When horses are missing or stolen so much can happen during a search within a day, a week and or months. Even more can happen, good and bad, accurate or inaccurate when the case hits social media. Everyone has an opinion. Some are very helpful, some not so much.

Recently we have worked with two stolen horse cases that appeared to be stolen in the beginning not only by the victim themselves, but also law enforcement. Keep in mind that it is not unusual for a case to change its status once further investigated. A case can go from a criminal theft to a civil matter or vice versa, a civil matter to a theft. A missing horse can end up a criminal theft. Very little is certain when a horse(s) are missing.

Some of the info you see in social mediums might or might not be correct but is usually posted by well-meaning people at the time. Unfortunately, many cases have people who just want to aggravate an already volatile situation.

We almost always have questions on what is right and what is wrong, and even if what was thought to be wrong is actually right? Confusing? Welcome to our world here at Stolen Horse International, Inc. aka NetPosse.com, www.netposse.com.

Our nonprofit organization’s mission is not only to prevent the theft or disappearance of and assist in the recovery of missing horses, but to also provide real life education from our experiences. We want, you, the horse owner to learn from true life experiences. Not all of what is written in our laws and on paper is "reality" in the real world.

For example, we usually leave threads open to the public that are confusing and disorganized because we want people to not only continue to help in the search for a missing horse, but to also to get a feel for what happens when the "worst" happens. We want you to see first-hand how perplexing cases become and how they develop. This could be your world one day.

How does seeing a case unfold help you as a horse owner?

First, we hope these case studies will help you recognize why you never want to be in one of these situations. Secondly, we hope the cases teach you to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to keeping your own horses and farm safe.

Do you really want to be living this nightmare? We think not.

In this case of the missing Mustangs in Colorado, we have horses that seem to be everyone's or no one’s horses. We have people who care and will do anything to get them back to their home territory to those who say this is normal for the area, and everything in between.

In a private horse owner's case, some of the same questions might arise that have been presented in the missing Mustang case. Apply these questions that are coming up in this case to a single missing or stolen horse situation.

Often what seems to be a theft to many might not be what materializes in reality.

Were the Mustangs stolen or is it legal to round them up and take them away? That is what seems to have happened. They were there one day and gone the next. For a horse owner this can translate into, who has the right to remove a horse and who doesn’t? Who is the owner? Can a person walk onto private property and take a horse? What do you think?

Who was the mastermind behind this roundup of the Mustangs? Where did they go? Where are they now? These are some of the questions that haunt victims most when their horses are missing.

Translate those questions into a single missing horse situation and we have these questions. Who took my horse? Where is my horse now? Is my horse okay or is he being harmed? What is happening to my horse?

How can you protect your horse? Honestly, unless you have someone watching your horse 24 hours a day you can’t guarantee that someone will not take your horse. You can’t guarantee that your horse will not get out and get lost. You can’t stop Mother Nature’s wrath. There are so many ways a horse can disappear, criminal and otherwise.

We meet two kinds of people in the horse world, those who plan and those who don’t.

You can take steps to divert thieves to alternative places and to be able to PROVE ownership when you find your horse, which by the way is not as easy as it seems. This is being proactive.

Reactive is doing nothing, sticking your head in the sand and convincing yourself that bad things ALWAYS happen to the other person, until it doesn't.

We often have someone write to us or tell us at a public event, "If I ever need your services I will know where to go when my horse is missing." Stolen Horse International, Inc. aka NetPosse.com’s Facebook page and website is far more than missing and stolen horse report listings. We have educational and informative articles and tips to help keep you safe.

You can read preventative tips on www.netposse.com in our SERVICES section in our RESOURCE center. You can read more about many different kinds of equine ID in the SERVICES section as well. Click on Equine Identification

Now we ask these final questions. Which person are you? Are you proactive or reactive? Will you be prepared if the worst happens?

Footnote: You can also visit our NetPosse Store and purchase low cost microchip packages, freeze brands and registries from the NetPosse Identification Program (NIP) - another way to be proactive. We bet you don’t know that the concept of providing microchips directly to the horse owner so you can chip your own horse was our idea. We were the first to do this and the rest of the world, even the microchip companies, followed. ID today and prove ownership in the future.

By the way, all proceeds support our victim’s services and educational programs.