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Mistaken identity...could
it happen to you? You bet it could!
More on Calinda: click here
What
do you think?
Calinda
- a case of mistaken identity 
Not
a day goes by when Harold and I travel that we do not hear,
"No one could come onto our property and take a horse without
us knowing." We are then given a barrage of reasons as
to why.
I
have great news! Calinda is home! Her story once told
completely should have all horse owners questioning their security
and horse identification methods. This could have happened
to many of the 1.9 million horse owners around the country because
most of us assume it couldn't or are not aware of the danger.
It happened to us in 1997. Ours was not a case of mistaken
identity.
The
people who own the farm from which Calinda lived have learned
through experience that even on the best of horse farms, how easy
it is for a horse to disappear. I commend them on their efforts to
find Calinda. It was through their perseverance and a stroke
of luck (or divine
intervention) that set the domino affect in motion yesterday that
brought Calinda home.
The
story is involved but the facts below will give you a general idea
of occurrences that took place on a normal day on this Tryon horse
farm.
- People were on the property the evening Calinda was seen
leaving in a very recognizable truck and trailer
- Calinda was removed from her stall in the barn
- Days went by before a report was made in case there was
a mistake. Nothing turned up so the report was finally made to
police.
An
honest mistake
- The owners of the farm work hard to find Calinda.
Tuesday their path intersected with a truck and trailer
meeting the description of the one that took Calinda.
They stopped the truck!
- The story gets confusing here but the bottom line is:
the wrong horse was removed from the farm, was for sale and
could have been sold.
- The people who picked Calinda up went to the wrong barn
and the wrong stall.
- The people who had her didn't know they had the wrong
horse.
Lesson's
to be learned
- Remember, without ID most Bay mares look alike,
especially to someone who sees so many horses each day.
- Awareness is your best defense of preventing a
disappearance of your horse.
In
the end, the owners of the farm learned how vulnerable they were
to an innocent mistake or theft. The outcome could have been
more bazaar had Calinda been sold.
 Imagine
showing your new horse in an arena for all to see, and someone
tells you she was stolen. Just think of the problems
that would follow. Imagine the worse scenario of all, not
ever knowing to what
happened to Calinda. This story may have never had an
ending.
There
are many lessons to be learned here. We are so glad
that Calinda's tale has a happy ending. We are thankful the
farm owners will allow us to teach others through their
story.
Thank
you for any and all help you provided in the search for Calinda.
All's well that ends well.
Debi Metcalfe
Stolen Horse International, Inc.
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