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Horses loose in Zebulon, NC -A sign can make a difference - the rest of the story
The phone rings often, and at odd hours at Stolen Horse International. It is all in a days  work to hear distressed calls from victims of all types of theft or civil disputes. We even receive more and more calls relating good news, like when a horse is found or recovered. We receive calls all during the week with questions about horse identification, horse auctions and a multitude of miscellaneous topics.
After working with victims for 10 years I am rarely surprised by the content of a call. I received one a call on February 18th, 2008 that did just that, surprised me.
It seems Joe Moore, a contractor from Georgia who was in Zebulon, NC working saw two horses running loose as he was driving on Moss Road. Not knowing what to do but fearing the safety of the horses he did as many a good Samaritan do, he stopped to help.
One horse made a stop at a fence and was fighting with mules on the other side. This mischief turned out to be the lucky break both the horses and the contractor needed. On the fence nearby was a Stolen Horse International W.H.O.A. farm security sign warning that horses and equipment have permanent identification. At the bottom of the sign was our phone number. 
Stuck out on the road by himself who’s he gonna call? You guessed it.
It is a small world after all. The call came around lunch time just as I was putting a bite of lunch to my mouth, 233 miles from my Shelby, NC office. This called proved that a sign can make a difference, sometimes in ways we have not even thought about.
Our conversation lasted less than five minutes but during that time I instructed him to call local authorities as I took action at my end. I was able to locate the owner of the sign in our NetPosse Identification Registry and made phone calls and sent emails to  find her as quickly as possible. While waiting for her call I also sent out a few alerts to NC list groups in case someone there lived in the area.
Minutes later I talked with the contractor and Shannon Hoffman, the owner of the mules had gotten my messages and contacted the Joe. She was miles away but was in route to offer her help as well.
Shannon later stated, “Funniest thing about this is when I finally got a hold of my neighbor who lives two doors down she had no idea anything was going on. She wondered how I knew and I was 30 miles away in Raleigh. When I told her the phone call came through Shelby, NC she just laughed!”
Thanks to a many caring people and a sign the owner was quickly located and the horses were safe.
Thanks Joe and Shannon, for your help in finding the owners. Shannon’s letter to me received later is below.
2/18/2008 2:23:12 P.M
I got a call from Debi Metcalfe in Shelby, Western NC, today about two loose horses in front of my house. Apparently a Building Contractor saw the two horses fighting over the fence with my guys, right next to the
road. He stopped and called the number on the sign at my side gate (Stolen Horse International WHOA farm sign). Debi recognized Zebulon, NC and remembered that I had mules, called me and the Animal Control and I called every neighbor I could think of. I called my neighbor who was home with kids and told her what was going on. Jamie said she was amazed but not surprised that I knew something was happening in the neighborhood when I was thirty miles away and she was right there.
Many Thanks to Debi Metcalfe! Saved the day and thankfully it was not my mules who where loose!
Such is the small horse world!!!
Shannon
Shannon Hoffman
Equine Health Program
College of Veterinary Medicine
NC State University
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