Stolen Horse International, Inc.

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact: Debi Metcalfe

PO Box 1341, Shelby, NC 28151

704-484-2165, Cell: 704-472-4314

Email: idahonc@aol.com, stolenhorse@netposse.com, www.netposse.com

 

Stolen Pony located after 5 years through NetPosse.com

 

November 13, 2006 – Vale, North Carolina – When Heidi Courneya, owner of The Lit'l H Ranch, casually went surfing on a cool November morning, she made a startling discovery. Imagine her shock when she found Cheyenne, the pony she had named Chief, pictured on a site for stolen and missing horses, www.netposse.com. That Web site, the Internet home for Stolen Horse International, Inc., clearly stated that Cheyenne had been stolen on September 23, 2001. Heidi couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but in the midst of her disbelief, Heidi did the only thing she could. The bewildered lady picked up the phone and called Stolen Horse International, Inc. (SHI).

SHI’s headquarters happen to also be located in North Carolina, the same state in which Cheyenne’s theft occurred. When Debi Metcalfe, founder of the nonprofit organization, received the call from Heidi, she was beyond thrilled. “There are so many horses that are still missing and stolen. Every day, I work with victims and law enforcement in an effort to help recover them, but it saddens me to know that so many haven’t been found.” Debi had even caught herself looking the previous weekend for Cheyenne while out driving. “To get a call like this, and first thing in the morning … I cannot even describe how I felt. This is one of those moments that just reaffirms that what I do is worthwhile.”

More than five years since the theft, Cheyenne had been found. Not in a pasture miles from home or at an auction in another state, but in the same city to which his owners had eventually moved. This beautiful black and white paint pony was almost right under their noses, and he wasn't being hidden away. “Chief” had been purchased only two months before by Heidi for her pony riding business. She was completely unaware there was a stolen horse in her possession.

When Debi finally reached Alesha Tilley, Cheyenne’s owner, the news was met with more disbelief and then joy. Knowing that Cheyenne was safe and cared for allowed Alesha to gain closure from his theft.

While traveling to the Courneya farm Sunday afternoon Alesha and husband, Rick, were still afraid to let themselves believe the pony they saw in the picture sent to them by Metcalfe was indeed their pony. Shortly after the Tilleys and Debi and Harold Metcalfe arrived at the Vale farm, there was no doubt.

"Even though I saw the picture and I felt like it was him I had to see the two lines on each side of his neck to be sure. There was no way I could have prepared myself for how that moment felt," say Alesha of her reunion with Cheyenne in a phone conversation with Metcalfe on Monday.

"I still don't know what to say about the last couple of days. Yesterday I felt "shell shocked", I couldn't think or function - didn't know what I felt or what I would do, I think I was in emotional overload."

Cheyenne, now 20-years old, will be returning to the Tilley's new home in Vale on Friday. Alesha is thankful to Heidi for her honesty that has already answered so many unanswered questions. She and Rick are determined to trace Cheyenne’s journey in an effort to find the thief so that he cannot do this to another child. This cold case is still open!

Alesha continued by saying, "There is no possible way to thank you enough for all that you do to help - we would never have found Cheyenne without you. I'm sorry I couldn't answer yesterday when you asked what I was thinking - but I couldn't because I was too overwhelmed to have any clear thoughts (or even clear feelings) in me.

Whether a horse is stolen by a thief in the night or spooked on a mountain trail, Debi and her supporters, dubbed by the media as “NetPosse”, work together to bring these horses safely home. Approximately 50 percent of the horses listed as stolen on NetPosse have been recovered, but then there are those that are still missing. For those victims and dedicated NetPosse members, the search continues no matter how many weeks, months or years may pass.
 

Angela Kirby – Stolen Horse International Public Relations 

 

For more information on Stolen Horse International and its programs, visit the website at www.netposse.com.  Stolen Horse International is a Section 501(c)(3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to it are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.