many chiming in that are
knowledgable about brands.... I have a client that would really like
to know about one of the brands means on her Warmblood mare. Its a "2"
over a "B" on her left shoulder. How would one track that?
