One can learn and come across various methods of identification system in horses on filed level especially for veterinarians and helpful for students as well. Both natural methods and artificial for instance branding methods etc. are mentioned in given presentation.

1. HORSE MARKINGS AND
IDENTIFICATION
-DARSHANA SHINGNE
3RD YEAR

2. Contents....
PURPOSE
METHODS:
-Natural methods
-Acquired methods
(pros and cons)
REFERENCES

3. PURPOSE
Health and disease control
Theft prevention and to identify lost horse
Breed registry requirement
Recovery
Fraud prevention
Breeding
Separation- forced evacuation due to flood, fire
or hurricane
Help prove ownership

4. METHODS
Coat colour
Body Markings
Blood typing
Tattoos eg. Lip tattoo
Freeze Branding
Hoof Branding
Microchip placement
Iris Scanning

5. 1.Coat Colour
 BAY
• Tan or red body
• Black mane and tail
 BROWN
• Brown or black body
• Black mane and tail
• Black legs

6. BLUE ROAN
•White and black body
•Dark head, lower legs
RED ROAN
•White and red body
•Dark head, lower legs

7. DUN
•Yellow or gold body
•Dorsal stripe
•Mane and tail varies
•Zebra stripe on legs
•Stripe on withers
RED DUN
•Red mane and tail, dorsal
stripe

8. Other coat colours:
• Appaloosa
• Buckskin
• Paint- Tobiano
• Paint-Overo
• Dapple
• Flea bitten
• White chestnut
• Grullo etc.

9. Body Markings
1.Facial horse markings
STAR
A star is a white mark on forehead.
SNIP
A snip is a white mark on the
nose/muzzle area. It can be large or
small.

10. STRIPE
A stripe is a narrow mark that
runs down the length of the
face.
BLAZE
A blaze is a much wider than a
stripe and can take up much
of the face.

11. WHITE MUZZLE & LIP MARKS
Lip marks are focused on the
mouth, while a white muzzle
includes the whole muzzle.
BALD
A bald face or white face has
the white extending past the
eyes. Often accompanied by
blue eyes.

12. 2.MARKING ON LEGS AND HOOVES
CORONET
Is a white marking around the coronet just above the hoof
PASTERN
Is a white marking on pastern portion of leg
STOCKING
White marking that extends to the knee or even higher
SOCK
Is a white on lower leg below the knee

13. ZEBRA STRIPES
Are the black horizontal marks
found on the legs. They are
most often found above the
knees but not always
BLACK/ BLUE HOOF

14. STRIPED HOOF FEATHERS

15. 4.Cowlicks
Cowlicks are permanent hair
whorls which cannot be brushed
or clipped out. They are located
mainly on the forehead and neck
5. Dimples
Dimples are the permanent
indentations in the muscle under
the skin. They are usually located
at the point of the shoulder or in
the neck muscles

16. 6.Blood typing and DNA testing
• Blood typing is used by most breed organizations. Seven blood groups (including red
cells, red cell antigens, and serum proteins) and 10 biochemical markers are tested for
40 different factors.
• For example, the parentage of a foal that was DNA tested cannot be confirmed if its
parents were only blood typed.
• However, depending on the lab, if the blood samples used to determine blood type
were stored, DNA types can be generated from those stored samples, and parentage
can be determined.

17. ADVANTAGES
• DNA does not change, so this
method is precise and
accurate for life.
• These are most useful
methods for establishing
parentage.
• Permanent.
DISADVANTAGES
• Expensive technology at
present and time consuming.
• If the parents aren’t
registered, then it becomes
difficult to confirm DNA of the
foal.

18. 7.Microchip placement
•It involves implantation of a microchip the size of a grain of rice
containing the horse’s registration number or identification number.
•The veterinarian uses a specially designed needle and syringe to implant
the microchip about midway down the horse’s neck, just below the crest.
•The chip is inserted into the ligament in the neck,and is lodged about an
inch underneath the skin’s surface. It is equipped with a non-migratory
tip to ensure that it stays in place.
•The chip is read using a hand-held scanner. Its main purpose is to
identify ownership of the horse.

