STRANGE MANE PLAITING - HORSES THIEVES OR WITCHCRAFT??

[fatpiggy]

Surely if they were done by horse theives (not saying they are or arnt) then they are not markers as such but more to see how often the horses are checked?

I very nearly posted with exactly the same idea - but lost my bottle when the thread got a bit over-excited, shall we say! Over the years I've seen plenty of horses, especially those that live out 24/7 that most definitely aren't checked every single day. Some as little as once a week.

 

[Tinseltoes]

I have never known any horses/ponies with wind tanles ( whatever you want to call them)
been stolen.Its total hysteria and is making people paranoid.
Theres no evidence of it being connected with theft.
Wish people would get their facts straight before posting to upset everyone.
Ive said my bit,i'll be quiet now.

 

[_HP_]

I very nearly posted with exactly the same idea - but lost my bottle when the thread got a bit over-excited, shall we say! Over the years I've seen plenty of horses, especially those that live out 24/7 that most definitely aren't checked every single day. Some as little as once a week.

I check on my pony twice a day but don't always detangle her mane...

Also, I don't think, without watching all day, that you can really say that you've seen plenty that aren't checked on. I can very easily check on mine without being noticed.

 

[aduffield]

I have seen 4 of these plaits that have been cut from horses manes by their owners and every one was man made. Two of them were properly plated and had extra hair twisted around the bottom to hold them in place. One of them was in the mane of a horse which was difficult to catch and nervous around strangers. I don't hold with the horse thief line, but surely the whole point is some ( not all ) of these horses are being messed about with, be it thiefs or prats it should point out the deficiencies in people's security if some-one can get access to your horse without being seen. One of the plaits was on a pony in a walled paddock ( 6ft walls) which the lady has had for 4 years and never before has had a wind plait. She said what bothered her most was who ever did it came through their property not across the fields. It must be better to be vigulant than sorry after the event.

 

[Limit]

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[Limit]

I recieved a message today via our local horse web site warning of horse thefts in our area ( Cambridgeshire) by this method. This came after a police visit to stables near Peterborough

 

[potty_4_piebalds]

Hi, Re strange horse plaiting and horse thieves etc, this has happened in the northants area. in November last year. At the same time of this happening 5 yards were broken into, tack rugs etc stolen, not sure if this was a coincidence or not.

 

[fatpiggy]

I check on my pony twice a day but don't always detangle her mane...

Also, I don't think, without watching all day, that you can really say that you've seen plenty that aren't checked on. I can very easily check on mine without being noticed.

Err, well you can when the owner cheerfully admits they don't!

 

[applecart14]

This story is an urban myth which has been spreading through the equine population and gradually gaining credence as the myth is spread. Over a short period of time the myth gets misquoted, added to and generally converted into a state of chinese whispers. There is NO documented proof that horses are stolen to order using this method.

If people are bothered about getting their horses stolen then I suggest they dig into their pockets and pay for their horses to be freezemarked like responsible owners. People should use a bit of common sense instead of panicking and helping 'push' the myth along to other horse owners.

 

[Zebedee]

This story is an urban myth which has been spreading through the equine population and gradually gaining credence as the myth is spread. Over a short period of time the myth gets misquoted, added to and generally converted into a state of chinese whispers. There is NO documented proof that horses are stolen to order using this method.

If people are bothered about getting their horses stolen then I suggest they dig into their pockets and pay for their horses to be freezemarked like responsible owners. People should use a bit of common sense instead of panicking and helping 'push' the myth along to other horse owners.

Hear hear.

 

[Serenity087]

I am a cheapskate, so I pulled my horses mane. No sign of any plaits now, so I'm happy to say that she'll never be stolen...

(Disclaimer - whilst both the fact she has had her mane pulled and the fact it is not plaited are true, I'm not that much of an idiot to believe the plait story, so she's under heavy security!)

 

[SpruceRI]

And anyway - why would a would-be thief mark a horse so it's owner would notice? [it's marked]

Either he'd steal the one he liked the look of straight away, or he'd tell his mates (steal the chestnut)... he'd cut the fence back to make the theft easier, not highlight to the owner his intention to steal.

