14/12/2021
https://www.facebook.com/100044281426902/posts/352247716261273/
Decoding Freezebrands
Got legend? Sometimes I get questions from adopters about reading their mustang's freezebrand. (Freezebrand key is below).
Freezebranding identifies wild horses and burros as protected mustangs or burros which have been gathered from the public rangelands. In Oregon, some horses with freezebrands have also been returned to the HMA over the capture quota following a gather. That's why on occasion horses with freezebrands are seen in some of our Oregon herd images. It's an identification which further protects them, should they wander off an HMA, and if captured would send them through protected mustang process - such as adoption rather than immediately to an open auction which cannot guarantee a positive outcome.
Freezemarking/branding is a permanent, unalterable, and painless way to identify each horse as an individual. It is applied on the left side of the neck. 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. You can identify that state, and contacting the BLM of that state, can learn about that horse's herd management area.
Freezebrand Key:
The registration numbers for mustang brands fall into these number ranges for the state where the horse was gathered:
Arizona 80,001 - 160,000 (08-16)
California 160,001 - 240,000 (16-24)
Colorado 240,001 – 320,000 (24-32)
Idaho 320,001 – 400,000 (32-40)
Montana 400,000 – 480,000 (40-48)
Nevada 480,001 – 640,000 (48-64)
New Mexico 640,001 – 720,000 (64-72)
Oregon 0- 80,000 (00-08)
Utah 720,001 – 800,000 (72-80)
Wyoming 800,001 – 880,000 (80-88)
Eastern States 880,001 - 880,100 (88)
Telephone numbers for BLM offices with local jurisdiction-
AZ 888-231-2582
CA 916-978-4637
CO 719-269-8500
ID 208-373-3822
MT, SD, ND 406-896-5223
NV 775-861-6400
NM, KS, OK, TX 800-237-3642
OR, WA 541-573-4400
UT 801-539-4057
WY, NE 307-352-0292
East of the Mississippi River 703-440-1560
For more info about your mustang or brand, refer to:
www.wildhorseandburro.blm.gov
Freezebrand decoder and information, courtesy of Oregon BLM.