British Horse Society backs hot-branding ban

By Justine Thompson

General news

08 March 2010 11:49

The British Horse Society is supporting a Scottish Government proposal to ban the use of hot branding.

Currently hot branding is allowed both in England and Scotland – but it is only in Scotland that the government is considering banning its use.

Branding is still used widely for identification purposes on Exmoor ponies. And last year the Exmoor Pony Society came out to defend its use.

A society spokesman said the method of identification was a long tradition: "Hot branding prevents theft and allows a semi-feral pony to roam, free from direct contact," he added.

However in Scotland the government is stepping in with a proposal to prevent Exmoor (and other equines) from being hot branded.

In supporting the proposal, the British Horse Society said there could be little doubt that the ‘application of hot irons to an animal causes unjustifiable pain’.

A spokesman said: “If we do not know whether or not an act is injurious to the overall detriment of the welfare of a horse, but have good reason to believe it may be, then for the horses’ sake we will assume that the act is injurious until the contrary is proved.” 
 
The BHS added that arguments in favour of hot branding for the purposes of identification were weakened by the limitations of the method: a brand may be difficult to read from a distance and can be obscured by the thick winter coat grown by horses during the winter.

On the other hand, a microchip – the alternative method - offers definitive identification, with the insertion of such microchips perceived to be less of a physical stressor than the process of hot branding.
 
Graham Cory, British Horse Society Chief Executive, said “Whereas some will point to the practical difficulties inherent in other methods of identification, The British Horse Society cannot condone a practice which elevates the convenience of the owner to a position above the welfare of the horse.”