Horse has been plaited in the field

[scarymare]

Gosh, there are so many parts of this that are bonkers!

(a) Yes, horses in our fields often have wind plaits. Sometimes the wind plaits look almost like real plaits - difference is, they're a pain to get out again. And the really really strange thing is - they happen quite often when it's windy!

(b) Only the horses with long manes get plaited. Oddly, they are also the old, retired, injured ones. The ones that are actively being ridden usually have shorter manes.

(c) In our field at the moment, there are 4 horses, 3 with unpulled/trimmed manes. Two are very skinny TBs with injuries and are neither rideable nor any use in terms of £/kg. One is very skinny and injured but has a short mane. One (mine) is large, strapping, ridden regularly and has a long flowing mane. Guess which ones get the plaits?

(d) If someone who wanted a big strapping horse for Findus purposes crept into the field one night and carefully plaited my horse, I would despair at their limited IQ, since I would arrive next day, carefully untangle the plait, and then the person collecting the next night would feel around until they found the windplaits in the scrawny TBs and take them.

The whole thing makes absolutely no sense at all

Its not about sense though is it? More about methods and traditions passed on over generations. I have no doubt that this is the way things used to be done, when coloured horses were stolen/targetted frequently. There are still pockets of deeply isolated (socially and genetically) travelling communities, so although we'd all like to believe all crime was down to logic and sense, there is enough going on all around us (not just horse crime) which makes us realise that even for an aged scientist like me, human foibles cannot always be tied to sense!

 

[FionaM12]

Interesting, I must admit that over the years I've seen/heard evidence (heresay and direct friends) stacking up in favour of the fact that at least some travellers still do this. I've never quite been sure where the 'urban myth/load of rubbish' brigade get their evidence from though......

To be fair it's not usual to be expected (nor possible) to provide evidence that something DOESN'T happen. I personally have seen no evidence that it does, as verified by the police statement earlier so I remain in serious doubt.

Not sure why people are a "brigade" though.

 

[Bedlam]

Really? The teenagers around my way smoke, drink and take drugs but it takes all sorts

Not much makes me laugh out loud - but that just did......

 

[scarymare]

To be fair it's not usual to be expected (nor possible) to provide evidence that something DOESN'T happen. I personally have seen no evidence that it does, as verified by the police statement earlier so I remain in serious doubt.

Not sure why people are a "brigade" though.

LOL, I think a brigade is the precursor for a bandwagon perhaps......

You make a fair point and I suppose it's completely unbelievable/daft unless it has happened to you or somebody not to far down the heresay chain (a bit like seeing a ghost perhaps). There are a couple of posters on here with fairly direct experience that it does/did happen and it makes me a little uncomfortable when people counter this with loud posts saying (basically) that this is rubbish so I was just wondering what the evidence base for that was?

 

[FionaM12]

LOL, I think a brigade is the precursor for a bandwagon perhaps......

You make a fair point and I suppose it's completely unbelievable/daft unless it has happened to you or somebody not to far down the heresay chain (a bit like seeing a ghost perhaps). There are a couple of posters on here with fairly direct experience that it does/did happen and it makes me a little uncomfortable when people counter this with loud posts saying (basically) that this is rubbish so I was just wondering what the evidence base for that was?

I don't want to insult anyone, but people say allsorts of things on forums, only some of which is true or accurate.

"Evidence" for me would be something like crime statistics/official police statements or first hand witness accounts from someone I personally know and trust.

If it does ever happen, it's clearly very rare or the kind of evidence I mention would exist. It doesn't really justify the kind of scare-mongering which I've seen and heard.

 

[spottybotty]

'tis the season

tis half term school holidays

 

[scarymare]

I don't want to insult anyone, but people say allsorts of things on forums, only some of which is true or accurate.

"Evidence" for me would be something like crime statistics/official police statements or first hand witness accounts from someone I personally know and trust.

If it does ever happen, it's clearly very rare or the kind of evidence I mention would exist. It doesn't really justify the kind of scare-mongering which I've seen and heard.

Indeed it does not. I would just hate it if the horse in question was stolen (albeit by co-incidence perhaps) and I hadn't put in my 'reasonable doubt' stance which is where I stamd on this one . I've seen far worse threads than this on this subject where even quite open minded posters just say 'no, doesn't happen, rubbish etc' and I am uncomfortable with that. I'm also uncomfortable with the notion that horses are stolen because they are big/beautiful etc when any media trawl will show its usually scruffy old sheltands or coloureds and rarely now at that. The idea of teenagers going in with horses and plaiting for mischief is a bit off too (I'm a depute head in a rural secondary school). I also think that surely to heavan most of us can tell a windplait from a human plait I do have a couple of traveller related acquaintances who would swear that this is still the case but tbh they are at least 2 generations removed so even that is tenuous. That said, I'd be worried if it ever happened to me.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I think its down to type of plait
I think you can tell the difference between a wind plait and a human plaiting their mane

wind plait



human plait

 

[canteron]

Must admit I do believe it goes on still. Most horses are stolen at night or from very remote locations and so the whole photo/phone thing doesn't really work. Plus as one poster says they can tell if anybody has unplaited it also. Its pretty obvious that it is/not a windplat.

