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Stolen Horse International, Inc.
PO Box 1341
Shelby, NC 28151
(704) 484-2165
stolenhorse@netposse.com
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Zack's Story
Debi,
Thank you so much for posting Zack's story so quickly. I knew time was of the essence. I can hardly believe the Fates smiled on us as they did. We really don't know the "truth" behind what happened--the "motive", if you will. But here is the story.
On Friday, July12, 2002, Brenda came home from work at her usual time--about 5:00. She headed to the barn to check on her two equine pets. She always checks right after work to make sure their water is still fresh, they have plenty of hay and in hot weather like this summer, to make sure the fan is on. She saw Rags but didn't see her first and favorite horse, Zack. Then she noticed a cattle panel that was kept chained to close off a corner of the paddock from the pasture below was unchained and pushed open. She thought that was odd but didn't get nervous--yet. When she did a thorough search of the pasture and was convinced Zack was not there, then she got nervous.
I live next door to Brenda. She bought Zack from me 8 years ago. I bought him as a yearling and started his early training. I reluctantly decided to part with him when Brenda expressed an interest. He's been the apple of her eye ever since. About 7:00 I got a message on my phone that Zack was out to keep an eye out for him. I told my husband and he hopped in the "gator" and joined the search. I was expecting some folks from out of state. They were stopping in on their way to pick up a new horse in southern Missouri. So I stayed behind.
Brenda's husband began the arduous search of 90 wooded acres that adjoins their property. He followed Zack's hoof prints down to the bottom of their pasture where he was lead out a gate. Then they went across a deep ravine to the other side where the adjoining property owner's wire fence was cut. As he followed the hoof prints--well visible because the ground was wet from recent rain--he found part of Zack's bridle hanging on a fence post. The bit and reins were there. The headstall was not. Very curious. Further down the trail he found a blue t-shirt with Zack's hair all over it. More curious. Had they used that to try to blindfold him? Finally he came to the top of a pitted road. This road is not visible from any thoroughfare and not passable by much other than ATV's. It is primarily used by the property owner for his ATV and walking. Parked there, at the top of the road, was a pickup truck with out-of-state plates. There was no trailer, just the truck.
Brenda's husband called me from his cell phone to report his finding. I contacted the property owner to inquire if the truck might be his and belong on the property. Nope. Not the owners and he encouraged us to call the police. At that point, the police were called in. They ran the plates and reported that the truck had been "recently stolen" from a neighboring state. It was at this point that they went to the barn and Brenda realized her saddle was also missing. Zack was most definetly stolen!
All the neighbors were called. I left messages with any that were not home or didn't answer.
Brenda's husband continued his tracking even in the dark. He went to the bottom of the "logging" road and found the heavy cable cut. There was fresh horse manure, too. Several other neighbors were scouring the woods, as well.
I was burning up the keyboard of my computer. I e-mailed all my contacts, all my list groups and a friend contacted NetPosse. Two different people sent me flyers made from the information in my first e-mail and the pictures I sent out before I could make flyers myself! I researched sale barns and slaughter houses around the country, compiling a list of contact numbers. I called the local sale barn, which was selling horses that night. They had no horses fitting Zack's description. I contacted the Humane Society. I compiled a list of newspapers and radio stations to contact the following day.
Saturday dawned with no new information. I printed out flyers by the dozen and neighbors stopped by, picked them up and began canvassing the area. Brenda went to a county park that is popular with riders and handed them out.
One gentleman in a big western hat told her, "Ma'am, if I see your horse in the park I'll gladly walk him back and drag whoever is on him!"
The police dusted the truck for fingerprints and had it towed and impounded. We didn't know if it was linked to Zack's theft or not. We still don't.
I planned on attending one regional horse sale that evening to look for Zack. I asked two friends to attend two others in other parts of the state. It is best to go in person, if you can, rather than call and inquire so we were prepared to do so. About 1:00 I got a call from the daughter of a neighbor. This neighbor had been on vacation and her daughter picked up the message I had left there the night before. She called to say they DID have a stray horse up there. This was close by, but the opposite direction of the "logging" road and truck.
I hoped against hope. How many loose horses could there be in this area? I didn't want to get my hopes up though. Sure enough it was Zack! I burst into tears when I pulled into the driveway and saw her standing there with him. He had on the halter and the lead rope he had dragged around all night. He had saddle galls on both sides that were raw and swollen. The saddle they stole didn't fit his wide back, plus they had no pad! He had bad abrasions behind both elbows--too far forward for girth galls. They were actually on the back of his elbows. Did they use a rope to try to load him? Maybe they WERE from the girth if he wore the saddle running through the woods all night and it slipped badly? He had what looked like rope burns on the back of his hind pasterns. Hobbles? More rope burns? Various cuts and scrapes with dried blood covered him and he was obviously lame. I walked him home telling him what a courageous horse he was and how GOOD it was that he was stubborn and ornery and defiant of whatever they asked him to do!
Brenda was still out distributing flyers. She got home after we had time to do a better assessment of his injuries, brush him down, fly spray him and get the tangles out of his mane. She melted at the sight of him.
The last mysterious chapter of this saga happened about 6:00 Saturday night. The farmer adjacent to where Zack was found returned from work and saw something he had to investigate. Not 10 yards from his back patio was the saddle, the headstall (remember the bit and reins were found the night before) and a towel that we hadn't missed out of the barn. They were all stacked up on the fence! Had the thief returned them? Had he PUT Zack in the pasture where he was found?
We don't know the answer to any of these questions. All we know is Zack is home. He will recover. And we will be very, very vigilant from now on. We don't know if the stolen truck is connected in some way. Did the truck thieves stash it there, hoping to come back for it later? Did they try to ride Zack out as a getaway, never intending to steal him? Then how did he get those burns and abrasions? Did someone just go for a "joy ride" in the woods? Again, how did he get those burns and abrasions? But if Zack got away from his captors, how did the saddle get put on the fence near where Zack was found?
Frankly, to those of us that live near here, it doesn't matter to us if it was a thief, a "joy rider", a drug addict with impaired
judgment or any combination. They trespassed, destroyed property, stole a horse and caused us the most grievous night of our lives. We all hope and pray they will be caught and brought to justice. We don't hold out much hope that they will be caught, though. I know they would certainly fare better in our criminal justice system than if anyone around here caught up with them first.
I got a crash course in what to do if your horse is stolen. But I hope I never have to use this knowledge again in my life!
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