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Post by smonebull on Jan 2, 2008 14:10:30 GMT 1
Especially coloured cobs.......can we all put our heads together to think of better ways to protect our horses from theft?
I would hate to lose my andalusian stallion, it would be like having a member of my family stolen. Hes branded and microchipped, but whats to stop him being stolen to order and shipped out of the country overnight with false papers? I doubt the authorities are that observant when it comes to ownership papers.
So what else can we do? other than microchipping and freezemarking? Is there a database where we can put photos where the ports can access to look at if suspicious horses come through to them? Is there a database we can put descriptive photos of our horses anyway? just in case?
I'm getting increasingly worried by the horses being stolen, apparently with ease, and not being recovered.
xx sim.
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Post by june on Jan 2, 2008 14:20:14 GMT 1
I'm pretty sure the freezemarking companies have a circulation system for details of horses that kicks into action when a horse is reported stolen and alerts the various ports. You have to pay the annual membership though.
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greyhorses
Grand Prix Poster
My two grey boys
Posts: 1,204
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Post by greyhorses on Jan 2, 2008 14:24:32 GMT 1
I've not heard of a database. The only thing we can do is to deter these people by putting up signs saying the horses are freezemarked / microchipped / dangerous, hiding headcollars, padlocking gates, installing cctv etc.
However if these people want a horse and are getting paid a lot of money to steal it then not much is going to deter them. Horses can easily have stars painted on and white areas painted out so even if there was a database the thieves would still be one step ahead.
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Post by smonebull on Jan 2, 2008 14:29:40 GMT 1
okay..so yard security measures...maybe taking up to date identity pictures of your horse, with individual marks and scars highlighted can help.
but what else? coloured cobs are hardy and live out mostly, how do you keep a horse secure in its field?
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Post by rj on Jan 2, 2008 15:00:30 GMT 1
What you all do is join your local Horsewatch group, please. All of you. Who hasn't yet? Why the heck not?! Anyways up, it needs a large number of volunteers - like we had in the good old days when HW started - who attend sales, contact all the auctioneers, ports, abbattoirs around the country. Your contact details need to be made available to the UK Horsewatch Alliance so that when a horse is reported stolen the details can be circulated instantly to 1000's of people who will all be keeping their eyes & ears open for suspicious vehicles, people, horses, and will actually do something about it. Once upon a time, we set up an exercise whereby loads of us sat in vehicles at night, on motorway bridges, busy junctions (A1/A14, M1/M6 etc) and wrote down the reg numbers of every single trailer and horsebox we saw in a 2hr period (between 12-2 2-4 in the morning) and collated all the information. The police found that quite useful. With more help, we CAN find the stolen horses, and get the thieves convicted, we CAN find out where all the stolen tack, and trailers go. We did it before, but then we all got worn out & no-one is prepared to take it up again. Your call guys. What are you going to do about it? As for keeping your own horses safe; by joining forces with other horse-owners in the area, patrol at different times, exchange info on suspicious sightings, get everything everthing everything marked - if your horse isn't freezemarked, I for one cannot go looking, sorry. Too old and cowardly to want to put myself in danger, when by sitting unobtrusively at the edge of a field, without trespassing I can get a good clear pic of a freezemark.
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Post by emsxx on Jan 2, 2008 15:01:28 GMT 1
Mine live out and were recently freezemarked. The freezemark lady said that 9 in 10 freezemarked horses are recovered whereas around 1 in 10 are recovered if they're not marked. Could be sales patter but she was already doing them!
Also had the horsewatch and local pc over for advice, they gave me signs for the gates, advised to use motorcycle chains and padlocks on both ends, walk the fence line daily (they have been known to take down the fence but make it look normal so that when they come back they can quickly open it up again), change the hours you are there, install cctv and/or alarm if you have electricity and splash bright paint with the postcode on rugs.
The most important one they said was to change the times you are there as they don't like unpredictability. If I go out in the evening I always swing past the field and park up for a bit. I also have all the villagers keeping an eye out for me which helps.
You can contact your local station and the horsewatch police will come out and advise free of charge. The good thing is now that the horsewatch lady told the local beat police to swing by and check my field too! I've been up there a few times now when the police have driven past and stopped to see if I am OK (and make sure it's me and not a stranger).
It won't stop them if they really want them but hopefully it will put them off and they'll go for an easier target (sorry for the easier target though).