Certainly those of us with lots of experience with travellers would be cautious here. Old traditions are valued by some and this is one of them.

.... And if the horse will let you plait it's mane in the feild then you know it's got a calm temperament and will probably be easy to lead away.

 

[case895]

Gosh, there are so many parts of this that are bonkers!

Most urban legends don't stand up to logical scrutiny. My favourite is that there is an emergency number that you can dial on a mobile phone which will route via a satellite. Total cobblers but some people believe it.

 

[JinglebellJessi & MistletoeMagic]

Probably a wind plait, however times have moved on from marking with plaits. I read last year on a police or neighbour hood watch website that if someone wants to mark your horse for stealing (gypsy or otherwise) its usually going to be from a larger herd, not one or two in a locked field. And they'll dab a smigeon of florencent paint on the rump. Clear in the day but shine a torch over it at night and it lights up. It applied to gates too.

May have been specifically for my area, i can't remember

 

[Hoof_Prints]

There are quite a few gypsys around my friend's land- and I don't know them personally but have heard through a friend of a friend (who is good friends with some of them) that they rarely steal horses now as it is just not worth their time, stealing and selling trailers and other vehicles/materials makes a lot more money, quicker.

A girl I used to keep horses with once ran over panicking shouting that her pony had a plait.. I did kindly try to explain that her 20 year old 12hh pony with cushings and arthritis may not be what someone is looking for and that it was just the wind !

 

[glamourpuss]

Why would gypsies ever be interested in stealing a horse. Every gypsy I've met with horses have got absolute beauty's which is like to steal off them

 

[Ibblebibble]

while i don't subscribe to the 'marked for theft' theory it would be quite difficult to get evidence to confirm it really.
if a horse is plaited by a potential thief and the owner notices then the plait is removed and horse either hidden or security is stepped up so the thieves don't bother as it's too risky. If the owner doesn't notice the plait and the horse is subsequently stolen, the owner won't know to tell the police there was a plait because they didn't see it!! all they will know is their horse was stolen.

of course if you find a plait and remove it and your horse isn't stolen then all is good and i still can't understand all the panic over the whole thing,

 

[TheMule]

How is that anything to do with it having been marked for being stolen? Why should it have been a stolen horse, and how would anyone know who put the plait there and why?

As pointed out earlier, microchipping doesn't deter thieves.

What a charming reply!!

Stolen horses generally end up going for meat- choose a nice big cobby one and you get a decent return on your efforts. Now I'm down at the abattoir frequently for scientific research and have only seen one go through with a definite plait, it wasnt someone's beautiful ex show pony they wanted to make look pretty for the meat line either!

And thank you for telling me, no, microchipping wotn stop them nicking her but it sure as hell will stop the abattoir from slaughtering her when they scan her and she comes up as stolen

 

[misterjinglejay]

Whilst I'm definitely in the urban myth camp, I do think that the plaits could be there to show how often the horse is visited, rather than to mark him out.

 

[Sparkles]

Baby coblet along with the entire herd previously should have been stolen a hundred tines over. Including him now being in a locked CCTV barn and having his mane plaited up overnight

Along with now how well known this myth is now....

No I wouldn't worry nor beleive it at all sorry

 

[FionaM12]

What a charming reply!!

Stolen horses generally end up going for meat- choose a nice big cobby one and you get a decent return on your efforts. Now I'm down at the abattoir frequently for scientific research and have only seen one go through with a definite plait, it wasnt someone's beautiful ex show pony they wanted to make look pretty for the meat line either!

And thank you for telling me, no, microchipping wotn stop them nicking her but it sure as hell will stop the abattoir from slaughtering her when they scan her and she comes up as stolen

You misunderstand me. They were genuine questions.

I genuinely don't see how you know the plaits were anything to do with having been stolen.

Sorry (and a little mystified) that you took offence.

 

[case895]

You misunderstand me. They were genuine questions.

I genuinely don't see how you know the plaits were anything to do with having been stolen.

Sorry (and a little mystified) that you took offence.

I was wondering that too.

 

[FionaM12]

Microchipping is a total waste of time as there is no central data base for them so if a horse is recovered with a micro-chip in it the chances are that it will not be on one of the databases which means they are unable to identify the owner.

microchipping wotn stop them nicking her but it sure as hell will stop the abattoir from slaughtering her when they scan her and she comes up as stolen

Sadly if Owlie85's post is correct, it won't though.

 

[mulledwhine]

I have heard of plaiting , but I don't understand how they think it would work( if true) , surely they must know the plait would be seen and taken out!!!!

And that when seen , reported!!

I think it was probably children making ' the horsey look pretty'