Finding Random Plaits In Your Horses Mane????

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armywag

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Someone at work said they heard this on the radio... True or not? I dont know......

A lady kept finding plaits in her horses mane, after asking around the yard and finding out no one had done them she called the police and they said that this is a tag for horse thieves so they know what horse to take in the night.....

Thought Id post it on here just in case!
 
I heard this also, 2 different horses but both grey sports horses had plaits in the underside of their manes just down road from where my horse is -- there was even a bit about it in the local paper.
 
I know everyone's going to hate me for this, but I think this whole thing has been blown up out of all proportion.

Years ago, I rented a field which was separated by only one other field from a comprehensive school. I was well aware that the schoolkids would hang round outside my field gateway at lunchtimes. I kept finding genuine looking plaits in my horses' manes and guessed that it was young teenage girls who probably didn't have a horse of their own, going into the field and "prettifying" the horses.

I reported it to the school and the Headmistress advised me that she would mention this to the kids in assembly and ask them not to interfere any more.

The plaiting continued, at random times and on random horses.

Then on a couple of occasions I decided to do some surveillance. First surveillance, no kids entering the field, no plaits. Second surveillance - same. Third surveillance, no kids entering the field, but plaits which hadn't been there in the morning appeared in one of the horses's manes. So it wasn't the schoolkids.

I mentioned this to a couple of elderly ladies who kept a few rescue ponies in the field between my field and the school (one of whom is a well respected retired show judge and has had horses all her life). "Oh yes", she said, "it happens all the time to mine too, but over the years we've noticed it's seasonal - it happens much more in the Autumn when the grass has virtually gone and the horses resort much more to foraging in the hedges".

What she said actually made sense to me, the manes were simply getting tangled on undergrowth etc.

None of my horses were ever stolen (and unless they were to be stolen for meat, the two veteran mares who seemed to get the most plaits weren't worth stealing anyway, so I can't understand why anyone would want to mark them as a target for theft).

I moved from that field a few years ago now. There are lots of trees, bushes and places to forage in my current place. The same two veteran mares still get plaits in their manes - plaits which do look very genuine indeed, but I am now perfectly reassured that there is nothing to worry about.

I am not saying that criminals HAVEN'T marked horses that they plan to steal by plaiting their manes. This may well be going on. But I do honestly think that the majority of "plaits" that people are panicking about are totally innocent.

Now's the time to run away and hide from the flack which is going to follow....
 
I imagine most plaits ARE innocent, but certainly the lady I got Chloe from was very worried about things happening at her field. Local *insert new word for the one originating from Turnpike, here* were using leadropes tied in trees or plaits, depending on whether or not they could get near the horses. She was finding leadropes.

I don't think you'll get much flack, Faro, as I think most plaits would be kids or walkers making a fuss of the pwetty ponies, but this is definitely a method used and so if I found plaits, I would be treating with suspicion, as once they're gone, they're gone.
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Flipping heck Faro - so to get perfect plaits for a show the next day, all we need to do is stake our neds out near a hedge overnight? I think there's a huge difference between a bit of tangled mane and a plait! A tangle is tangled hair, a plait is a plait. Anyone got a good pic of (a) a plait and (b) a tangle?
 
Hi BoF,

I'm not saying that the "target plaiting" doesn't go on, I am just trying to say that I think a lot of people may be panicking unnecessarily. I freely admit to the fact that there is much more that I don't know about horses than what I actually do know, but I've kept horses for over 20 years - and even so, plaits have appared in my horses' manes which I have honestly thought were genuine plaits (and yes, I can tell the difference between a plait and a tangle!) and if I have had reason to believe that the plait was a plait (even if it turned out that is wasn't) then I can imagine that others would have the same thoughts also.

What I am trying to put across, although maybe I haven't used the best possible words, is that yes, people do need to be vigilant, but at the same time there is no need to get worked up unnecessarily, because I do think the majority of these so called plaits may have happened naturally because yes, they can very easily be mistaken for real plaits.
 
Calling the police because your horses mane has a plait in it? bit odd if you ask me. Would horse theives really stand there plaiting a horses mane, surely someone would notice them?
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[ QUOTE ]
Flipping heck Faro - so to get perfect plaits for a show the next day, all we need to do is stake our neds out near a hedge overnight? I think there's a huge difference between a bit of tangled mane and a plait! A tangle is tangled hair, a plait is a plait. Anyone got a good pic of (a) a plait and (b) a tangle?

