Yes, Equine-Related Theft CAN happen to ANYONE!

By Angela Kirby
NetPosse Executive Coordinator
August 4, 2006

I have worked with Debi Metcalfe, president of Stolen Horse International, Inc. as a NetPosse volunteer for a while now, but in the last year, I have devoted 20-30 hours (sometimes more) every week to NetPosse. I work stolen horse, tack and trailer cases; update, maintain and jazz up the website; design ads and promos; process reports, answer emails, attend shows, write press releases, talk to media ... there isn't much I have done ...

But that's only one side of NetPosse ... the other side is the victim's ... I've been there, too.

I have had my tack stolen twice, two of my horses stolen twice, and my trailer stolen; and I also have a horse listed under "Searching". So if I tell you I understand, believe me, I do!

On Sunday, July 23, I left with my daughter for 10 days to go to North Carolina to visit family, friends and to work at a business expo. I must say it was an amazing adventure. After visiting my relatives and leaving my daughter there, I traveled an hour south to SHI headquarters to spend time with Debi and her family.

I was thrilled and honored to meet such a celebrity ... not Debi! I already knew her!

IDAHO! What a beautiful, majestic mare! And let me tell you, at 20 she is NOT slowing down! I had the privilege of riding her and she is magnificent, headstrong, and spirited. I have no doubt that these qualities saw her through her year-long ordeal that began in September 1997, and brought her home a year later.

So Debi, Idaho, another one of her mares, and I enjoyed riding the Carolina countryside for several hours that evening. The next day, we packed a bag and headed down to Augusta, Georgia, where we filmed a TV segment on Thursday for HorseCity.com. It was only after we arrived that Debi kindly informed me that I would be her "special guest"! (I still owe her for that surprise!)

It was an experience I won't soon forget! The segment will air on RFDTV sometime this fall in front of FIVE million viewers! WOW ... and I don't have a clue what I said! Please watch for more information on the show.

After leaving Debi's Friday morning, I continued on to my business expo in Greensboro that lasted through that Sunday then back to my aunt’s Monday morning. Finally, on Tuesday, I slowly made my way home, relishing in all the experiences of the week, but tired and ready to go home.

Of course the first thing I did when I got here was love on the horses. Right now I simply cannot remember if I even went into the barn. Yesterday (Aug. 3), though, I did ... and found I'd been a victim of equine-related theft ... AGAIN!

I first dealt with horse theft back in the early '80s. Long before the Internet or even cell phones! I'll never forget my sister coming to the house and asking if I'd moved all our tack ... well, DUH ... NO! We'd been cleaned out! Three western saddles, an English saddle, and I believe all the bridles (forgive me, my memory is lacking). I do remember the feeling though of being violated ... even at only about 11 years old ... the same age my youngest daughter is now.

We never did find the tack or the thieves, but we believe it was some workers that had recently been on our property that came back later. My sister replaced her English saddle, but not the western one, while I decided to get another used large western saddle and youth saddle.

That same English saddle now sits alone on a saddle rack next to the empty one that recently held the two that had replaced the first stolen ones … what an irony!

Upon realizing my tack was gone, I carefully walked through the barn and assessed the situation. I do NOT recommend this if you do not know what you are looking for as you may destroy evidence! However, the floors are dirt and I watched for any sign of footprints. Unfortunately, recent rains had washed away any signs. I was wary of not touching gates or surfaces that might have held prints. But in a dusty barn with wood surfaces, that isn’t likely.

After taking a breath, I called the sheriff’s office and requested a deputy be dispatched. Again, I went back through the barn, which sat next to the dirt road; this time making a list of all items that were possibly stolen. I’m still adding items today as they pop into my head.

Because this wasn’t a real emergency, it was more than an hour before a deputy arrived. In the meantime, I went to the house which was a quarter mile up the hill out of sight. Then I immediately hit the computer. By the time the deputy got here, I had a color flyer created and printed, and I had filed a stolen tack report online at www.NetPosse.com – another irony since I created that form for NetPosse and actually work all the reports!

