Plait found in horses mane, does it mean it will be stolen?

[Spudlet]

i wish that were true. It is however my daughters version of the BHS 'How to remove a rug'

It kind of looks like the rug has come to life and is attacking her

Mind you, I can't talk, I found out why you're supposed to tie the belly straps up the hard way by giving myself a black eye once when swinging a rug on with gusto

 

[Alec Swan]

i wish that were true. It is however my daughters version of the BHS 'How to remove a rug'

No it isn't, tell the truth, she's practising platting manes, whilst under the cover of darkness!!

Alec.

 

[raceyruby]

Lots of speculation in the Dorset area at the moment, lots of horses being found with a mane plait. Some say they are being marked to steal later, others believe it is some sort of Pagan ritual. Have you had any experience of this? Heard anything? Would love to know. Thanks Miranda.

DONOT ignore this. As others have said the first person comes & plaits, knots or tangles the main. The second person comes in the pitch dark feels along the main to find the selected horse and regretfully away they go. DO PLEASE PLEASE go to your local signwriter spend £20 get two signs made, one for the livery yard entrance, one for the field entrance. It reads CCTV Operates in this Area. Get hold of a some cable that makes it look like there may be a camera up a tree, in a bush. It MIGHT just put them off!!

 

[lhotse]

Oh please, another new poster who has to use capital letters to spread rumours.

 

[CorvusCorax]

The main what?

 

[Queenbee]

Oh please, another new poster who has to use capital letters to spread rumours.

I think we must all be very wary and vigilant, the plaiting theives are obviously very canny and incredibly clever. They have in their approach to horse theft gotten us horse owners completely duped into thinking this could just be down to the elements, it is all part of their big plan...

turning up under cover of darkness and plaiting the mane in a windswept and raggle taggle manner, often with sticks and leaves in it, then leaving the horse and watching from afar until the horse is found by its owner and its mane then brushed is a cunning way of not only identifying the horse, but also identifying the owner.



BEWARE

 

[PaddyMonty]

DONOT ignore this. As others have said the first person comes & plaits, knots or tangles the main. The second person comes in the pitch dark feels along the main to find the selected horse and regretfully away they go.

So why dont they go together and just make one trip. Far less chance of being discovered or do these two individuals not like / get on with each other?

 

[keri66]

most horsewatch groups think this is total hokum

 

[smellsofhorse]

I think its more of a test.

Someone put a plait in a horses mane.

The owner finds it and reomves it.

The person returns sees the plait gone and knows it isnt save to coninue.

If they return and the plaint is still there they know there is a better oportunity to steal the horse.

 

[Rosie Round The Hills]

Okay, I'm going to admit it. I AM a nasty horse thief, and you've all rumbled my methods. So, as atonement I'm going to explain to you all how I've got away with it for so long:-

1. Travel in car or motorbike to muddy field, wander around putting plaits in nice horses manes. Obviously, I don't use a plaiting band, that would be silly.

2. Go home and wait for a few days (very important to wait a few days, don't want to be too hasty in this game)

3. Come back with a lorry, or trailer, or hot air balloon. Go back into muddy field, walk around until I've found the horses again, then fumble around their manes hoping I can find my earlier plait. If I can find the plaited horse I then cunningly and craftily walk it into my horse-transporter and drive away. If I can't then I make another plait, and start at stage (1) again.

4. Drive (in a cunning and crafty manner) to Hollyhead and wait for a ferry to take me to the land of my forefathers where they will give me thousands of guineas for the fine beast that I have stolen. Sadly many a time I've missed the ferry and (anxious that the forces of the law were on my tail), I've had to unload and then tie the beast to the railings, and get back in my lorry/hot air balloon and drive back to where I come from without it.

Some of you have cynically suggested that perhaps I should use a mobile 'phone, or a camera to help me remember which horse it is that I'm planning to steal. Or even perhaps just miss out stages (1) and (2) and go straight in there at number (3). Well, I did try to update my technology once when my cousin sold me a whole load of black marker pens, but frankly it didn't feel right - so I'm sticking to my time-honoured method as taught to my by my Grandpa Wild Bill Hickock.

 

[wildcard]

Jackieandrosie, Im really sorry but i think your so called humour is NOT at all funny. This does happen and maybe if people were more aware they would know what to look for. I think silly posts like yours are unhelpful and disrespectful to people genuinly interested in this thread. Old saying if you dont have anything good or productive to say dont say anything at all. you may not believe this happens but unfortunately it does as proven by previous posters. Please try and be respectful of peoples feelings when posting on here is supposed to be here to help people not mock!!