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Post by stormhorse on Jan 2, 2008 15:10:46 GMT 1
Another one who will say JOIN OR SET UP A HORSEWATCH GROUP.
We can make a difference but only if YOU are willing to help, I'm a committee member of the local group but we are only as good as the members.
Please help us to help you. If your horse went missing you would want Horsewatch to help & keep our eyes open for your horse. Why are you not all members?
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Post by hch4971 on Jan 2, 2008 15:21:04 GMT 1
Ive just emailed and asked for details on how to join but I have to be honest and say there is not a lot of information on the site about joining. I have visited the site many times in the past and have never really noticed anything encouraging me to join it, even when I just went on to do that after reading RJs post I couldnt see anything with any details on it. I would be quite happy to visit sales, check out horses locally and sit on road duty, I could also offer emergency accommodation should it ever be needed. I just never realised that 'anyone' could join it.
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Post by stormhorse on Jan 2, 2008 15:23:27 GMT 1
the site is going to be updated soon with more info on the groups etc. Both myself & RJ & others are on various committees so no problem with asking one of us where the local group is & if there isnt one its not so hard to set one up.
Please more people join we need you.
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Post by hch4971 on Jan 2, 2008 15:30:08 GMT 1
perhaps a 'Horsewatch Plea' post could be pinned for a while giving some details of how to join or at least asking for people to join, it may draw enough attention to make a difference to member numbers.
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Post by smonebull on Jan 2, 2008 15:57:28 GMT 1
great thanks! i never heard of horsewatch but i'm going to look into it now.
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Post by Louise C on Jan 2, 2008 16:10:03 GMT 1
I've had Flynn Freezemarked for years now - my best security is the fact that his field is surrounded by houses in a housing estate and all the houses have my number - and his fieldmate's owners live right by the field and own a dog that has to be walked regularly!
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Post by hch4971 on Jan 2, 2008 16:22:33 GMT 1
Ive just had my email returned so I would be really grateful RJ/Stormhorse if you could give me details of my local group.
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Post by st4ffsmum on Jan 2, 2008 16:22:47 GMT 1
I am secretary of Worcestershire Horsewatch and currently run Shropshire Horsewatch on my own, Worcestershire currently have 50 members and Shropshire 10! I have 2 websites www.worcestershirehorsewatch.co.uk and www.shropshirehorsewatch.co.uk, but I have to say its dis-heartening that people don't join, its only £5 a year and for the amount of work I do no where near covers it, yet everyone asks what do I get for my money? I will do anything to help anyone who has lost a horse or tack, I would hope someone would help me. I am always looking and the amount of equestrian crime is esculating. Please everyone support your local horsewatch. RJ is much better at telling everyone about Horsewatch, perhaps RJ can write a thread and get it pinned as suggested. Everyone needs to know, I had my tack stolen and that broke my heart, I don't know how I would cope with having my horse stolen, the police don't know what a whorl is or a scar on the fetlock etc., how can they even begin, thats why members that join Horsewatch can help, just imagine riding down a quiet lane and noticing new horses in a field then receiving an email alert that a horse has been stolen and fitted the description of the one you just saw. It COULD be as simple as that, thats all we ask to be the eyes and ears in the horseworld.
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Post by rj on Jan 2, 2008 16:40:38 GMT 1
For you N Yorks folk - www.scarcountrywatch.org.uk/Whereabouts are you Simonebull? I thought in Northants which is tricky because the police are not very helpful there. As for getting a thread up & pinned - I guess I could ask, but how many people will actually do anything, even join a Horsewatch group, let alone get off their bums & out there looking for horses, or getting their own property marked. It is all about 'what's in it for me' until something happens to them, isn't it? I've been lucky, not had anything stolen yet, just thought it would be good to try & do something for others in my 'spare' time. Anyone in or around the Thames Valley area is welcome to join their Horsewatch group, and get involved that way. www.thamesvalleyhorsewatch.org.uk/ Then if enough of you can get together with your local police, you can start a HW group in your own area. The only stipulation about using the name Horsewatch is that your group MUST be backed by the police. We can't operate without them so they may need beating into submission! However if enough people demonstrate the need for a group, they will usually be more than happy to help you get going, even allocate some funding if required to get tack marking, boundary signs leaflets etc.
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