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Stolen Horse International, Inc.
PO Box 1341
Shelby, NC 28151
(704) 484-2165
stolenhorse@netposse.com
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Like Taking Candy
Paint Horse Journal article in August 1998
Like Taking Candy - Horse thieving is a flourishing occupation that preys on vulnerable owners. But there are ways to combat this sinister business.
Article by Ross Heco
The person who appears to be only a curious passerby may be a thief scouting out your horse and facilities, planning a future robbery. Now is the time to take steps to avoid becoming a victim.
Two hours had gone by. The young man was apparently a serious customer. Why else would he spend so much time bargaining the price of eight registered Paints, an unregistered Quarter Horse and a white mule?
It seemed like business as usual. J. L. Dillenburg was using the best horse-selling tactics he knew, trying to get the highest amount he could without chasing away a potential sale.
But even if he had uncharacteristically asked an unfair price and actually received it, J. L. still wouldn't have been the one constructing a swindle. That's because J. L. was never going to get paid.
He may have handed over his horses and received a signed check in return, but he wasn't getting any money.
It was six years ago in Creston, Iowa, when the stranger (J. L. and his wife, Lucy, figured he was in his early 20s) filled out two checks-$2,000 for a Paint mare and the Quarter mare owned by Dillenburg's daughter, and $6,000 to J. L. for the rest of the string. Along with the horses, the man hauled away their registration papers, and J. L. cashed his check at the local bank.
Eight days later J. L. was notified that the checks had never cleared. "The guy never had but $25 in his account," J. L. said. "We found out later that he was 16 years old. He was such a pro that he dickered on the prices for two hours when it didn't even matter."
By the time J. L. found out the checks were no good, the teenager had disposed of all the horses at a sale barn in Minnesota, and from there they were scattered all over the country-Kansas, Montana, South Dakota, Texas. More than one ended up in Europe.
"
J. L. received a phone call from a man in Germany who had purchased one of the Paint mares. The buyer didn't know the horse was hot when he bought it. He had simply called because he was interested in buying another Dillenburg Paint. J.
L. gladly sold the German one of his mares.
As for the stolen horses, J. L. never got them back, nor did he recover all his money.
"We didn't stand a chance to recover the horses," J. L. said. "We didn't get any help from the local law enforcement. It wasn't called theft in the police report. It was called bad discretion on my part."
Because of the report, J. L.'s insurance company quickly proved that it didn't owe the Dillenburgs a dime.
J. L. said the 16-year-old was arrested for writing the bad checks, tried as a minor, and sentenced to two years in various juvenile institutions. The boy's parents had to reimburse the Dillenburgs. All they had was $2,000 for J. L. and $1,000 for his daughter. Since the incident, J. L. has adopted a rule for customers who purchase his Paints: "They don't get the papers until the check clears!" he said.
Debi Metcalfe has been hooked to the internet for almost a year. But it's not because of any shopping bargains or entertaining chat lines she may find.
She's searching for Idaho, her 12-year-old spotted mare. She and her family had the horse for eight years, until one afternoon last September, while the family was away from the house, Idaho disappeared.
"The thieves cut our pasture fence and loaded her on their trailer-in broad daylight!" said Debi, who lives in Shelby, North Carolina, with her husband and two children. "At first we didn't know anybody had stolen our horse. We thought the 'Wild West days' were over and never even thought about someone stealing her."
Registered with the National Spotted Saddle Horse Association, Debi's mare has a loud color pattern. These days, colored horses are a hot-selling item attractive to breeders, owners-and thieves.
After a few hours the Metcalfes realized their horse hadn't simply wandered off, so they contacted the police department. But the local law enforcement, which was inexperienced in horse cases and unfamiliar with laws regarding livestock theft, seemed slow to investigate.
So Debi began her own investigation. "I talked to anyone connected with horses, such as traders, vets, horse commissioners, auctioneers, and probably even the thieves," she said.
