Interesting conversation with police about 'plaits'

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starbar

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We have all seen the comments on here about gypsys/horse theives plaiting manes to mark them out to be stolen. I confess that I was one of the people who rubbished the idea as countryside mythology...

We have recently had some very unwanted activity and interest around our horses that ended up with us moving them to the otherside of the farm in the middle of the night, where they can't be seen and putting the tractor roller into front of the gate to secure the access. That was fun in the pitch black with 3 horses under 2!

A phone call to the police followed, they told me to run my hand down the underside of the mane from forelock to withers and check for unusual knots or clumps cut out. Not stuff that you could see as it is on the underside.

When I said I has thought that this was the stuff of fairytales I was told very clearly that is wasn't and that horses are marked like this. Also to check for a dab of flourescent paint on them somewhere as well.

So there we go...straight from the horses mouth as it were!

I am guessing these plaits and chunks are not to be confused with wind plaits though!!
 
I saw an article on a police website about an intricate plait that "couldn't have happened by its self" and worryingly my horse has one just about every day.


It was a wind plait absolutely no doubt about it.
 
I'd love to see pictures of these 'suspicious' plaits people have found (even the definite wind plaits, really! Can't imagine them clearly). If I found something like that on my horse I'd be whipping the camera phone out right away!
 
The trouble is that the police, who are in most cases non-horsey, have been rung up so many times by hysterics banging on about plaits that they now believe it and pass it on as gospel.

There are NO recorded cases (or weren't last year, I suppose it might possibly have changed) of any horses being stolen after having been "plaited."
 
A wind plait like this?

windplaitsandanow2010007edit.jpg


It's rather pretty.

Piper gets them all the time (easily over night) due to his mane type and length. So I installed a Security Horse ;)
 
Hah! I like your security horse. I might invest in a hoof clamp.

That is rather a pretty plait, I like that it's just the black bits :) I guess pony's mane
 
Typically mine doesn't have one tonight lol. She has a very fine long mane. The other two with thick long manes don't get them or maybe they would but I brush their manes nearly every day so they don't. She can get one in a few hours.
 
Why would someone, in this day and age, spend the time plaiting a horse's mane when they could just take a photograph on a phone? Or is that not a good enough tale?
 
Also, I don't buy the whole "it's to see if the horse is friendly enough to approach". I'm sure 90% of horses can be persuaded with a bucket of feed. It's an old wives' tale.
 
starbar said:
We have all seen the comments on here about gypsys/horse theives plaiting manes to mark them out to be stolen. I confess that I was one of the people who rubbished the idea as countryside mythology...

We have recently had some very unwanted activity and interest around our horses that ended up with us moving them to the otherside of the farm in the middle of the night, where they can't be seen and putting the tractor roller into front of the gate to secure the access. That was fun in the pitch black with 3 horses under 2!

A phone call to the police followed, they told me to run my hand down the underside of the mane from forelock to withers and check for unusual knots or clumps cut out. Not stuff that you could see as it is on the underside.

When I said I has thought that this was the stuff of fairytales I was told very clearly that is wasn't and that horses are marked like this. Also to check for a dab of flourescent paint on them somewhere as well.

So there we go...straight from the horses mouth as it were!

I am guessing these plaits and chunks are not to be confused with wind plaits though!!
Click to expand...

Head in hands, shaking my head... and these bright sparks are in who we are supposed to trust!
 
Haha I like the security horse, especially his cool shades.

I have a horse with a long mane, her previous owner took great pride in it, however I despair in how tangled and full of burrs it is already *sob* she especially likes to collect them in her forelock.
 
HeatherAnn said:
Also, I don't buy the whole "it's to see if the horse is friendly enough to approach". I'm sure 90% of horses can be persuaded with a bucket of feed. It's an old wives' tale.
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Yet the horse of mine who most frequently gets "plaited" is amongst the 10% of horses who can't be tempted with a bucket of feed. He's an absolute git to catch by those he knows and if you're a stranger you've no chance.
 
Sorry but the police don't have much knowledge of equine crime. Also when you ring them you would be doing very well indeed to speak to an officer - you more than likely have a civilian switchboard operator or clerk. How do I know - ex WPC!
 
On the continent, burglars will often but a big-ish tree branch on a path to a house, if it's not moved then they know no-one is home and they can go in and take stuff with less of a chance of getting caught and more of a chance of a quick get-away.

Maybe the plaiting thing came from them checking of the horse is cared for/ looked after regularly and so would they stand a chance stealing it?

I hadn't actually heard of it before though...
 
Oh dear if that's true mad TB mine doesn't stand a chance... I often spend hours down at my field but still don't bother with the tangles as it will just happen again and get caked in mud! I do brush the rest of her though!
 
Dee O'Dorant said:
The trouble is that the police, who are in most cases non-horsey, have been rung up so many times by hysterics banging on about plaits that they now believe it and pass it on as gospel.

."[/QUOTE[/U]

Agree with that!

MrsElle said:
Photo0472.jpg


These happened on a daily basis and were a swine to get out.
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Mrs Elle, I think my husband must have been round - this is what his attempts at plaitting look like. (Don't tell him I said!)
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Dee O'Dorant said:
The trouble is that the police, who are in most cases non-horsey, have been rung up so many times by hysterics banging on about plaits that they now believe it and pass it on as gospel.
Click to expand...

Double_choc_lab said:
Sorry but the police don't have much knowledge of equine crime. Also when you ring them you would be doing very well indeed to speak to an officer - you more than likely have a civilian switchboard operator or clerk. How do I know - ex WPC!
Click to expand...

I agree with the above. People often say, "But the police say watch out for plaits" on these threads about plaits. Why do people think members of the police force are immune to spreading urban myths?
 
Anyone unknown to my two wouldn't have a hope of getting anywhere near enough to plait them or dob fluorescent paint on them! If they ever did, they would never be able to load them. One, the grumpy stallion, would have flattened them by this point, and the loopy youngster would have run round them in circles very fast indeed, and they wld have become horribly dizzy and fallen over!
Those wind plaits do look very complicated and as if they might have been done by human hand .... 'tis the fairy folk, I'll be bound. Arrh. . (apologies to fairies and their agents, no offence intended).
 
If you have the time to put an intricate plait in a horses tail or mane then you have the time to steal the horse.
Thieves don't give people a second chance, if they want the horse they will not plait it and then come back in a few days to check that the plait is still there before taking the horse. If they think that they can get away with the theft they will do it there and then.

From a current Pc, although in a domestic abuse unit so perhaps the myths and legends of horse theft havent reached me yet.
 
If this really was the case I'd be quite offended that the only one of mine any potentials thieves are ever interested in is my ancient broodmare. They show no interest whatsoever in the really quite nice sport horses in the field with her. Hang on though..........she is the only one with a long unkempt mane - maybe that's a clue?
 
Although I don't particularly think there is a link between plaits and horses being stolen, I think there is probably a link between plaits and travellers which causes the panic and could be where the idea comes from.

At an old yard I was at, a young cob turned up one day under suspicious circumstances (was apparently for sale as owner couldn't pay bills). Drove past said cob on a windy day and all of his mane was blowing in the wind. Dangling down on the underside of his mane was a small, thin plait- nothing at all like the wind plaits- it was far too neat and intentional.

Cob never did get stolen but when I eventually met the owner (who had managed to pay bills by this time) it was apparent he was of traveller origin... Maybe it is a tradition or something they do which has caused the rumour of plaits = tagged horse!
 
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