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Can Horse Theft Happen To You?

Horse theft...could it happen to you?

If you had ask me this question sometime ago I would have said no. "Who steals horses these days? That went out centuries ago with the wild west days" We had never heard of a horse being stolen. If we had, we would have assumed that it happened to "the other guy" too....until it happened to us.

Of course it couldn't happen to you. It always happens to the other guy right? Have you even heard of horse theft? We found out over the next year just how big of a business horse theft is. We also found our horse Idaho, 51 weeks after she was stolen.

Articles related to theft of our horse, Idaho

Idaho - Stolen 9/26/97

Our story told by me

Paint Horse Journal

Charlotte Observer articles

Click here.Stolen horses sites

We found out after Idaho was stolen just how big of a business horse theft is. Loosing our horse changed our lives in many ways. We found out just how prevalent horse theft is. We were contacted by many others who had their horses stolen. We found our horse and help others to find theirs. The search is ongoing for many others.
YES! IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU:
I hear weekly of other victims. Be prepared for the worst and hope it never happens. Believe me, ignorance is not bliss. I hope these prevention tips will help you to not be a victim.

Prevention Websites

Preventing Horse Thefts

Stolen Hores WebsiteóPrevention

Horse Watch- Advice on Security

Show markings.

Flyer Tips

It is best to make COLOR flyers.

To save money, black and white flyers are good to put on windshields of vehicles in a parking lot at an auction, horseshow ect..

Compose the flyer giving as much detail to the horse as possible.

Give law enforcement information and contact person.

Make copies of your flier to distribute to farriers, vets,horse-related stores, feed stores, trailer sales places,convience stores,Wal- Marts, K-Mart ect.,any place you can think of where people might see it.

Mail or email flyers each day to as many people as possible.

Use good clear pictures.

Show markings, scars, ect.

One of our flyers.

FOUND!

RECOVERY

If the worst happens and your horse is stolen here are a few tips to get you started on your search.
1)Contact neighbors, local police, state police, sheriff, county sheriff's livestock deputy, county brand inspector,USDA licensed equine slaughter houses in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
2)Alert all slaughterhouses and auction yards within a
500-1,000 mile radius that your horse has been stolen.

In A Spin-Stolen

FAX your fliers to them. Give contact information to law enforcement office. 3)Call the media - local radio stations,television stations, newspapers, magazines,your horse club newsletter, your or newsletter, etc. 4)Contact slaughterhouses and auction yards 5) Organize a group of family and friends to spread fliers, visit slaughterhouses, etc. Internet communities can be extremely helpful. Search the web for help.6)Contact your breed registry to let them know your horse is missing
7) When visiting auction yards and slaughterhouses look in every horse trailer and in all holding pens. Look for trailers outside of the horse auction grounds. Often "stolen horses" are traded on the outside.
8)11. Stay in touch with law enforcement officials.
9) Many of the horsetraders and auction employees we dealt with were found not worthy of our trust. Many of theses people go from sale to sale and work together in the buy/sell community. It is often too easy for someone to turn their head the other way. This is not to say that there are not good people in these positions because there were many who helped us. Just be careful what you say and who you say it too. Make notes who you talk with, waht was said and when. KEEP A JOURNAL.
10) If you locate your horse, keep don't let it out of your sight. Call the local law enforcement agency. Keep pictures, proof of purchase, coggins papers ect.,with you at all times in case you have to prove it is your horse.

Don't give up

It took us 51 weeks to find Idaho. I know of some owners that it has taken 7 and 10 years to find their horses. Bar Saber and another horse stolen from the World Congress Horse Show in Agusta Georgia were found in a little over 3 months. Charlie was found in two months.

WORK WORK WORK

The recovery rate has been low over the years but with new technology the rate is increasing. Do something each day toward locating your horse.

Prosecute

If you catch your thief, prosecute. In some states steeling a horse is a felony. In NC it is a class H felony.

Click here for other information

Our family hopes this will never happen to you, but if you
are prepared you can swing into action and start the recovery process ASAP.
In the meantime, there are many who have lost their pets and need your help. What can you do? Go to the websites listed below. It only takes a moment to download a flyer from the net or contact one of the horse owners and ask for one to be sent. What do you do with this flyer? Put it up whereever you go. Do you go to horse events? Do you go shopping? The flyer that brought our horse home was posted in a convient store 50 weeks after Idaho was stolen. She was home a little over a week later.

WISHES DO COME TRUE!
MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!

If you have information pertaining to stolen horses, a website with stolen horses, or a horse related page and would like to be included on my page please let me know. Send us an email.

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