RANT! yard thieves..

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nikkianddave

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Been on my current yard around 4 years now in Cheshire, and its the quietest, prettiest and friendliest yard I have ever been on

All of the other liveries are helpful, knowledgeable, polite, courteous of each other and their ponies. We do group hacks, group shows and it isn't clicky, bitchy or judgemental in the slightest (very strange for horsey people I know!)

But we seem to have a yard thief :(

In the time I have been here, more recently especially, I have had multiple items disappear into thin air. We have separate tack rooms for 4 or 5 stables, there's around 20 stables in total but many of us have multiple horses.

Everything that goes seems to be brand new, and it isn't like someone is using it and putting it back, which I wouldn't mind, but when brand new fly sprays, coat conditioners, expensive medical creams, brand new sweet itch rug, brand new saddle pads etc are going missing its really starting to annoy me.

I bought myself a 'tack box' with a padlock on it, and since then my stuff has stayed but now other peoples things are going missing, its driving me mad.

The stolen items aren't even on the yard anymore, I have asked about in case anyone has just forgot to return them and my closer friends have had a good look in their tack rooms and there is no trace. One of the young girls bought a new £65 saddle pad at the weekend and now it has vanished! Such a shame as she's a hard working young 15 year old who works hard on a dairy farm to pay for her horse and her mare's things.

oh and people refusing to sweep up after themselves! what is with that?? I think it is so disrespectful to be on a livery yard and not clean up after yourself, shavings and hay all over the floor in front of your stable, at the end of the day someone lives on the farm, it is their home, the least we should all be doing is cleaning up after ourselves properly!!!

Anyone any tips on how to stop yard thieves, without causing angst and upset? I am definitely not going to be the one bitching to my YO, he doesn't need this stress at all, and I don't want to point fingers at anyone :(

And how to get people to clean up after themselves? I swept the whole yard last night, took me over an hour and I was totally goosed after it, but I hadn't ever seen it so clean as there's only me and a couple of others who bother to leave outside our stables looking presentable.

Rant over, just wish people would ask before taking and clean up after themselves. All of us on the yard would be happy for anyone to use our things, as long as returned :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
Do you have a yard owner or manager? Both are probably best raised with them in the first instance. Sweeping up should be a yard rule - there will still be folk who ignore it but enforcement is a matter for the YO.

Is your yard secure at night? Is it possible that the thief is in fact coming in at night to take things that could be re-sold? Rather than someone on yard? The new saddle pad for example can't be re-named and used where the original owner might see it. We had a spate of petty thefts at one point - it turned out to be someone coming on yard at night and basically taking what wasn't secured then selling it down the pub.
 
You need to get YO involved. It's one thing for a bottle of spray to get 'borrowed', but for rugs and saddlepads to disappear off the yard entirely? Not on, not in the slightest.
 
Shay said:
Do you have a yard owner or manager? Both are probably best raised with them in the first instance. Sweeping up should be a yard rule - there will still be folk who ignore it but enforcement is a matter for the YO.

Is your yard secure at night? Is it possible that the thief is in fact coming in at night to take things that could be re-sold? Rather than someone on yard? The new saddle pad for example can't be re-named and used where the original owner might see it. We had a spate of petty thefts at one point - it turned out to be someone coming on yard at night and basically taking what wasn't secured then selling it down the pub.
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This was my thought - someone from outside coming in. I guess all you all can do is make your stuff as hard to steal as you possibly can. It's horrible - what a world we live in! Big sympathy with the sweeping up thing - my yard is exactly the same - I have to share my barn with a couple of filthy slobs. The whole yard is disgusting. Our self-appointed yard manager is one of the biggest culprits, so it will never improve! Occasionally I get so tired of it I will have a good sweep up - the next day it looks like a tip again.
 
Short term it sounds like you need to put up notices - there is a thief around everyone be warned. It does sound like stuff is being taken to sell on. So any ways of marking stuff with permanent marker or scratching name onto it or cutting labels off or devaluing sell on value in some way?
 
Nasicus said:
You need to get YO involved. It's one thing for a bottle of spray to get 'borrowed', but for rugs and saddlepads to disappear off the yard entirely? Not on, not in the slightest.
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If no one tells the YO there is little that can be done, he may not need the stress but unfortunately it is part of having a livery yard once he is aware then steps can be taken to make it more secure so people from outside cannot walk in or maybe put up cctv to find the culprit, it is not fair on people who work hard to buy things if the YO is not able to intervene and do what is actually part of his job.
 
