About Debi

About Debi

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"We all have a "moment" in life where we realize something important for the first time, an epiphany. Mine came when I was speaking in New York in 2014. I turned around to look at the screen and saw this image. It was then that I realized for the first time that what I do, what we do through this organization, touches many lives in a good way. I had to pause for a moment as it hit me; you can never underestimate the power of one. This event was my moment in time when I knew that I had "done good," and that what I do matters." - Debi Metcalfe.

Over the past two decades, Ms. Metcalfe has become a champion for horse theft prevention. She started on a one-person crusade to right a wrong and to put her family back together in the wake of a shattering experience. Now, with over two decades of volunteer service with Stolen Horse International-NetPosse.com, she leads others to help with missing, lost, and stolen horses and also search for old horses, found, and crimes against horses as well. 

In solving a crime and compiling her research, Ms. Metcalfe has become a recognized authority. She has appeared on television and various radio programs, in newspaper and magazine articles, and addressed civic groups. Her message is powerful and inspirational.Debi Metcalfe never meant to become an activist. Quiet and unassuming, she and her husband, Harold, were just another family with a few well-loved pleasure horses. Debi ran a home-based business in their small town of Shelby, NC. 

But everything changed on the night of September 26, 1997. Harold's mare, Idaho, a member of the Metcalfe family for eight years, disappeared from her pasture. A search revealed a cut fence and hoof prints that ended abruptly where tire tracks began.

A year-long odyssey began. Debi placed her business on hold and spearheaded the search for Idaho.

She found that no structured, centralized resource for victims of horse theft existed. In desperation, she used a "shotgun" strategy to blanket as much of the U.S. as possible with flyers, and she reached out and spoke with every horse dealer, law enforcement officer, and auction house that would listen. Debi knew her search required luck and prayer to succeed, but fifty-one weeks after the theft, a flyer ended up in the right place. Its viewer made the call that brought Idaho home.

Debi vowed that no other victim would face such a traumatic experience alone. NetPosse was born. This modern-day posse uses the speed and networking power of the Internet to spread the word about stolen horses worldwide. There is no membership list or dues; anyone can "join" the posse by visiting www.netposse.com or (www.netposse.org) where information is posted about missing horses.

Today, at the nerve center of the NetPosse, Debi receives hundreds of e-mails daily and travels to speaking engagements to educate equine enthusiasts about theft prevention and recovery strategies. Through the efforts of Debi and the NetPosse volunteer network, not only have many horses and their owners been reunited but many more thefts have been prevented.

Metcalfe, author of Horse Theft, Been There--Done That, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, where she was one of 2008's Awe Inspiring Woman Over 50. Kappa Delta's AWE-inspiring Women Over 50 includes physicians, artists, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, authors, and community leaders.

EQUINE EXPERT SPEAKER, JOURNALIST, WRITER, AUTHOR, CONSULTANT

Stolen Horse International, Inc., a 501(c)(3), an all-volunteer-run nonprofit organization known as NetPosse.com, was started by Harold and Debi Metcalfe in 1997 after the theft of their horse, Idaho. There needed to be Education or a place to turn for help when Idaho. 

It was during the 51 weeks that it took to find their horse Idaho, the Metcalfes knew something needed to change for the tens of thousands of victims like themselves who needed help and had no place to turn. 

 Although they never envisioned where they would be decades later, their leadership, inventiveness, and admirable contribution toward positive changes in the equine industry, these visionaries have filled a gap in the equine industry worldwide and are true pioneers. 

 Stolen Horse International is the only organization of its kind in the world that is not only known for its strong missing, lost, found, and stolen equine NetPosse Alert network but one that also focuses on Education aimed at helping horse owners learn to be proactive and protect horses before the worst happens. 

 Spearheading all operations of the organization is founder and President Debi Metcalfe, whose passion brings Education to the public in various ways through Stolen Horse International's Educational Outreach Program. Some of Metcalfe's and the organization's accomplishments are listed below. 

 Debi Metcalfe offers seminars and clinics for horse expos, 4H, horse clubs and breed associations, and more via Stolen Horse International's 

Educational Outreach Program. If you'd like Debi to speak at your function or need more information, email Debi by clicking on the 

Contact Us button above.

Book author - Horse Theft. Been There--Done That (SOLD OUT!)