Not much can offer a better glimpse into what Debi likes to call “my world” – the behind-the-scenes activities at NetPosse – than having to work your own theft report! I’ll be doing this from start to finish with Debi’s help and NetPosse volunteers’ support. Already, I have spent almost 12 hours working on this ... from 6 pm until midnight last night, and I’ve been up for an hour this morning locating more pictures and info to post. Today, I will be taking time off from work to hit area tack and feed stories, auctions and law enforcement offices.

So now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty … what did I do to protect myself from Equine-Related Theft … what did I do right and what did I do wrong …

The first thing I want to say is LISTEN to those with experience! Get your head out of the sand and realize that you are NOT special! You can be a victim just like anyone else no matter what you do to prevent it … However, that does not mean you should be a red bull’s eye on a target.

I have the WHOA signs … I actually developed the concept and designed it! But do you know where those signs are? Neither do I … I never took a few moments to post them on my fence or gate, and now they’re somewhere in my house in a “safe” place. I could kick myself! Do I think having those signs posted would have prevented this? Yes, I do! Especially since I knew that my lawnmower had already been stolen from my barn.

Were my saddles microchipped? No. Should they have been? In most cases, the answer would be yes. If the saddles in my house had been stolen, only a chip could have proven they were mine. If those had been stolen and I’d been asked to identify them, I couldn’t have! One would have looked just like any other Australian saddle, even though I have a few pictures of it. The other is a plain black synthetic saddle you could buy from any tack vendor.

So what did I do right? Just a few months ago, I took numerous, detailed photos of my saddles that show the unique qualities of each as well as the defects. WHY did I do this? Because of NetPosse! The other things I did right? I kept a level head; contacted authorities immediately and had the info ready when the deputy arrived; I filed a report with NetPosse.

Looking back to 25 years ago … what did I do? I had no pictures of the tack. I didn’t even bother to print flyers or really search. Why? What is different now? Back then, I didn’t have the power of the Internet or the support of NetPosse. Back then, I didn’t have a clue and I didn’t have hope.

Realistically, and knowing what I do about the cases we see, there is little chance of finding these saddles. However, unlike 25 years ago, I know that is worth a shot. It is worth printing flyers and distributing them to auctions, tack shops, feed stores, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and the like. Because if I do not do that then I have NO chance of recovering my tack.

And there is also power in the Internet and in numbers. Knowing that I have thousands of NetPosse members and all of their contacts keeping an eye out greatly increases the odds of recovery. I do not want to let these thieves get the upperhand. I want them to know that they stepped on the wrong toes and crossed the wrong lines!

Despite the situation I again find myself in, I do know that there are other things to be thankful for. All of my horses made an appearance – NOTHING could have made me feel better – at least it wasn’t any of them! Like I mentioned, I know the feeling of walking into an empty pasture and searching for my beloved horses in vain. Nothing can compare to that heartache!

I must say that my horses were very supportive … usually they just stand around waiting to see if it’s feeding time then wander off. They came up and loved on me, and a couple I think were even trying to help take notes. One grabbed my notebook in his teeth and tried to take it! For my horses, life just continued as usual … the sun set and they continued to graze.

So now as I look out over them, knowing what I know about horse theft and just having been victimized, I have to question whether or not I am doing everything I can to protect the horses that cannot protect themselves. Only I can answer that.

Remember that there is no guarantee against becoming a victim of equine-related theft. I can count SEVEN times in my 37 years that my family and I have been victims, but life goes on. All the alarms, microchips, security cameras, signs, brands and everything else will not deter every thief. But in the same breath, ask yourself if the chances are more in your favor if you are proactive … if some protection is better than none at all. I think you’ll come up with the right answer!

If you were not aware of equine-related theft before reading this story or visiting www.NetPosse.com, I hope that now you are better informed. I hope that you will take proactive steps so that maybe you do not also become a victim. No one wants to be a victim, believe me.

Please visit www.NetPosse.com  and see the extraordinary work that Debi has done in the last eight years. My horses were stolen TWICE the year before Idaho’s theft, but I never thought about quitting my job and forming an organization to help other victims. There are thousands of victims of theft every year … think about it … but there is only ONE Debi Metcalfe.

I implore you to support Debi, support SHI, support NetPosse volunteers, and do what you must to protect your own horses and property.

Been there and done that … really didn’t want to do it again.

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