Debi has roamed many horse sales and shows and posted flyers in just about every tack and feed store she knows of.
She logged onto the internet, looking for information about stolen horses. And she sent e-mail to the media and different horse organizations. Her mission developed into a nation-wide awareness campaign.
"I will try to make the public aware of this, which may be the only positive thing coming from our experience," Debi said.
Some local television and radio stations broadcast her story. The Charlotte Observer published an article about Idaho and the growing problem of horse theft in North Carolina, and the article was reprinted by many other newspapers throughout the nation.
Debi has received hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from people interested in helping out, offering tips, asking for information and encouraging the
Metcalfe's to continue searching for Idaho. Many are victims, too.
"Every time I see a horse trailer, I have to look in it-I am paranoid now," wrote a horse owner who was robbed of her sorrel gelding, Flash.
In Arizona a therapeutic riding horse used for handicapped children was stolen.
Not all the news is bad. Some good stories appear on Debi's computer screen as well. One lady reportedly had given up searching for her horse, but someone recognized it at a show seven years later and the animal was returned.
Last April, Joe and Debby Cullinan of Charlton, Massachusetts, had their registered Paint gelding, Texans Tall Boy, stolen. Some seemingly amiable people with a baby gave the Cullinans phony names and a bad check for "Tex" and a trailer.
Ten days later, after making phone calls and writing letters to numerous police departments, livestock investigation organizations, slaughter houses, horse sales, and even communicating with Debi Metcalfe, the Cullinans learned that Tex had ended up in Texas.
Detective Bill Spaulding, the Livestock Detective with the San Antonio Sheriff's Department, had found the horse, skinny and a little abused, but generally okay.
Debi Metcalfe has talked with many types of horse people, and from it she has learned that stealing horses is "big business." Conversations with other victims have clued Debi into some of the methods criminals use.
Thieves with mobile phones sometimes scout out an area, then call for a waiting trailer. Thieves find out when owners are away from the house. They often already know exactly where they can dispose of the horse, either by private treaty or at a horse sale where few questions are asked.
To accommodate some buyers, many swindlers will mix and match their supply of registration papers, whether phony or obtained from some other stolen horse.
A convicted felon described to Debi a "national ring" of horse thieves, who work together stealing and shipping equines across the country.
Criminals can also dispose of a horse quickly by sending it to slaughter for about 50 cents a pound. Some stolen horses from as far away as Delaware have been found in Fort Worth at Bel Tex, one of the two slaughter plants in Texas.
Debi is always wary of whom she talks to now. She cautiously asks questions about Idaho, trying not to give away too many details that might tip off whoever is hiding her horse. Debi even suspects that some of the nicest, most cooperative people she has contacted may in fact be protecting themselves or someone else from justice.
She still gets tips from some of her contacts. She follows up on every one, either finding out it was a bad lead or that she was too late. At least rumors of Idaho's whereabouts give her and her family hope that the horse is still alive.
"Some days we wonder why we are doing this to ourselves when there is so little to hope for," Debi said. "We are victims and we are going through the process that victims go through, I guess. It is not fun and I am very tired. But I can't stop until something good comes from this."
One of the groups Debi contacted was the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA). The organization, based in Fort Worth, Texas, was formed in 1877 to track down cattle rustlers.
Before long TSCRA was tracking thieves of all livestock, including horses. Today, around 30 percent of its investigations are horse-related.
TSCRA works in many ways to prevent theft and recover pilfered horses, such as its Horse Identification Program (HIP). The HIP program includes a new website dedicated to finding stolen equines (www.texascattleraisers.org/stolen_horse_frame.htm).
Horses from any state can be placed in TSCRA's database, which records identifying characteristics (color, size and distinguishing markings), photographs (front, back and sides) and a registration number. Using this high-tech tool, agents and internet users have quicker access to a good description of a horse reported stolen.