19. ADVANTAGES
• Definite.
• Permanent,
• Tamper-proof.
• Minor cost.
• Little pain involved in
insertion.
• Can be read from a distance
with the appropriate reader
gun (Eg . From outside a
truck).
DISADVANTAGES
• Invasive procedure.
• Invisible.
• May move/ migrate.
• The occasional horse may
require sedation or twitching.
• Detection relies on possession
of a ‘reader’.
• Reader must be passed over
the chip.

20. 8.FREEZE BRANDING
•Freeze branding uses copper stamps or marking rods cooled in liquid
nitrogen or dry ice.
•The brand is most commonly applied to an area approximately 2” x 7”
in size midway on the neck and underneath the mane. However,
different horse farm and organizations may choose to identify their
horses by freeze branding them elsewhere, such as the thigh or shoulder
•On dark-coloured animals, the hair grows back white, and on white
animals an area with no hair results.

21. ADVANTAGES
• Simple method.
• Painless.
• Cheap.
• Definite. No scope for
tampering.
• Visible from a
distance(thieves will be less
inclined to steal a horse with
a visible mark).
DISADVANTAGES
• Requires a skilled technician.
• Not always clearly visible
( differences in gray horses).

22. 9.LIP TATTOO
•The tattoo may be placed in several areas, but the upper lip is the
most common site. However, a horse owner can tattoo his or her
horse in other areas with different letters and numbers.
• Lip tattooing is found on Thoroughbreds, Standardbreeds,
Appaloosas, Arabians and Quarter Horses, because these breeds also
race. A horse with an official tattoo is necessarily registered,
meaning he has papers out there.

23. ADVANTAGES
• Clear, permanent and
definite.
• Little specialist equipment is
needed (often indian ink is
used).
• Cheap.
• Very difficult to erase/ tamper
with.
DISADVANTAGES
• Painful.
• Messy.
• Not visible from a distance.
• Not easily visible on dark skin.
• Liable to be irregular( not
every needle takes in the
same amount of dye and
some foci will not take up the
dye).
• Many are difficult to read
accurately.

24. 10.IRIS SCANNING
•The system works like this: A veterinarian uses a special camera to take a
digital photo of each of the horse’s eyes, called an eyePrint. No two irises
are alike, so the eyePrint provides each horse with a unique identification.
•The images are stored online in a secure database, along with pedigree
registrations and medical records and other information, and can be
accessed anytime.
•The company says its eyeD system is more accurate than markings or
tattoos, provides more security than paper documents, and offers a greater
chance for recovering stolen horses.

25. ADVANTAGES
• Scanning a horse’s iris is a
pain-free, non-invasive
alternative to branding,
tattooing and other
identification methods.
• It limits undue stress to the
animal.
• Definitive identity of horse
can be established because
no two irises are alike. Iris
scans are more accurate than
even a human fingerprint.
DISADVANTAGES
• It is an expensive method.
• Special scanners are required
with skilled technician to scan
and read it properly.
• The iris is a very small organ
to scan from a distance. It is a
moving target and can be
obscured by objects such as
the eyelid and eyelashes.
• The camera used in the
process needs to have the
correct amount of
illumination. Without this, it is
very difficult to capture an
accurate image of the iris.

26. 11.HOOF BRANDING
•Hoof Branding is a form of hot iron branding and is not a permanent
mark. The owner's chosen information, such as phone number or
zip code, is branded onto the horse's hooves, which is a painless
process.
•Studies have also shown that, when properly applied, there is no
long-term damage to the hoof wall. It is a safe method of temporary
identification.

27. ADVANTAGES
• Reasonable duration of
marking( it usually takes
atleast 4-6 months to grow
out completely).
• Painless
• Quick.
• Cheap.
• Difficult if not possible to
delete but can be altered.
DISADVANTAGES
• Temporary. It relies on some
identification held else
where( e.g. At the owner’s
home address: postcode/
zipcode or telephone
number).
• Possibly alterable within
limits.
• Needs to be repeated as
required.

28. REFERENCES
• Alberta Horse Reference Manual
• Equine Science
• KHVCR Kit and KHVCR Manual
• "Identifying Horse parts and
markings," Adapted From: Horses For
Dummies, 2nd Edition