Butet saddle stolen in North Yorkshire

[sunshine112]

I left my horse and my tack on a yard near Harrogate while I moved down south and got everything settled. My horse arrived (looking horrendous, lost a lot of weight!) and my tackbox was basically empty. My bridles, girths and very expensive made to measure Butet saddle was missing, even though I had packed everything up the last time I had visited about 5 weeks ago. The yard owner denies knowing anything about this, I consulted the police but they seem to not care at all. I've contacted a few tackshops around that area but otherwise not really sure what to do!

The saddle cost me a fortune and I refuse to believe someone would have stolen it. Don't trust the yard owner at all so wouldn't be surprised if she had sold it!

However, anyone around Yorkshire if you come across a Butet saddle for sale, it's brown mono flap xc model, 2012 and 17.5. It has a name plak at the back but someone might have taken it out.

Does anyone have any suggestions what to do? My insurance won't cover even the half of the price of that saddle unfortunately.

 

[Red-1]

Does the Yo deny seeing the saddle ever? Or does the Yo say they handed saddle to the transporter? Did you have any paperowrk, as in a list of equipment? Is is a private yard, or a big yard with many comings and goings?

 

[sunshine112]

The yard owner is saying that they signed my box over to the transporter and the saddle was in it, however, the transporter has filmed the whole process due to events like this and did not open the box. The yard owner at the moment denies having anything to do with my saddle and says many people come to the yard etc. it's a livery yard with about 6 different owners, the tack room is locked when there's no one around. My tack was in a box in the corner of the tack room so I just don't understand why outsider would go and steal the saddle from the box instead of taking saddles hanging in the tack room. It is a,l very confusing and I have no idea what to do. I worked so hard to buy that saddle I'm devastated.

 

[Red-1]

Hi, These days they are so busy if they can put it as lost property they will!

It needs to be the Police at Harrogate you report it to, as this is where the crime of THEFT took place. As there is cctv for the transporter, you know the theft occurred in Harrogate. I would ask the transporter to keep the cctv footage. If they have no facility for this, videoing a monitor with your phone is a standby.

If you believe it is theft, then the Police's own Crime Recording Standards mean it has to be taken as a theft.

Other things, was the box sealed? Was the seal tampered with? Could a random member of the public have come into the tack room? How many people have legitimate access?

TBH, even once recorded as a crime, if the situation is as I suspect I don't think the Police can do so much. If the tack room is not locked and secure than many people *could* have taken the saddle, and because of that the Police have no right or grounds for going searching anywhere.

At least with your crime number (from local North Yorks) you can put a claim to your insurance.

Under insuring is another thing. They may not even pay out on the amount you are insured for, if your tack was worth more than the value insured. Because of this I would take advice as to what you make a claim for.

 

[fatpiggy]

You have my sympathy, but you ask why would anyone steal a saddle from a trunk where there were others out on racks - easy answer is because it was clear the trunk wasn't being visited by the owner. Burglars often watch houses to see what the patterns of the inhabitants are. No car outside almost certainly means there is no-one home. The longer a thief can get away with it before anyone notices and reports it, the better as far as they are concerned. You have absolutely no idea even what day the saddle went, let alone what time. They will have fenced it by now, almost certainly. Oh and it might surprise you to know that many people are burgled by their own neighbour, or someone on the same street so I very much doubt anyone from outside stole your saddle I'm afraid. I would definitely looking at an inside job. My saddle (and several others peoples') was stolen by a disgruntled livery who had been chucked off the yard. His partner at the time was a dodgy horse dealer. Very easy to dispose of stolen tack when you sell it with a horse.

 

[teacups]

Blimey, that is awful.
I would also report it to police. They may not be able to do much, but it will provide a record, and it may be that there have been previous recorded incidents. It will help the police build up a picture of what is going on, and also should your saddle be recovered they will know whose it is.

As I am looking at yards potentially in that area, would you mind pm'ing me with the yard name please? It sounds like a good one to strike off the list of must-see places.