Hot-Branding of Horses Faces Regulation in Germany

Hot-branding of German warmblood horses such as the Trakehner, Hanoverian, and Holsteiner breeds may become obsolete if the German Parliament upholds the ban recently proposed by Ilse Aigner, the country’s Minister of Agriculture.

Historically, German warmbloods have been branded as a way of identifying horses accepted into a particular breed’s registry. By law, all German horses have been required to be microchipped for identification since 2009, but many breed registries have continued to brand as well. An argument for branding is that the brand is easily visible without the use of a microchip reader. Proponents cite research showing that branding is no more stressful for horses than microchipping. Opponents, including Aigner, feel the third-degree burn produced by branding is a threat to equine welfare.

Hot-branding of horses has been outlawed in Scotland and Denmark within the last few years.