 

[somethingorother]

Look, i get why you are all fed up of hearing about this now, i've never felt the need to post on these threads before but have seen many of them. I agree, more often than not they are wind plaits. And out of the few man made ones it's probably kids.

We know that this is becoming a well known argument and that lots of people out there are now thinking it means theives. But this is clearly a new poster (hence the 5 posts- not that they are a troll who has nothing better to do in life than start mass hysteria under numerous names) who just came on here to find people who might know about it and get some reassurance. So i don't see why some of you are being so nasty and rude. There's no need for it and it only starts another heated debate.

Just say 'it's wind plaits' and leave it at that if thats what you think.

 

[DebbieCG]

Look, i get why you are all fed up of hearing about this now, i've never felt the need to post on these threads before but have seen many of them. I agree, more often than not they are wind plaits. And out of the few man made ones it's probably kids.

We know that this is becoming a well known argument and that lots of people out there are now thinking it means theives. But this is clearly a new poster (hence the 5 posts- not that they are a troll who has nothing better to do in life than start mass hysteria under numerous names) who just came on here to find people who might know about it and get some reassurance. So i don't see why some of you are being so nasty and rude. There's no need for it and it only starts another heated debate.

Just say 'it's wind plaits' and leave it at that if thats what you think.

I agree totally with everything you have said, somethingorother.

I happened to see a post about wind plaits back in January and because I wasn't aware of the 'heated' debate about this issue, I actually got caught in the cross-fire of sarcasm (at the time, I was only trying to help the original poster who seemed genuinely concerned). I try and stay clear of these posts now (until this reply here, when thankfully I read your common sense approach!).

You may see from previous posts about wind plaits that the forum users that
refer to 'mass hysteria' etc are always the same posters - they repeat the same things every time and are usually somewhat offensive, blunt and sarcastic.

After saying I once had my horse stolen, years ago, (and nothing to do with wind plaits but an organised crime) and how it had affected myself and my family, one or two of these posters became extremely unkind. One poster even said along the lines that if your horse was stolen it was easily replaceable (so why they come on this stolen section is a little strange, if they're not really worried). They are the poster that time and again comes on these 'wind plait' threads giving their opinion, complaining about it all and thus perpetuating it as well! I can't understand why they bother to reply in the first place and don't just ignore what they believe are 'trolls' starting another wind plait thread.

If you see from reasonable minded Horsewatch type people and groups, they give a common sense approach to this issue of wind tangles or strange mane plaiting.

 

[peek-a-boo]

Some time people with to much time and no pony visit animals in the most unlikely of places and have been known to plait mane and tails. ( Please note though plaited horses in a field is not safe) , maybe this is what has happened here or like has been said before wind plaits I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[alpha1]

Look, i get why you are all fed up of hearing about this now, i've never felt the need to post on these threads before but have seen many of them. I agree, more often than not they are wind plaits. And out of the few man made ones it's probably kids.

We know that this is becoming a well known argument and that lots of people out there are now thinking it means theives. But this is clearly a new poster (hence the 5 posts- not that they are a troll who has nothing better to do in life than start mass hysteria under numerous names) who just came on here to find people who might know about it and get some reassurance. So i don't see why some of you are being so nasty and rude. There's no need for it and it only starts another heated debate.

Just say 'it's wind plaits' and leave it at that if thats what you think.

Well said somethingorother! This person is obviously distressed, as we all would be if we thought our horses may be in danger, so mean and sarcastic comments are uncalled for.

 

[Branlly]

My thoroughbred mare had a plait that started as 3 separate sections, and was definitely plaited by hand. It appeared overnight, whilst she was out in the field with her filly foal last week. A couple of years ago my friends arab mare was in the same field and the same happened to her between spring and summer on several occaissions. No explanation, the RSPCA tell me we are " in a corridor of strangeness" that runs north and south of here. Here being Newark, Notts. No local horsewatch, so I don't know how widespread this is, or if it is a potential problem. When it happened to my friends mare some mares in the area were sexually assaulted, but the police didn't think the 2 things were connected.

