My Collection: Branding Irons
Laurel Denton shares her collection of branding irons.

Mallory Beinborn

The Collector

Laurel Denton, Skull Valley, Arizona

The Collection

“These branding irons are signs of hard work, pride, and dedication,” Denton says.

“I see the brands of my sister and mine, given to us as children,” she continues. “You can see the smaller U and ‘bar’ irons that were meant for our ranch’s younger calves. The smaller irons allow the brand to grow with the animal.

“The iron in the middle, which looks like a big hook, is called a running iron,” Denton explains. “It’s been many years since we used this iron, but it’s a reminder of the days with no fences. A cowboy tied this running iron on his saddle, and when he found a ‘long ear,’ he roped and branded the calf in a freehand sort of way. These branding
irons invoke a feeling of love of my land,
my animals, and
my country.”

CATEGORIES
TAGS
Related Articles
The Freak, Cattinlilreycat, under Nelson Mas at Cinch RSNC RodeoHouston ranch sorting in 2025
From Wreck to Redemption
Super Freak
Woman petting beautiful horse outdoors on sunny day, closeup
Equine Emotional Intelligence
The Emotional Connection Between Horses And Humans
HR_25SPG_Travel-Cinch_RSNC-World-Finals_01
World Finals of Ranch Sorting
Travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Cinch RSNC World Finals
White horse legs close up
What's Your First Move?
Gallop Poll: How Do You Handle the First Sign of Lameness?
Newsletter
Receive news and promotions for Horse & Rider and other Equine Network offers.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Country*

Additional Offers

Additional Offers
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Horse and Rider
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.