Sad and Angry, Highland Woman Wants Horse Returned
Written in 2008

Carol Reedy had her heart broken last week when she discovered one of her horses, Olee, was missing from his stall on her Highland Township property. Stolen, she believes, by someone who was hoping to make some money by selling him.

A couple of days after his disappearance, Reedy admitted she was "all cried out" - and ready to forgive whoever took Olee. "Just bring him back, no questions asked," she had said.

Now, her sadness has evolved into anger.

"It has been a tough several days. And I am really mad now," said Reedy. "If I find out who did this, I will prosecute - this is grand theft. And I don't want to hear any sob stories about some kid who wanted to have a horse.

"I gave them a week. Now, if that person is caught, I will have zero tolerance," she said.

Olee is a 15-year-old accomplished showhorse, one-half Arabian and one-half Morgan. He came to live with Reedy a couple of years ago - a gift from one of her friends - and since shared a stable with her other horses. Dark chocolate brown with distinct white markings on his face, Olee is "a sweetheart" who is usually timid but takes on a "show horse attitude" when he's ridden.

Reedy noticed him missing around 8 a.m. on Sept. 30. She had last seen him around 5 a.m. that morning, spotting him from her bedroom window during a night of fitful sleeping. "But when I went to feed him around eight o'clock, he wasn't there," she said.

Reedy has since searched her acreage and surrounding property, but no signs of Olee have existed. Reedy said she doesn't believe he ran away because a muscle ailment in one of his legs would prevent him from scaling the fence.

"Besides, he's too skittish to wander far away," she said.

Reedy is concerned for Olee because of his leg injury and the special diet he is accustomed to. "If he is fed grain instead of probiotics, it could kill him. And he is used to having his hay dampened to get moisture in his system. Otherwise, he could get colic," she said.

She's also worried that if an inexperienced rider climbs on Olee, there could be problems. "He can be a difficult horse to handle. He's a show horse and extremely strong," Reedy said.

During the past week or so, Reedy has enlisted help from equine associations to watch for Olee. 

One of which is NetPosse, a nonprofit organization that educates people on horse theft and sends out alerts. She has also contacted Oakland County Animal Control for assistance and is waiting for a deputy to send a report to NetPosse so that Olee's case can be tied to the system.

She noted that he has a tattoo or "freeze mark" on his neck to help identify him.

Reedy urges anyone with information on Olee's whereabouts to call the Oakland County Animal Control Division at (248)391-4102.

awingblad@gannett.com | (248) 685-1507 ext. 261

9/29/2023 NetPoses Cold Case Alert

Olee's updated NetPosse Report. https://netposse.com/tag.asp?id=6391