scally
Well-Known Member
After having all our tack stolen, I thought I would post on useful advise on how to keep your tack from being stolen.
The additions we have made to our security is as follows
CCTV on every angle of the yard, to and from and with warning signs. You must have warning signs up, as without it you cannot use CCTV evidence in court. Make sure your recorder is hidden away and secure so they cannot just remove the tape. Try and put false wires in so if they try and cut some, hopefully they will miss the real ones.
Put as many security lights up as possible. The more light the better, also have them on long sensor time, a few minutes is not adequate, 10 - 20 minutes is better as thieves prefer to work in darkness and lights alert people to something is up.
Make sure your tackroom locks are secure, use a 5 lever lock, also the keypads that require a number entry system as well (we had one so they couldnt break the door down) adds to the time they need to get in. These are available for less than £50 and when someone leaves the yard it is very easy to change the access code.
Line all walls and doors with metal (our door was ram raided to get in, metal again would have stopped this, and added to the time they were on site that they would not have wanted to spend). If windows, make sure they are barred and dont draw attention to where the tackroom is. If showing new people round the yard, dont show them the tackroom or tell them of security measures. Take down peoples registrations and mobile phone numbers and make sure they are aware that you are doing it.
Postcode all tack, and if you are buying tack if the postcodes cannot be traced back to the original owner dont buy it! By doing this you will stop the tack being sold on and therefore having a monetary value, how many of you actually check this out before purchasing rugs or saddles off of ebay?
Smartwater. We now have a Smartwater sprayer above the tackroom door, which will be activated by any unauthorised access, this stays on the person and your property for upto two years, so even if they dont catch the thievesd immediately, it will link them to your tack and your premises if they are caught in the future. Your local police force can help with this.
A dog. We now keep our two guard dogs, free roaming in the yard, again you must have signs up saying guard dogs loose but they really are the best deterrent. If you dont have dogs, there are plenty of simulated dog bark alarms you can buy that go off, when movement triggers them and are well worth the investment.
The final things is lock up your tack, buy the lockable saddle racks (only around £30 each) to which you lock your saddle onto, you buy a £500 plus saddle, but buy a £5 saddle rack to rest it on, buy and lock a proper saddle rack. Invest in a large filing cabinet bolted to the floor and locked with your bridles in. Failing this a chain and paddlock threaded through all bridles before you leave, will slow them down. It may not make a pretty tackroom, but it is getting to be thief safe.
Lock up all wheelbarrows or anything they can use to move a lot of tack quickly. Take any spare tack or rugs home.
Our security measures now in place have cost just over £1000 but the price on what as stolen was ten times this with the insurance paying out around three quarters.
Ensure all tack you have is photographed and receipts are filed, and check everything you have is on your insurance, including bits, girths, stirrups etc etc is covered and on your insurance policy as most people are very underinsured if your tack does go, it soon all adds up, and then you find that you cannot replace all that actually went. Most insurance policies require your saddles to be itemised, make sure yours is up to date and include serial numbers and photo's, if the worst does happen it will help speed through your claim.
The thiefs were in and out of our tackroom from waking me up driving down our drive at 02.28 in 6 minutes, they dont want to be onsite for more than 10 minutes due to the risk of police arriving. We now have a high security yard thanks to the police and security advice we have received.
Also the equestrian community needs to get its act together and if you are ever offered, or buy anything postmarked ensure you can follow up the postcode back to the original owner, dont just accept that bargin, with no market to sell to, makes our tack worthless.
Keep your stuff safe, and if you cant improve security on your yard, take it home it really is worth the hassle of walking it backwards and forwards from the car, to not turn up to an empty tackroom.
The additions we have made to our security is as follows
CCTV on every angle of the yard, to and from and with warning signs. You must have warning signs up, as without it you cannot use CCTV evidence in court. Make sure your recorder is hidden away and secure so they cannot just remove the tape. Try and put false wires in so if they try and cut some, hopefully they will miss the real ones.
Put as many security lights up as possible. The more light the better, also have them on long sensor time, a few minutes is not adequate, 10 - 20 minutes is better as thieves prefer to work in darkness and lights alert people to something is up.
Make sure your tackroom locks are secure, use a 5 lever lock, also the keypads that require a number entry system as well (we had one so they couldnt break the door down) adds to the time they need to get in. These are available for less than £50 and when someone leaves the yard it is very easy to change the access code.
Line all walls and doors with metal (our door was ram raided to get in, metal again would have stopped this, and added to the time they were on site that they would not have wanted to spend). If windows, make sure they are barred and dont draw attention to where the tackroom is. If showing new people round the yard, dont show them the tackroom or tell them of security measures. Take down peoples registrations and mobile phone numbers and make sure they are aware that you are doing it.
Postcode all tack, and if you are buying tack if the postcodes cannot be traced back to the original owner dont buy it! By doing this you will stop the tack being sold on and therefore having a monetary value, how many of you actually check this out before purchasing rugs or saddles off of ebay?
Smartwater. We now have a Smartwater sprayer above the tackroom door, which will be activated by any unauthorised access, this stays on the person and your property for upto two years, so even if they dont catch the thievesd immediately, it will link them to your tack and your premises if they are caught in the future. Your local police force can help with this.
A dog. We now keep our two guard dogs, free roaming in the yard, again you must have signs up saying guard dogs loose but they really are the best deterrent. If you dont have dogs, there are plenty of simulated dog bark alarms you can buy that go off, when movement triggers them and are well worth the investment.
The final things is lock up your tack, buy the lockable saddle racks (only around £30 each) to which you lock your saddle onto, you buy a £500 plus saddle, but buy a £5 saddle rack to rest it on, buy and lock a proper saddle rack. Invest in a large filing cabinet bolted to the floor and locked with your bridles in. Failing this a chain and paddlock threaded through all bridles before you leave, will slow them down. It may not make a pretty tackroom, but it is getting to be thief safe.
Lock up all wheelbarrows or anything they can use to move a lot of tack quickly. Take any spare tack or rugs home.
Our security measures now in place have cost just over £1000 but the price on what as stolen was ten times this with the insurance paying out around three quarters.
Ensure all tack you have is photographed and receipts are filed, and check everything you have is on your insurance, including bits, girths, stirrups etc etc is covered and on your insurance policy as most people are very underinsured if your tack does go, it soon all adds up, and then you find that you cannot replace all that actually went. Most insurance policies require your saddles to be itemised, make sure yours is up to date and include serial numbers and photo's, if the worst does happen it will help speed through your claim.
The thiefs were in and out of our tackroom from waking me up driving down our drive at 02.28 in 6 minutes, they dont want to be onsite for more than 10 minutes due to the risk of police arriving. We now have a high security yard thanks to the police and security advice we have received.
Also the equestrian community needs to get its act together and if you are ever offered, or buy anything postmarked ensure you can follow up the postcode back to the original owner, dont just accept that bargin, with no market to sell to, makes our tack worthless.
Keep your stuff safe, and if you cant improve security on your yard, take it home it really is worth the hassle of walking it backwards and forwards from the car, to not turn up to an empty tackroom.