YO could always pop some beastly locks on the tack room doors, and only give the people whose stuff is in each particular tack room access to it. If stuff continued to disappear from one of the tack rooms shared by say, 4 people, that would quickly narrow down the pool of people it could be.

Would also prevent outsiders from going on the rob, so long as everything was kept locked in the tackrooms when not in use.
 
Ditto everyone, yard owner needs to deal or sort this, In the meantime lock your things up.


Is there cctv on the yard where YO could check in case an outside is coming in after everyone gone, could dogs be left on yard for added security. Is your horse one of the good chaps where you could leave a small trunk in the stable with your valuables in.
 
The YO needs to know but honestly, everyone just needs to start locking their stuff up. If someone knows that things have been going missing, why on earth would you leave an expensive new saddle pad lying around?
 
I don't really understand these rants. We have long lived in a world where everything needs to be locked eg cars, houses etc to prevent theft. Why do people think their stuff left lying around on a livery yard is safe?
 
Yup. Least YO could do is make a rule that everyone using the shared tack rooms must leave them locked. Less likely that stuff goes missing when less than 5 people have access I'd guess...
 
nikkianddave said:
Been on my current yard around 4 years now in Cheshire, and its the quietest, prettiest and friendliest yard I have ever been on

All of the other liveries are helpful, knowledgeable, polite, courteous of each other and their ponies. We do group hacks, group shows and it isn't clicky, bitchy or judgemental in the slightest (very strange for horsey people I know!)

But we seem to have a yard thief :(

In the time I have been here, more recently especially, I have had multiple items disappear into thin air. We have separate tack rooms for 4 or 5 stables, there's around 20 stables in total but many of us have multiple horses.

Everything that goes seems to be brand new, and it isn't like someone is using it and putting it back, which I wouldn't mind, but when brand new fly sprays, coat conditioners, expensive medical creams, brand new sweet itch rug, brand new saddle pads etc are going missing its really starting to annoy me.

I bought myself a 'tack box' with a padlock on it, and since then my stuff has stayed but now other peoples things are going missing, its driving me mad.

The stolen items aren't even on the yard anymore, I have asked about in case anyone has just forgot to return them and my closer friends have had a good look in their tack rooms and there is no trace. One of the young girls bought a new £65 saddle pad at the weekend and now it has vanished! Such a shame as she's a hard working young 15 year old who works hard on a dairy farm to pay for her horse and her mare's things.

oh and people refusing to sweep up after themselves! what is with that?? I think it is so disrespectful to be on a livery yard and not clean up after yourself, shavings and hay all over the floor in front of your stable, at the end of the day someone lives on the farm, it is their home, the least we should all be doing is cleaning up after ourselves properly!!!

Anyone any tips on how to stop yard thieves, without causing angst and upset? I am definitely not going to be the one bitching to my YO, he doesn't need this stress at all, and I don't want to point fingers at anyone :(

And how to get people to clean up after themselves? I swept the whole yard last night, took me over an hour and I was totally goosed after it, but I hadn't ever seen it so clean as there's only me and a couple of others who bother to leave outside our stables looking presentable.

Rant over, just wish people would ask before taking and clean up after themselves. All of us on the yard would be happy for anyone to use our things, as long as returned :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
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We have had that problem, on one yard it was a girl prone to telling tall stories as well, but not a good thief as she was blatant with it and all stuff returned when discovered. The second yard we lost food. When we had already worked out we had enough to cover the weekend and found most of it missing. We all had our own feed stores so it was clearly theft and on top of that prescribed pain killers for my laminitis pony. Turned out to be the woman who was best friends with the Yard manager so was always helping investigate. Locking everything away is our solution now!
 
Mark everything. Might be a deterrent as for example I wouldn't buy a saddle pad with someone's initials or name written on it. (That might be just me though) tell the YO and Lock everything up.
 