[/ QUOTE ]

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Piccie of a tangle
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Don't have any pics unfortunately, never thought to take one. But am happy to do so next time I come across a tangle that looks like a plait. Will put it in my notebook as a reminder.
 
Even the police and horsewatch have told us about the plait in a mane to identify a 'wanted' horse to thieves, the photographers go out first taking random pics of horses when one is picked out they go and put a plait in the mane to identify it, then the thieves/lorry come to steal it..... It is widely recognised as linked to theft, but I also acknowledge that there will be alot of innocent plaiting going on through kids etc, but I'm sure people can tell the difference between a tangle and a plait, especially when the plait/tangle is removed/combed out by the owner!!
 
Never heard its a tag for stealing horses. In my area, I've heard of several occassions where owners have found their horses manes and tails plaited in odd ways and even with parts of it it missing (ie. having been cut off). I believe its a weird religeous thingas it often happens around Halloween time... Scares the hell out of me and I'd go nuts if I found my horses had been messed with in this way. But then again, in my area some horses have been killed by nasty people so I guess this is the lesser of the two evils.
 
I've heard of this a lot over the years, a lovely little sec B show pony at my yard was plaited over the summer but nothing came of it......Horsewatch in my area do say that it is a well known thing thieves do. V scary!
 
I have to agree with you faro.
How many of us have noticed that our horses mane has been plaited and then later been stolen? It always happens to a friend of a friend. If I were to say 'one day I noticed someone had put sparkly hoof polish on my horse and the following day it had been stolen,' how long would it take to get around the country?
It is a rumour that is once again doing the rounds and once again scaring everyone.

Im not saying that it hasnt happened but I just think everyone is over reacting.
 
it has been known for thieves to plait horses mains, but on the other hand my friend has a cob with very long mane and hes forever getting plait like knots in his hair ,but this has been going on for a couple of years now and no other evidence has come to light the fact someone is trying to steal the horse ,i do fill that sometimes this is getting blown out of prepotion .
it really doesnt matter what we do to keep our horses/ponies safe either if you microchip/freezemark there always find away to get that horse/pony but please do still keep your eyes peeled.
i still beleave its another rumor just like the white van one
 
im fairly lucky in that SWA is very nervy with strangers & just runs away from them (think next county distance!).
i do agree wth Faro though a previous house was very good at "plaiting" his own maneand they always looked better than mine (i cant plait!!)
 
I have been sent this today, Make of it what you will:

On Monday (2 Nov) night my friend’s horse was stolen from a field in the Guildford area. The people who took her sawed through a wooden post and rail fence to get out and this happened between 3pm and 6pm in the afternoon.

The police were informed and so were the microchip company who circulated her details to all the ferry ports etc.

As you can imagine the owner was completely distraught.

Late Tuesday (3 Nov) afternoon she received a phone call from the police to say her horse had been found in Hollyhead, Wales. She was tied to a railing at the ferry port and the ferry to Ireland had gone without her. So today she is driving to Wales to pick her up.

Several things have come to light in this story:

1. A week ago her horse had a small plait in its mane when she went to get her in from the field. She describes it as very small, almost like a tangle. She disregarded it as kids messing about (her horses are out in a field with others). However, this is how people mark horses to be stolen later. Ie. One person marks them, another then comes later and knows which one to take.

2. The ferry port at Hollyhead do not check horses passports or microchips. This horse was travelling without a passport.

3. The police believe the reason this horse was left behind was because she was microchipped. Although the UK is lax about passport and microchip checking, it is apparently more common for horses to be scanned on entering Ireland. The people who take them will scan them and dump them if they find a microchip. This horse also had a large obvious scar so this may have been a contributing factor.

The police told her that horses being dumped at a ferry terminal is not uncommon and they usually turn out to be stolen. They have had horses left in a lorry on the actually ferry!

This story has a happy ending for H and E, but it makes you wonder how many other stolen horses were on that ferry to Ireland.

The owner has asked me not to give any more details because of the police investigation that is on going, but has given her permission for me to relay this story, mainly to highlight:

1. If you find your horse with a small plait in its mane or tail please do not ignore it. I thought it was common knowledge that people knew about this, but several people I've spoken to since were not aware of it.
2. If your horse isn’t microchipped please consider doing it. The owner of this horse describes her as ‘nothing flashy, just a normal 14.2 bay mare’ so please don’t think it couldn’t happen to you.

Please do not ask me to provide more details regarding the horse or owner as I can’t, but please spare a happy thought today for H and E who should be having a (probably very emotional) reunion in Hollyhead later on today.

Please forward this email onto any other horsey people you know. The more people who know about plaits and microchips the better...
 
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