Sorry rant over!!

 

[lhotse]

Oh go away Wildcard, there is absolutely no evidence to back up your claim. It is all rumours and silly girls sending text messages. Both my ponies have these 'plaits' in their manes, they are caused by mutual grooming, mud, and wind. I will brush them out at the weekend, when I have more time.
I repeat, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT HORSE THIEVES MARK HORSES BY PLAITING THEIR MANES.
Is that clear enough for you?

 

[wildcard]

I think your totally missing the point here, and to be so rude as to tell some one to go away!! not what this forum is about im afraid!!

I was merely stating that if people want to find out about this sort of thing they should not be mocked by posters making fun of them

if you read previous posts

"Several things have come to light in this story:

1. A week ago her horse had a small plait in its mane when she went to get her in from the field. She describes it as very small, almost like a tangle. She disregarded it as kids messing about (her horses are out in a field with others). However, this is how people mark horses to be stolen later. Ie. One person marks them, another then comes later and knows which one to take"

It claims this has happened to someone and clearly was a distressful time.

Im not going to turn this into an unecessary argument and be rude to people, everyone has the right to have an opinion wheather you choose to believe is personal to you. It does not however mean you have the right to mock people over it!! if you think is just SILLY GIRLS TEXTING keep it to yourself!!

 

[Sheep]

I am just totally baffled as to why a thief would bother doing it. Sure, you could argue that they are doing it to test whether the horse will stand still, etc, but I was under the impression that a lot of thefts are opportunistic, and thus if they get close enough to the horse to 'plait' them, they would just take them there and then. Doesn't seem like it would be worth the risk of going back a second time if they've left a visual 'mark' on the horse. I mean, if you are gonna chance your arm stealing horses, why would you waste time hunting around the field for a specific one with a tangle in its mane? Hmm.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I think some people just love to live in a constant state of fear.
Immigrants shaving kid's heads in the toilets of Tesco, gypsies plaiting horses then stealing them...it happened to a friend of a friend or someone I went to school with or a girl up the road....obsessing about plaits is missing the point, if there is a horse thief abroad, horses get stolen. plaits or no plaits. Put all the safeguards you can into action to try and prevent this.

 

[Alec Swan]

......., and to be so rude as to tell some one to go away!! not what this forum is about im afraid!! .......

Your rebuke of the previous poster may well have some merit, BUT, to suggest that those who steal horses, enter land, mark the horses, and then leave to return at a latter date, really doesn't make any sense.

Would you suggest that these plaits are put in, under cover of darkness? Or perhaps they do it in daylight. Assuming that it's the former, then the selection would be a little tricky. If it's the latter, then the chance of detection would be very real. If it's the former, and assuming that the thief can decide upon which horse to take, then why not just take it then? Do you see my point?

Another point for you to consider, I very rarely go to my horses, which are living out, during the hours of darkness. When I have, then it's chaos. Even those wearing head collars wont be caught, so what would be the point behind trying to mark them?

I would suggest that most horses, which are stolen from fields, are stolen at first light, and during the summer months, that's from 0330 onwards. To suggest that thieves plait horses manes, really is a large dose of scaremongering, trust me.

Alec.

 

[*hic*]

Jackieandrosie - you may be my new favourite poster.

Wildcard, I don't think I've posted it on this thread but can you explain this for me? I have four horses out in a field. One looks valuable but is broken and is freezemarked, one IS valuable (well relatively speaking), one is a typical TB, and one is a very elderly Welsh cob, also freezemarked.

Of these four the only one who ever gets plaited is the Welsh. He is the only one with a long mane, the rest are pulled, he is also so tricky to catch that you have to take all the other horses out of the field, you have to use HIS headcollar and he has to trust you. He is very nervous of strangers in his field. So why on earth would anyone, with three far more attractive and approachable horses available, want to steal the only visibly freezemarked (the other is rugged), least attractive, least valuable horse there? And even more interesting, how the heck did they get close enough to plait him?

For heavens' sake use a little brain here! There are very few horses ACTUALLY stolen in the UK each year, sure it does happen but there are NO recorded cases of any of them being plaited first.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Of these four the only one who ever gets plaited is the Welsh. He is the only one with a long mane, the rest are pulled, he is also so tricky to catch that you have to take all the other horses out of the field, you have to use HIS headcollar and he has to trust you. He is very nervous of strangers in his field. So why on earth would anyone, with three far more attractive and approachable horses available, want to steal the only visibly freezemarked (the other is rugged), least attractive, least valuable horse there? And even more interesting, how the heck did they get close enough to plait him?

