Northants Yard Targetted Last Night :-(

[rj]

If this helps, I get (far too!) many messages about thefts/break-ins to yards, but I've never heard of any deliberate harm done to a horse either during a theft or as a result of an unsuccessful one.
It's difficult to come to terms with the invasion of your territory but try not to torture yourself with too many 'what ifs' or you will make yourself ill.
Take care

[Casper]

Thanks rj. We have completely emptied the tack room today of everything other than feed bins (excluding the sugarbeet which we moved on NYD), removed the padlock from the door and left the wooden slatted window open. So people will be able to see there really isn't anything worth stealing. We are putting a sign on the gate this afternoon basically saying following recent break-in's everything of value has been removed from the premises and stolen items are not being replaced. Also looking at some security items, including an interesting solar powered system which June kindly sent me details of.

Feeling a bit better now being proactive about things. Completely lost yesterday and you are right, it would be very easy to become ill with it all. So am being positive and doing something about it instead. The local farm are getting involved too and the yard will be "watched" at all kinds of times of the day and night now.

[Susan]

Hi Casper.

I think now having had a day or so to have this all settle down a bit and knowing Bobby and Clover are OK out at night and coming in daytime successfully must help you a lot.

You have had lots of great ideas passed and RJ certainkly knows her stuff. As I also in that she and I both have info passed on of real situations. She has passed onto you good info in that unheard of thieves to take it out on the animals when they are unsuccesful.

You mentioned that an alarm sounding off, is not so useful as no one to hear that.

That is the whole point Casper, the wouldbe thieves do not know that. They have no idea of who hears what and certainly want as little noise around advertsing their presence.
This is based on facts fed back from thieves. They have no idea that what they hear is also sending signals around to mobile phones and to homes nearby and also to police stations.

So go for it !! , make their lives as dam difficult as possible.
As I said before with the trailer and markings all over it. It is aboot then not wanting a target easily identified even the removal of markings in anothwer mark in itself.
So go for loads of notices, even on the stable wall to Bobby's stable.
As I metioned you see loads of work vehicles around now with notices, no tools stored in the vehicle overnight!

I once triggered off Junes alarms because I did the entry numbers wrong! ( stupid person I am) and before I had a chance to call June and say sorry, she had a call from Peter in the US saying our alarms is going off at the yard! see how quick it gets around. !!!

But most of all being proactive will be so helpful to you. And any other ideas you come up with pass along Casper.. Isnt that great about the local fgarm also helping. See what I mean you never know who see's what or when..

We are all thinking of you and any more ideas I can come up with I will pass on.

[Casper]

Thanks Susan, really appreciate your help and support x. Had the break in not been via Bobby's stable I wouldn't have been as freaked out by it all. Obviously would have been cross/angry but could have dealt with it.

rj's post was great too - although I wonder how many tack rooms are actually accessed via a stable, and whether there were any "incidents" towards the horses on those occasions? But anyway, have hopefully removed the majority of the risk because of removing literally everything other than feed and buckets from the room.

The outdoor rugs are all marked up already, and as they are the dual purpose Fal ones they are in them at night most of the time. It was just that hadn't marked the Thermatex ones as hardly used them (they were for "best" and generally only used when travelling them).

[Nicola]

OMG casper I have only just seen this, my god I can imagine how this has un nerved you!!!

The thing to be grateful for is it seems they were considerate to the horses by shuting the doors, so just horrible thiefs rather than nasty vindictive horrible theives......

Like you say items can be replaced but our horses never can so I am grateful that they were ok and that Bobby hadnt been upset by it My god I would be sleeping up there you must be traumatised!

hugs and more hugs to you and the bobster!!

If its any good to you I have a lovely thermatex thats a bit big for Quincy (so i have only used it a couple of times but its lovely and warm) but would fit Bobby a treat, email me if you want it! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Casper]

Thank you ever so much for your lovely post Nic. Was a bit traumatic to say the least :-( Have PM'd you re the rug - you may get the same PM twice as computer crashed as was sending the first one!

Found out a couple of days ago a third yard was targeted that night in our area, and again they seemed to be looking in the main for saddles as just threw loads of rugs around and didn't take anything. Typical me having the rugs neatly folded up and put on a saddle rack out of the way... otherwise they probably wouldn't have been stolen grrrrr.

Take care hun, any news re the house move? xxxxxxxxxxx