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Personal Theft Story -- Received at SHI Monday, May 03, 2004
See Lacey's theft report here
“Lacey”
My
stolen horse Tennessee Walker
I found Lacey when she was four years old in
a horse magazine for sale, I saw her big beautiful loving eyes and
had to have her. I rode her down the owner’s driveway and back,
I wrote them a check and could not wait to get her to my ranch. We
had recently acquired 71 acres, and were busy buying other farm
animals. I had a little Arabian mare named Fancy, her and Lacey
became best friends. We didn’t have a barn yet so they ran the
property.
Every day I came and rode them both, all in the woods
and on the highway. Fancy became my husband’s horse, Lacey made
it quite clear that she was mine. We bred her and could not wait
for the baby to come. In the mean time I built them a very nice
barn, with an indoor shower, and many amenities. In the spring the
baby came I was there with her. I never once thought that she
might not want me in the room with her and she never once let on
that it was not normal for me to be there. We named the colt
Colonel.
He thought I was the other mom. He would follow me around
and go into the feed room where he could steel all of the sweet
feed he could eat. Soon we were on the trails again, this time
with the Colonel in tow. We bred both mares this time and again
could not wait for the babies to come. Fancy had a beautiful
tri-colored colt named “Beau” and Lacey gave me a filly named
“Chantilly Lace”.
The next year Lacey had twins. It was 4:00
A.M. when I reached the barn, she was in full labor and the baby
was on it’s way out, I went in to her room and was helping her
clean the baby when she punched me and swung her head. I said what
Lacey? She did it again and was trying to point at the corner, it
was dark and I could not see too well but then I saw it was the
other baby. It was dead and only about a third of the size of a
newborn baby. The dead baby had been dead for months inside Lacey.
She wanted me to get the dead baby out of her room, as soon as I
did she was happy again.
The Vet came and checked her out, he said
they all should have died from infection of the dead baby in the
womb. We named the baby Miracle. It was time to give Lacey a break
from babies. During the past few years I started a non profit
organization called “Open the Gate, Inc. It was to be an equine
therapy program for special needs children and families. Lacey was
my primary horse and every one loved her. I also took in problem
horses for re-training and reprogramming them to go back out in
society.
I wanted to start showing her in the next
season. I took her to a show with no training or lessons, she won
two fourth places and a fifth place beating four world champions
in each class. I
started training her for the shows.
One morning I went to get her for grooming
but she was lying down, she was collicking, I got her to get up,
gave her a shot, and called the Vet. He came and examined her, and
said it was a pretty bad one, but Lacey survived.
A week later my husband came running in the
house at 6:00 A.M. and told me to hurry that Lacey had fallen in
the ditch, which was 15 feet deep and full of water 4 feet deep.
We didn’t know haw long she had been in there. I sat on the edge
of the ditch holding Lacey’s head while my husband dug a ramp
for her to walk out. We got her to her room and she started to
tremble. Every time I went out of her room she would tremble
uncontrollably, so I stayed with her for about 10 hours and
finally she calmed down. I said Lacey please be careful for a
while.
Monday July 21, 2003, at 6:30 P.M. I pasted
by each stall and said ”Good Night” to each of my horses.
Lacey was the last one, I always gave her a hug and said see you
in the morning Lace. Little did I know I would never see her
again. The next morning I went to the barn and Lacey was gone.
I ran to get the ranch hands to help me look for her, we
went everywhere but there was no sign of her. My husband said she
was probably pulling tricks on me again. Then I found the barbed
ware cut right at the railroad tracks. I started walking back and
found hr shoe prints, and a large boot print. I started to cry and
got sick.
We called the police. The officer came out confessed
that he was from New York and had no knowledge of farms or
animals, so right off the investigation was not properly done. It
rained before anyone took pictures of the tracks. No one called
the Agricultural departments for several days. I could not believe
how little help I was getting. I was told they had other cases,
the sheriff on my case was off that day, and so on.
The media did
come the day after she was stolen, her story aired on three TV
stations and three radio stations.
I started making flyers and placing them all over. Still I
was amazed at how many people had not even heard about her being
stolen, and even fewer wanted to help. I was sick and angry. I
worried about her constantly. I thought back about who had been to
our ranch and who could do this to her and me. Was she all right
or was she dead. I went to other barns in the area. On trail rides
I would tell everyone about her, if I saw a black horse I would
chase them down, and horse trailers, too.
People still ask about her and it still hurts
every time.
April 8, 2004 a friend from the pose called
me to tell me there was a picture of her for sale on the Internet
on another site. (contact Jacki for more info on site)
I
looked it up and sure enough it was her, she was in Alabama. I
called the number and left several messages, but no one called
back. I called the sheriff, and again they drug their feet. I
called the sheriff in Walker County Alabama, sent them the police
report to start looking for her. I was trying not to get too
excited but I knew it was her, the picture had her great big sweet
black eyes, and her left back ankle was white.
After days of
waiting for the sheriff ‘s department to help me I started on my
own investigation. I called the internet owner again and this time
I didn’t leave a message, she immediately called me back to see
who was on her caller I.D. Now she had to answer some question.
She said she was just helping some one else sell her, but she
didn’t sell so they took her to Centerville Alabama to a lady
named Cary for her to sell the horse for them.
I contacted the
Cary, she told me a different story. The people on the Internet
had lied to me. Cary
said she had been sold at least six times and that no one could
handle her, that she was crazy. When I described Lacey she got
very upset, she had no idea that Lacey was such a good horse and
that the passing hands of her made her in need of therapy herself.
Cary said Lacey had been sold to a horse broker for $300.00 and he
was taking her to Texas.
Again my heart is broken !!! I pray every day
some one will read this and find her. If you have any clues please
e-mail me at j.unique@worldnet.att.net
or call 386-547-7361 ask for Jacki.
THANK YOU EVERY ONE
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