For heavens' sake use a little brain here! There are very few horses ACTUALLY stolen in the UK each year, sure it does happen but there are NO recorded cases of any of them being plaited first.

Ditto, ditto, ditto! And just to add - I have 11 yearlings in a field 3 miles down the road! Only one has been "plaited!" I first noticed the 'plait' about 8 weeks ago and she's still there. The question I would like answered - why would anyone bother to plait her to identify her - all you'd need would be the description - "the white UGLY one"!

 

[Sunny08]

Haven't had time to read the whole thread but it does frustrate me that people don't have common sense... firstly why the hell would a thief mark out a horse with a well known myth signiture that it is to be stolen - if I was to rob a house I wouldn't spray paint THIS ONE in very large letters on it!! Secondly if a small plait was used to mark it out to a thief I'd hate to be the poor bugger who had to go out into a field at night and find which horse had the plait in it!

I am not normally a cynic, but sorry this is an entirely ficticious and ridiculous notion.

 

[moosea]

I would suggest that most horses, which are stolen from fields, are stolen at first light, and during the summer months,

Having spoken to our local rural police office yesterday, it was his opinion that it is a common fact that horse/ tack/ trailer thefts increase in the few months before and after Christmas.
I didn't know that and I'll assume it's because people are less likely to be hanging about at their yards in the freezing cold and also because there is likely to be easy access to rugs etc.

 

[zandp]

I don't think the plaits are thieves but they do happen.

About 5 months ago a gelding on my yard got a plait, a distinct plait, nothing caught in it, always has a nicely groomed mane, and the plait was tied at the end with a single strand of mane.

Then about a month later he got a 2nd plait, different design (no really, I saw it), odd thing was that night he was in his stable, on the yard, which was locked up.

Another month and a 3rd plait appeared, and again it was a different design of plait.

Then last month I went to get my youngster out of the field and she had a plait, I was convinced it was the wind, but the plait was distinct and tied up at the end with a hair.

This month, in fact 2 days ago, there was another plait, and what is really odd is that it's the 2nd design that the gelding got, the exact same plait, and again tied up at the end, quite neatly in fact.

 

[lhotse]

The wind is excellent at producing unique plaits each time. Do you really think that a human hand, in the dark, with a strange horse, would be able to weave such intricate designs and secure them with a single strand of hair?????
As for the horse in the stable, I would expect it came in from the field like it.

 

[zandp]

No, they were distinct plaits, not tangles, I know it's windy where I live but even the wind can't split the hair into 3 separate strands and then put it back into a tidy plait and tie it up neatly again.

 

[hairycob]

Believe me it can. If not, the thieves around here are totallly incompetent. For over 7 years they have followed us to 3 yards ( & even to PC camp!) & plaited my horses lovely long manes on a nearly daily basis & yet they haven't managed to get their act together to actually take one.
IMO if someone is watching a yard in the current market it's more likely to be to find out the best time to dump an unwanted one than when to take one.

 

[Tinseltoes]

No, they were distinct plaits, not tangles, I know it's windy where I live but even the wind can't split the hair into 3 separate strands and then put it back into a tidy plait and tie it up neatly again.

Those are called "WIND TANGLES" my section A gets them all the time and each one is different.Thieves DO NOT plait horses Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr dont get me started grrrrrrr

WHY WOULD THIEVES PLAIT HORSES TO STEAL?????? THAT WOULD BE a calling card and owner would be aware,so STUPID.
Thieves like a quick and easy getaway.As if theyre going to come into a field with strange horses and plait them.I dont think so.Give me a break will you. THEY ARE WIND TANGLES.

 

[D66]

They are wind plaits. It is an urban myth that they are put in by thieves. Rural people know they are wind plaits and call them fairy plaits to entertain young children.
My youngster had one in her mane for most of the winter and was never stolen, then in the spring when she was better to handle I cut it out. I would be difficult for some one to put it in because she wouldn't let anyone near her. It became more complex as time progressed.

 

[Tinseltoes]

They are wind plaits. It is an urban myth that they are put in by thieves. Rural people know they are wind plaits and call them fairy plaits to entertain young children.
My youngster had one in her mane for most of the winter and was never stolen, then in the spring when she was better to handle I cut it out. I would be difficult for some one to put it in because she wouldn't let anyone near her. It became more complex as time progressed.

Yes I know what you mean.My section A is timid and she has wind plaits.Theyre hard to get out too.