Speaking Topics

  • Horse Theft
  • Civil Matters
  • Equine Identification
  • Farm and Barn Security
  • Equine Made Disasters
  • Inspirational and Motivational
  • National Disaster Prep and Recovery

T.V. and Radio:

  • NetPosse News Show Host (broadcast live on social media)
  • Inside Edition
  • FOX TV's America's Most Wanted
  • PBS Radio's Weekend America Show
  • RFDTV's - HorseCityTV segments
  • Horses In The Morning Radio Show
  • Tracey Morgan Interview for Butler News Network
  • Debbie Loucks - Horsemanship Radio
  • Best of America by Horseback Radio
  • Best of America RFDTV show
  • Experience Cleveland County TV Show
  • Butler News Network - Tracy Morgan Podcast
  • Horsemanship Radio 
  • Rick Lambe Show
  • Speaking of Horses
  • Jim Campbell Show
  • Lisa Ross-Williams's "If Your Horse Could Talk" show

Presenter at: 

  • 2018 World Equestrian Games
  • Horse Lovers Summit 
  • 37th Annual American Youth Horse Council (AYHC) Symposium
  • Southern States Livestock and Rural Enforcement Association Conference
  • Hoosier Horse Fair
  • Pomona Equine Affaire
  • Ohio Equine Affaire
  • Kentucky Equine Affaire 
  • Massachusetts Equine Affaire
  • Texas Horse Expos
  • Lynn Palm's "Women Luv Horses" Expo
  • New York EquiFest
  • Southern Equine Expo
  • Mule Days at Leatherwood
  • Equifest Kansas
  • NATRC National Convention
  • Alabama Horse Fair   
  • Florida Equestrian Celebration 
  • Florida Equine Capital Horse Exposition
  • Virginia Equine Extravaganza
  • NC Equine Extravanganza 
  • Virginia Equestrian Event East
  • International Stallion Exhibition and Trade Show Lansing, MI 
  • Tennessee Volunteer Horse Fair
  • Carolina Classic Horse Expo
  • Southern Horse Festival
  • AmerEquine Horse Festival
  • Women's Horse Industry Association
  • Southern States field programs
  • Numerous horse clubs
  • Various well know horse trainers
  • Multiple equine businesses with speaking programs

Columnist:

  • PhelpsSports.com Columnist
  • Columnist for The Voice Magazine, TWHBEA

News Media Coverage

  • MSN News
  • People Magazine
  • AOL News
  • Today Show (online)
  • Yahoo News
  • T.V. News stations and newspapers across the USA
  • Tractor Supply's Out Here Magazine
  • Dressage Today 
  • Horse and Rider
  • Western Horseman
  • United States Pony Club News 
  • EQUUS Magazine
  • The Equine Chronicle
  • The Paint Horse Journal 
  • The Quarter Horse Journal - America's Horse
  • Practical Horseman
  • The Gaited Horse Magazine (On cover Winter addition 2006)  
  • Horse Illustrated Livestock Magazine 
  • Horse Illustrated
  • Canada.com
  • The Yankee Pedlar
  • Natural Horse Magazine 
  • Hoofbeats Magazine 
  • The Voice
  • ShowLife Magazine
  • The Angelos
  • The Charlotte Observer, Shelby Star, many newspapers across the country, and many more

Author and Writer

  • Horse Theft. Been There--Done That by Debi Metcalfe
  • Has written cover feature articles for Equus Magazine
  • Has written articles for many other magazines and newspapers 

Metcalfe's Educational/Professional Background

  • BS in Education and former teacher and coach
  • Director of special activities in the N.C. school system 
  • Insurance Agent
  • Public speaker 
  • Writer
  • Author

Awards, Honorable Mentions, and Accomplishments for Stolen Horse International

First to:

  • Develop a searchable website for report listings for missing, lost, and found horses where victims receive unprecedented support.
  • Developed the NetPosse Alert in 1997, the equine industries lost and found "Amber Alert." 
  • Develop an all-equine I.D. record keeping all I.D. registry, NetPosse Identification Program (NetPosse ID)
  • Package and sell microchips directly to the consumer
  • Develop a disaster/trail Q.R. tag and database, the Farm ID Tag system
  • Develop an equine-specific public BOLO
  • Develop news articles about theft, missing, lost, stolen equines, and equine I.D. in one place.
  • Best Use of Social Media in North America by Equine Social Media Award
  • Equine Social Media Award (3rd place) Best Charity
  • Equine Social Media Award (3rd place) Best use of Facebook
  • Developed a searchable horse auction resource on NetPosse.org (.com) that includes vets, feedlots, kill pens, and horse traders by state
  • Online support group for victims 
  • Developed a free Beta disaster recovery database, NetPosse Disaster Recovery 

Awards, Honorable Mentions for Metcalfe:

  • National Collegiate Kappa Delta Sorority's Awe-Inspiring Woman over 50
  • Coach of the Year - Mount Olive College (Men's Tennis Team)
  • Serves as a consultant with law enforcement and law firms
  • Expert witness
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER
Stolen Horse International-Mising and Stolen Equine has tens of thousands of followers. Multiple groups work with Metcalfe and total group members/followers are well over 100k to date. 

 

 

 

 

Are you are interested in booking Debi for a speaking engagement or event
Click here to learn more.
You have found the right place because Debi does not have a booking agent. 
Send your request directly to Debi.
debi@netposse.com 
Book Debi Metcalfe Today



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Debi Metcalfe with her horse Idaho

 

 

 

                                      

Stolen Horse International provides news and other resources for free on this website. As a charitable organization we survive on the kindness of people like you. Please consider donating to help fund the organization or purchasing a NetPosse ID for your horse, dog or cat to help protect your beloved animals!
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