Possible Thief At My Yard!!!!

T

TickleMePink

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Firstly I am a regular user on here, I just dont want anyone who might be from my yard to come on and see this until its founded...

OK so here's the scenario, new livery comes to our yard. Nice lady, three kids (manic) She starts keeping her horse in over night as well all do at my yard.

Time goes on and I and three other liverys who keep ours on straw have noticed our straw is going down at a rate of knotts! Keep an eye on it and then it starts getting silly - going through two bales a week is not something we manage here!!

Our straw in stored in a different barn. I only EVER take an entire bale, the rest I store in my stable (will get to that part now) On numerous occassions part bales have been taken from my stack.

In my stable I stack the unused straw sections in a corner. My horse has never messed with them. Now all of a sudden he does, and my neat stack is gone by the morning (funny that)

Add to that the fact she has NEVER had straw delivered (if it were shavings she couldve just popped to CW and bought them...but not straw) there are only 5 people on straw - all of which have straw delivered by the same person.

The other night one of the ones who gets straw in with us, followed her 5/6 times into the storage barn...each time this woman rushed out with hay - her horse has hay nets and why wuldnt you use a barrow etc if you were getting hay loose?

I dont like to mud sling, but I feel so hard done by - spending my hard earnt money on stuff for her to nick. Plus if she asked any of us we are ALL kind enough to lend her some if she needed it!!!

We have approached our livery manager who says she did see the kids having a straw fight with our straw and told them to stop etc, but she also says its hard to prove without evidence. So Im going to get some. Im going to film my horse tonight in his stable with a big fat pile of new straw - and if I happen to catch a rat in my stable at the same time - then so be it.

How would you deal with this problem???
 
You could try counting bales am and pm and liaising with other liveries of who uses what, put any unused in bags. Alternatively you can get some cheap CCTV devices now. I know that sounds a bit drastic but it does make you mad when that happens
 
That's a difficult one. If you say anything without proof, she'll obviously deny it. Maybe ask her if she has seen anything odd around the yard as you think your straw is being taken/borrowed/used for some other purpose? If you get evidence, that's different. Good luck - it's very annoying, though, isn't it?
 
As you're doing - film it and confront any skinflint thieves head on. Bloody nerve of some people - if she wants horses she has to take on the responsibility of providing them with adequate bedding - and this does not come about by nicking someone elses. I'm lucky at my yard cause the YO buys in all bedding and we all just pay for it in our livery. Everyone is happy on straw so it's fine. You obviously get some that feel their horse needs a 3ft deep solid bed and I sometimes get annoyed thinking that they're paying the same as me who uses a reasonable amount to give him a sufficient but not extravagent bed. It's just grooming stuff and feed that gets nicked - again everyone knows I'd lend to whoever needed but some folk must get a kick out of stealing.
 
Could you be sly about it and say somehting like "soandso, who we get our straw off, says he might have to put his prices up so was wondering if there was somewhere cheaper, where do you get yours from??" You might get a genuine answer or she might just put two & two together and realise she's being rumbled and that might put a stop to it.
It's not on though. I understand why you would be pi$$ed off if someone took something you had worked hard to pay for.
 
chicken may I say your beagle is gorgeous!

I was thinking about asking where she gets hers from!

I took a covert look in her stable the other day and she has a quarter bale - its been there for about three weeks - what horse could live on that for that ammount of time?!

GRRR if she only asked!!!!
 
So much stuff goes on like this at our yard, I have resorted to locking up and marking everything with my name, even the shavings bales! I had a bale of hay nicked last week and as there is no way to mark that, i am at the end of my tether with it, all i have come up with is to put a big notice up asking whichever little s@*t did it, to put it back, trying to guilt them into leaving my things alone,
you could try putting a note on your straw in the stable telling them not to nick it, if they have got as far as seeing the note they will probably realize they have been rumbled.
or you could just sleep in the stable with a big gun, waiting for them!!
 
Hang on a mo. From the sound of it, you do sound like you are bang on. HOWEVER, if she's a new livery, could it be that she's assumed she can help herself? I mean, has anyone actually told her that she has to get her own straw (I know these things are self explanatory to most of us, but some do need to be told!). At least then, she can't say she didn't know.

Other than that though, film the cow in the act and let her feel the wrath! I'd be livid!!!
 
I am also going to cellotape my stable door like the police do - to see if anyone has been in there after I leave!

If that was true Saskia - why the cloak and dagger action that night when a fellow livery followed her in the barn?
 
