Need to rant... stolen horses...

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Gingernags

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On two counts.

Why oh why can't some theiving skiprats keep their paws off other peoples beloved animals that they have worked hard to get and keep?!!

But secondly, whilst I do have sympathy with the owners whose horses get pinched and I know I'd be gutted if mine went AWOL, but then I stand a good chance of getting her back as she's chipped and freezemarked.

So the second rant, why don't people try prevention rather than crying afterwards? Please get your horses chipped or marked or both if possible!!!!

I can't help thinking that if people have the type of horse that seem to be getting nicked all too often at the moment - the traditional coloured cob type - THEY SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT IT!

Far too many of the ones in the stolen horse sector aren't done at all.

Get together with some friends and get Farmkey out - the more of you the better (and cheaper). Next time the vet is due for flu jabs - get them chipped. Whats £50 if it saves you the anguish of your horse (a) being stolen and (b) having no proof its yours if it is recovered.

Maybe we should get H&H to run a big campaign and get discounts on security if you collect x many tokens from issues...
 
Ooops I feel guilty now - my rather nice mare and my very sane cob aren't done - the only one of mine who is is a nutty beast that no-one in their right minds would pinch - and anyway they'd never catch him! Worse - the mare's still insured for what she was worth when she was unbroken and an unknown quantity

Sooooo - anyone in North Cambs / North West Norfolk want to get together for an ID marking party?
 
I just got my pony last week and really want to get him chipped and freezemarked. I do worry about him being stolen a lot - I drive my b/f and family mad going on about it! I think an ID marking party sounds like a fantastic idea - I'd come! My ponies in Lincolnshire though.
 
I have heard that horses are not often scanned for chips etc - If the horses are already freeze marked, would you think chipping gives additional protection?
 
it probably does, yes, if anyone actually bothers to scan, since if some ar$e has stolen your horse and wants to unload it, its not out of the realms of possibility to use a dye on the freezebrand which would obliterate it till the dye wears off/next moult
 
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it probably does, yes, if anyone actually bothers to scan, since if some ar$e has stolen your horse and wants to unload it, its not out of the realms of possibility to use a dye on the freezebrand which would obliterate it till the dye wears off/next moult

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That CAN happen and I have know of freezemarked horses that are not located until the new owner does the first clip, and reveals a freemark - but the fact is there is a virtually 100% return rate on freezemarked horses and no other security system can boast that.

If enough of you out there want to get together and get bulk discounts on freezemarking I would be happy to organise it with Freezemark or Farmkey, so let me know and I will start a new thread and get it stickied with maybe 4 locations so everybody that is keen can benefit. There are usually additional discounts for Horsewatch or BHS membership.

I could try to get to each venue and postcode your tack too
 
what a great idea GM - tokens. I know that Farmkey do a discount at Your Horse where you get £10 off if you sign up there for a marking.
Unfortunately I wasnt allowed to get my girl done when there was a huge group so missed out on the discount.
Will definitely have to call them up and arrange them to come out.
 
i suppose this may be aimed at me because my sisters horse is stolen and has no freezemark or microchipped.but no matter if it is the thieves will take what they want when they want.yes we are very upset but there is no point in kicking ourselves because of buttons not being freezemarked or microchipped we have learnt our lesson. this is why we are doing everything possible to locate him even newspapers and sending posters to everyone.
 
No - its not aimed at any one person and I'm sure you are all kicking yourselves enough. I really am sorry if you have lost (well had it nicked) one of yours, but I was just trying to highlight to people its better trying to prevent theft than try to get your horse back.

I know you can dye a freezemark but eventually it will come out.

Hopefully the useless bunch at Defra will eventually get their finger out and make chipping compulsory and get a central register then with a bit of luck it'll totally stop the thieving b*ggers who think its OK to take soneone else's horse.
 
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I know you can dye a freezemark but eventually it will come out.


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it only has to last through a sale
 
Mine are both freezemarked and chipped. I have a gypsy cob and a clydie - both very much liked by certain types
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I also have notices posted in yard and field stating they are protected.

Until passports are tied into a common scanned by all chip and kept on a central or cross referenced databases, the whole passport scenario is a joke. Until the practice of issuing them at the ringside is stopped, no checking to see why a horse other than a foal has no passport etc, thieving will not stop.

Personally if mine were stolen there would be a very substantial reward to ensure that the thief was given a good kicking and a visit to hospital rather than handed over the police.

Bring back removal of hands for theft - I hate thieves.

A friend doesn't have her coloured horse done because she doesn't like the look of the mark - better a small mark than an untrackable horse in my opinion.

Friend who deals with gypsies said a freezemark is about the only thing to make them find another horse to steal.
 
Mine are both freeze marked but I have not had them chipped since horses arent usually scanned for chips anyway and I reckon they can be easily removed. It was expensive to have the freeze marking done - but good for peace of mind :-)
 
All ours are freezemarked. Tilly, you say that thieves will take what they want - yes, they probably will. But at least freezemarking is a visible deterrent, and as The Watcher said no other security method has practically 100% success rate.

It is the same with tack. Why don't people bother to get it postcoded or marked? Surrey Police burnt something like 260 saddles apparently as it was impossible for people to identify them!

Having a horse stolen, freezemarked or not, is an owner's absolute worst nightmare. Tilly, I hope your sister's horse is found soon.
 
My mare is freezemarked on her shoulder -( she's bay, not a coloured heavy, so not the standard type that the theives are after) and I have to say I feel she's as safe as I can make her with it there. I feel there is still a certain amount of snobbery about freezemarking, particularly from the showing community. I really wish in general that you could watch Olympia or Badminton and see a few quality horses coming through with freezemarks, or pick up a magazine and see the same - I'm sure it would spur many other owners on to do the same - at the moment there aren't any to set an example to make it more common place and hopfully less horses stolen.
 
Harry my anglo arab may still be destroyed this year so I wont be having him done until we know whether he's going to stay sound.
My new welsh cob mare on the other hand is definately a good candidate. Will see if I can organise something at my yard...
 
I had my horse freezebranded on his neck so that it could be seen even when he had a rug on. That was pre neck covers tho'. It's funny, but today I was scanning some pics of him jumping and I had forgotten all about it until I saw the white marks on his neck!
Definitely a good idea, you don't notice after a while.
 
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