In 1997, a breakthrough bill was passed in Texas, authorizing TSCRA brand inspectors to check every horse before slaughter at the two Texas plants, Bel Tex and Dallas Crown. The bill was co-authored by State Representative Charlie
Howard, whose $100,000 Arabian stallion had disappeared and was quickly sold for its meat.
TSCRA brand investigators began working at the plants last September. Jody Henderson, director of brand inspection at TSCRA, said their presence has cut down criminal activity at the two plants considerably.
"We've inspected over 30,000 horses since September," Henderson said during a recent interview. "We've searched for several stolen horses [at the plants], and we haven't found one yet. And that's because now there's a deterrent."
Henderson said three other plants, located in Calgary, Canada; Chicago; and North Platte, Nebraska; are operational. Unfortunately, TSCRA jurisdiction covers only Texas and Oklahoma.
Larry Gray, TSCRA's director of law enforcement, hopes other states will also adopt stricter measures in dealing with horse theft. Meanwhile, he looks forward to the possibility of his agents being allowed to inspect horse sales.
"Just because stolen horses go through a sale doesn't mean they'll go to a Bel Tex," he said. "They often go back to the country, or another trader will buy them."
Although TSCRA has only regional jurisdiction, it is a member of a group of state livestock investigation agencies that form the International Livestock Investigators Association (ILIA). The network of 28 states (mostly Western) and three Canadian provinces share theft investigation information and assist each other in pursuing horse thieves.
Members of ILIA fax suspect and stolen horse descriptions to the association's headquarters at the Colorado Brand Board in Denver. The "hot sheet" is then sent out to the rest of the members.
"It's designed to get the word out to those groups looking for stolen horses," said Brand Commissioner for Colorado Gary Shoun. "It comes to the office here, and it goes out the same day."
Despite so many efforts, chances of recovering a stolen horse are usually not good. Preventing theft is the key, and that rests in the hands of horse owners.
Thieves have many ways of taking horses. Writing bad checks, as the Dillenburgs and Cullinans experienced, is a common method of theft. Holding registration papers until the check clears is a good idea. Gray and Henderson offered a few other ideas on how owners can keep their horses in their barn.
"We stress branding," Gray said. "Either freeze-brand or hot-brand. It's a visible deterrent. Microchips and tattoos are good for identification, but a thief will see a brand, and chances are he won't steal that horse."
Henderson pointed out that owners should make sure their brand is up to date with their state's brand registry. Registries routinely remove old, unused brands from their books every few years.
It also helps to have registration papers and photographs (front, rear and sides) when describing a stolen horse to authorities.
It's difficult to negate every attempt at theft, but simply making robbery difficult for thieves reduces risk. If possible, lock gates, stall doors and trailer hitches. Keep the trailer parked out of sight, because many perpetrators take it along with the horses if they know it will be on site. Don't leave halters hanging on stall doors or on horses out to pasture.
"Another thing we stress is knowing who you have come out to your place, such as the farrier or feed delivery person," Gray said. "While they are there they can look at everything you have."
Owners can also set up lighting, build wood fences instead of easy-to-cut wire fences, and have a few noisy, suspicious dogs on the place.
Varying the times away from the house also throws off thieves such as the ones who hauled away Idaho.
A lack of awareness by many owners gives horse thieves the upper hand in the fight to solve an "it-can't-happen-to-me" problem.
"It's a crime that people don't think happens," Debi said. "But if it happens to you, it turns your world upside down."
For more information about TSCRA's horse programs, call (800) 242-7820.
8 Keys to Prevention
Although valuable horses can't be kept in a bank vault, there are several ways
to deter horse rustlers.
1.Brand livestock.
2.Lock gates, stall doors and trailer hitches.
3.Know who visits when you're gone (such as the farrier and feed delivery person).
4.Keep halters locked in your tack room.
5.Vary patterns of coming and going.
6.Keep your horse trailer out of sight.
7.Install security lights.
8.Keep at least one suspicious dog on your property.
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