Sadly it happens on livery yards, we had various thieves over the years including one who attacked me when I caught her doing it.
Her arguement was we were "rich" so could afford it.
I used to be a DIy and had the same problem. I wrote a note and slid it into the bale and said **** I know it's you stealing my straw and now I have proof! Of course it stopped and she never said a word, as it would have been admitting her guilt.
Selloptape your door, if necessary fit a rape alarm with fishing line to a nail hidden out of sight, and if she opens the door an ear splitting alarm will frighten her off.
Your yard owner shouldn't object as all it needs is a bit of duct tape fastening it inside your stable out of sight and the one nail to fasten the wire holding the pin to.
I am in agreement with you, it has to be her and be stopped.
 
This has happened to me - and although I've been ready to pitchfork the culprit each time (is that a verb, do you think?) when I've investigated, it's always been a misunderstanding of whose hay is whose, by fellow liveries or grooms.
It has always been sorted amicably...and I've never lost so much as a hoofpick otherwise at my current yard.
So perhaps the innocent explanation might be the correct one - perhaps the livery thinks hay/straw is included in the price and has copied you guys taking yours....
S
smile.gif
 
Does seem to be a thing on yards where bedding/hay is not included in livery price. My current yard is not a problem as our horses mostly live out and we all get on so that if someone is short another will lend them a bale on the understanding that they will get one back ASAP. At my last yard it was another story altogether, I had my hay which I had paid for removed from my bale bag with my name on it from inside my stable. How cheeky is that. I'd never experienced anything like that before I went to that yard and I've been a DIY for 9 years now at various yards.
I would ask her where she gets her straw from though like the others suggested.
 
In my old yard it wasn't just hay & straw,it was hard feed, saddles, bridles, rugs... I even had a brand new pair of tendon boots go missing - which were seen walking down the road on the culprit's pony's legs. Strangely enough, I moved yards. As you know who they culprit is & your YO seems to be backing you, I would definately film her & show her the evidence.
 
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If that was true Saskia - why the cloak and dagger action that night when a fellow livery followed her in the barn?

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Maybe she's just a weirdo?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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If that was true Saskia - why the cloak and dagger action that night when a fellow livery followed her in the barn?

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Maybe she's just a weirdo?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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There is that!!! lol
 
Put a note in there adressed to her politely telling her to stop being a common thief, with lots of love, from her fellow disgruntled liveries.
 
I would just make a huge song and dance about it. Saying straight out that your straw seems to be going walkabouts, but not accusing anyone directly. If it isn't an innocent misunderstanding, the culprit should figure out that she's been rumbled.

I would also go directly to her and ask her not to permit the children to mess about in the barns.
 
All the liveries should write the same note and put it with their straw, in fact I would just be blatent and ask her where her straw is stacked because you wonder how she is bedding her stable down when it appears she doesnt have any in storage. It is hard enough to buy in stuff for horses without having to fund other people. Henryhorn, I cant believe someone used that excuse with you, how dare they make assumptions to excuse the fact that they are thieves!!
 
chop their hands off t-leaves.............


good thing chatting to YO , filming is a very good idea


does new person think that straw is included???????? so that's why none has been delivered???
 
I'd put a very big note up in the tack room - informing the theif that you would be grateful if they could buy their own straw and leave yours alone.

With a smile on my face I would ask the person you suspect how she is managing to bed her horse without buying any of her own straw - and leave it there.

If it continues then YO should speak to everyone individually and tell them that there are concerns about theiving - and the culprit will be asked to leave immediately once it's found out who it is.
 
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chop their hands off t-leaves.............


good thing chatting to YO , filming is a very good idea


does new person think that straw is included???????? so that's why none has been delivered???

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Oh plenty has been delivered...just not for her.
 
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Are they small bales??? You could tie them all together so she cant get at them? Or you could count them and leave a note saying "there are ?? Bales here on (date). We count them EVERY day. They are for the use of x,y,& Z only. Please do not use them"

Or lock the barn?

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Cant lock is as the straw is stored in an american barn with pony stables in .
 
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Ok, can u fit a sheet or tarp over them? Then make it so that the bit you would need to move is attached to a rape alarm so if they uncover them it goes off?

Embarassing yet effective?

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Good idea but not sure if I would get away with that - first of all Id think it would upset the horses and plus the kids are everywhere - it'd be going off all the time, PLUS i dont think she'd nick them in broad daylight - so Im sure she's doing it when no-one else is around!
Maybe Im best off just confronting her and asking her where she gets it from? That way Im sure I'll be able to tell if she's lying or not - as I know all but a few of the straw suppliers around here.
 
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