For decades the semi-wild #ponies found roaming across some of Britain's most beautiful moorland have been identified by the branding on their flanks made with red-hot irons. The practice involves the application of very hot metal to the skin for several seconds until the hide turns a light tan colour.
But now the use of irons is on the way out, following a sustained campaign by #animal welfare organisations that claim the practice harms the #horses. The British Veterinary Association, which supports a ban, has noted that "hot branding is generally carried out without analgesia and is undoubtedly a painful process".
Moorland #pony societies have agreed a code of practice on hot branding and have agreed to use the method of identification only when strictly necessary. The move follows a decision to ban the use of branding in Scotland and is seen as the beginning of the end for hot branding of moorland #ponies.