Such a shame to hear this, and to lose such an expensive saddle cloth, she must be so upset.
Lock everything away, don't leave anything - even saddles - unlocked, you can get lockable saddle racks so might be worth the investment.
Bit sneaky but I'd be tempted to put one of those covert hidden cctv cameras in place near to where the stuff goes from and catch the thief in the act. The camera can be as small as a button nowadays and the footage is quite good (cctv, bit of a hobby of mine, even the birds have it in their nestboxes!). :o
 
apercrumbie said:
The YO needs to know but honestly, everyone just needs to start locking their stuff up. If someone knows that things have been going missing, why on earth would you leave an expensive new saddle pad lying around?
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Maybe it was in the tack room with the saddle? All liveries have access to the tack room! My saddlecloths live under my saddles in tack room or in trunk in rug room. All yard staff and liveries and sharers have access to these areas.
 
wingedhorse said:
Maybe it was in the tack room with the saddle? All liveries have access to the tack room! My saddlecloths live under my saddles in tack room or in trunk in rug room. All yard staff and liveries and sharers have access to these areas.
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Good point in that particular case - I would still lock up as much as physically possible and if the problem was a serious as it is here, I would just take my tack home with me to be safe. Frustrating I know.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
I don't really understand these rants. We have long lived in a world where everything needs to be locked eg cars, houses etc to prevent theft. Why do people think their stuff left lying around on a livery yard is safe?
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Because having things stolen by someone you know is a greater breach of trust than by a stranger. If I left my car standing unlocked I wouldn't be surprised if my bag was nicked out of it by some random person walking past and seizing the opportunity . I don't expect my work colleagues, friends or neighbours to help themselves because I have a relationship with them of sorts. Fellow liveries fall into that category - I know them, see them every day, talk to them etc. For them to then help themselves to my stuff has a personal resonance.
 
apercrumbie said:
Good point in that particular case - I would still lock up as much as physically possible and if the problem was a serious as it is here, I would just take my tack home with me to be safe. Frustrating I know.
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I've got two horse, six bridles, three saddles, 30 plus rugs, 10 plus saddle cloths, lunging stuff, massage pad. Stuff is in locked rooms, but not sure can go further than that. I also really don't like stuff of value living in car in summer as punitively hot.
 
Flicker said:
Because having things stolen by someone you know is a greater breach of trust than by a stranger. If I left my car standing unlocked I wouldn't be surprised if my bag was nicked out of it by some random person walking past and seizing the opportunity . I don't expect my work colleagues, friends or neighbours to help themselves because I have a relationship with them of sorts. Fellow liveries fall into that category - I know them, see them every day, talk to them etc. For them to then help themselves to my stuff has a personal resonance.
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I completely agree with this ^^^

Also not many of the people I know think like a criminal I hope, I left my car to go check a grass livery for someone who was on holiday, parked my car on private property in what I considered a remote area, put my handbag under the passenger seat, locked the car and off I went (Car was also in view), came back to find the window smashed (I didn't hear anything) and my bag gone

The police said its the first place thieves look and then told me thieves actually sit in car parks in beauty spots waiting for others to arrive to take their dogs for a walk or just go for a stroll, they watch people put their stuff in the boot of the car or under seats, once they leave they go nick it. It never occurred to me this happened

To thieve from someone you talk to, know, share a space with on a livery yard, share the same hobby and see them everyday is someone I would not want around me, my animals or even share my space, thieving was a crime the last time I looked

These yards need a good shake up, YO informed and it to be dragged out into the open as it is totally unacceptable, what a bad atmosphere it must be to know stuff is going walkabouts and not be 100% sure who is doing it
 
If they are nicking almost new stuff like saddle cloths chances are they are selling them on, it's not like they can use it on there own horse, I would look on Facebook on your local selling sites and all the usual ones you might be lucky and see some of your stuff.
 
Pinkvboots said:
If they are nicking almost new stuff like saddle cloths chances are they are selling them on, it's not like they can use it on there own horse, I would look on Facebook on your local selling sites and all the usual ones you might be lucky and see some of your stuff.
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I agree; it's a good idea to post on the local Facebook horse pages when things "go missing" to let people know that stolen goods likely to be on the market. Also go to table top tack sales - I often see people with piles of nice stuff and wonder where it came from.
 
How about a yard meeting if several items are missing at yards, YO says there will be an amnesty bucket left in the tack room for a week to leave/return any items that may of been misplaced :)

After that date if anyone takes somebodies stuff they will be given a weeks notice to leave if the camera's (To be installed) shows any theft

Plus a note on the noticeboard or handed to everyone to words of that effect, it may shake up the sticky fingered thief and give the ones loosing stuff peace of mind that some action is being taken

I would be quite content with a meeting like that
 
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