First horse... Stolen???!!!!

TalTalTally

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Hey, desperately need some advice!
About 2 weeks ago, I bought a horse off some travelers who basically "didn't want the horse"
They didn't have a passport for her as she was bred there and basically never touched, I met parents who are a pair of driving horses, so I said to them "oh that's fine, I can get her passported as soon as my next pay comes through" (which is today)
Our yard is about half an hour down the road from where I bought her so we walked there as I couldn't use a horsebox without a passport.
Anyway, the day before she's due to get passported (so yesterday) I get a phonecall in a panic from my yard owners daughter saying she's being harassed by the travelers I got my horse from- apparently they've reported my horse as stolen, and they have the passport for her?! They've said they're going down to our yard today to pick up my horse- which is a bit dodgy as they knew what date I was getting a passport, they knew where she was going AND they have £1,200 of my money for her!

WHAT DO I DO??!!

I don't know whether to panic or to just not believe it- the travelers granddaughter harassed me when I first got my horse because she wanted her as a breeding horse, and she's literally started harassing the yard owners daughter saying her breeding horse was stolen... even though the horse is 2 years old and I was told she was an accidental foal and they never had any use/want for her so she was being sold as they were spending out on feed and care for a horse they didn't want...???
paid by cash, just got a bit of paper saying she was sold, but it was signed by the older guy who isn't the one causing trouble. I don't have any texts/emails, I heard from a friend that the yard were selling a nice horse and decided to go down there and have a look. I have a feeling that they're reporting her and trying to take her back before I get her passported so they've then made a nice £1,200 and got the horse back to do it again to someone else! I don't have a great deal against them as it was all in person :S
 

Fuzzypuff

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Passport is not proof of ownership. I think in your position I would call the police and explain to them and say that you think they may come and STEAL the horse today. Then be on site and at any sign of them get on the phone to the police straight away. I doubt that the travellers are going to report this to anyone. However, as legally you should have a passport I would suggest you do the passport application today so you can say it is in the post - I'm not sure if you need to get the vet out to do it? I haven't done one in quite a few years.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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If this is true and I am sure it is.


MOVE YARDS even out the area for a while and get new passport and microchip and freezemark.

You need to do this for yards sake and your/horses sake

also if she is a furry traveler horse give her a full clip totally full so she wont look the same if they go searching
 
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abracadabra

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Wow what an awful situation!

On the one hand, if it is this woman's horse and the other gentlemen has illegally sold it from under her then it remains her horse and she should get it back. I wonder if people would be telling you to move the horse if the word travellers hadn't been mentioned? I know people are quick to recommend people go and retrieve their horse before it is moved when threads are made from the other point of view.
On the other hand if this is all a scam it's a completely *****ty thing to do, and you have my complete and utter sympathy. I don't know how you are going to determine the true ownership, but I'd be involving the Police. Maybe the simplest (not saying easiest to get anyone to do) thing to do would be to see if you can get the money back from the person you paid it to and hand the horse back.

Passports are not proof of ownership, and it's illegal to buy, keep, and sell a horse without one.
 

TalTalTally

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Police are involved, it's the sellers granddaughter who's saying it's her breeding mare, even though the filly is barely 2 yet. We can't get into ant contact with the seller, just his granddaughter, who's trying to say that no money was handed over and that the horse was stolen from a high security yard in the middle of the night.
Police are informed of this, and if she does try coming down to take the horse, police are to be contacted immediately for theft, as an hour ago I had my horse chipped and passported in my name, they scanned for a chip and she didn't have one, so this girl saying she has a passport for her is a load of crap. I also have a reciept from the girls grandfather/horses breeder.
 

TalTalTally

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Also the girl saying it's her horse is only just 16, gets what she wants when she wants it, so I think she's doing it because she wanted another horse (to add to her collection on 12 that she can't look after), and because the pretty young fillie was sold, she's gotten into a little hissy fit over it.
 

FionaM12

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Passports are not proof of ownership, and it's illegal to buy, keep, and sell a horse without one.

Actually I don't think it's illegal to buy a horse without a passport, it's the seller who's breaking the law, not the buyer. However it is illegal transport the horse.
 

s4sugar

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She should have been passported before 6 months of age so the breeder/seller has committed an offence.
Are you sure she is American saddlebred as an American standardbred is much more likely? AKA trotter.
 

TalTalTally

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photo.php


I've been told she's a saddlebred..? But then, why should I be believing anything they've told me now.
Had chip and passport sorted 3 hours ago, she was scanned for an existing chip and she didn't have one.
 

s4sugar

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Not many Saddlebreds in the UK & then not driven by travellers. Did they tell you her parents names or mention times?
 

FionaM12

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There's something very familiar about all this, the traveler theme, then the "January" photo clearly really taken at the height of summer....

Rileygirl!!! :D
 

Equi

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I wonder if people post to see how long it takes people to figure out who it is? The longer you can troll the more points you get.
 
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