I bought my first branding irons back in 1997 when the man in our area who had been doing the freeze branding decided to retire.  He was the only one that had ever branded for me and I couldn't locate anyone else in the area that was branding.  I started out with the basic irons of letters, numbers and a few others like a rafter, rocker, etc.  After branding my own horses and doing several herds of cattle, I started doing a few horses for my friends.  I knew they wouldn't be too mad at me if the brands weren't perfect but luckily I'd already had enough practice that I did a good job for them.  As I had others inquire about doing branding for them, it was decided to start branding for the public and it went from there.  I've always been very concerned about doing the best that I could and be as accurate with my placement of the brand as possible as I assumed everyone was a picky about their animals as I was when it came to a good looking brand.  The result has been repeat customers and references on not only the quality of brand the animal ends up with but the way the animal is handled during the process.  Having had horses all my life and owning cattle during some of those years, it just came natural to handle each one with patience and care during the branding process.  Keeping the animal calm and stress free makes my job easier!!  My husband is a real good hand at helping keep the animals as still as possible which results in a good clean brand and keeps me from getting knocked around by the animals.  So far I'm running 100% injury free during the brandings and would like to continue that record.  Thanks, Earl, for giving up so much of your time to help, you have truly been a God send!