 

[Bettyboo222]

It might just be a child who walks past the field sees the horses and wants to stroke and groom them

 

[Branlly]

It may well be a horse mad person, horses aren't hurt or upset, but it happens between 22.00 and 6.30 in the morning, there is a footpath runs along the otherside of the fence. If the horses get nervous, I will move them.

 

[lillith]

Oh dear, I wonder how many people my horse mad and slightly silly actions as a child frightened. I used to stroke ponies over fences and if left long enough near them would plait bits of their manes aged 7-10 or so as I had no pony of my own and loved them.

 

[Bettyboo222]

Oh dear, I wonder how many people my horse mad and slightly silly actions as a child frightened. I used to stroke ponies over fences and if left long enough near them would plait bits of their manes aged 7-10 or so as I had no pony of my own and loved them.

exactly what I have done in the past when I was younger

 

[WhiteHorses]

We found one in Scooby's mane a few months back, hadn't had one before and he hasn't had one since and he's still here. Most probably nothing to worry about x

 

[joolz68]

Looking at the figures on the stolen horse register there has been NO increase in the number of horses reported stolen (as opposed to stolen on loan) in the past two years to coincide with the appearance of Eastern Europeans taking pictures or mistaken wind plats.

These figures disprove that either of these scares have anything whatsoever to do with an increase in horse theft. Were this to be true we would have seen a considerable percentage increase in horse theft from fields countrywide and this has not happened.

i know derbyshire horse watch has said look out for braided manes as a taget for hores being selected for theft its worrying x ...maybe its a just a grooming session weve not yet witnessnesed hopefully lol x either way til we know the truth its very concerning for all x

 

[aduffield]

In Scotland there has been increased interest in mane plaiting and there was a report on the BBC and on local radio. The police have a warning on their web site. Horses have recently gone in Scotland. The main problem is there is no country wide register for stolen horses. Horsewatch is not national there is no horsewatch where I live in powys although they are trying to set up one. Horses have gone missing locally and I only found out by word of mouth no report on internet, no list on stolen horse site. Dyfed- powys had a warning on their site earlier this year. I know someone who had their horse pliated in the field it was 17.2hh in a full neck rug and was by no means an easy horse. Whoever caught it undid the neck of the rug, plaited it and re did the rug was no child and must have been extremely experienced with horses. The pictures on the BBC in Scotland showed what was def. a man made job, not a wind plait. I think the main point to be made here which everyone seems to miss is that if some-one can get access to your horse unobserved and mess with it, then you need to consider your security and / or fencing, as your horses are not as secure as you might think they are.

 

[*hic*]

You're right they're brilliant horsemen to be able to catch my uncatchable unrideable elderly Welsh and then to plait him, he's extremely headshy, as well as terrified of strangers. In fact the truly amazing thing is that in order to mark this little elderly plain FREEZEMARKED unrugged boy out for theft they have utterly ignored the three obviously valuable friendly but unmarked horses he's turned out with.

I firmly believe there are now a number of pranksters out there who enjoy sitting back and watching the hysterics. There are also the windplaits. My lad's look manmade but there is no way on God's earth that anyone managed to catch and plait that pony, nor any reason why he would be chosen over the others. He has windplaits, pure and simple. I take them out every six weeks when the farrier comes. He is SO difficult to catch that the rest of time he stays out with a companion.

 

[WYorks]

Just like to make a comment on the above.

Basically our ponies have been bothered by mane plaiting for a good number of years. I really didn't believe my own mothers reports at first and thought it was the other ponies grooming one another or the wind blowing and tangling the ponies manes. Time has proven my mum correct, someone most definitely has been plaiting our ponies manes.

Despite several years of vigilance, we haven't caught them yet! Why ... no disrespected to white witches, druids or similar groups with good intentions of celebrating this wonderful world we live in and the fabulous flora and fauna we all enjoy; but, why someone should want to come along in the middle of the night in all weathers to plait manes I simply can't imagine. It does appear that this particularly takes place at special seasonal dates and moons; the Spring Equinox being a big event. It appears manes could have been plaited at the very exact moment this occurs, when the sun rises for example ... beware next time I'll be there too!

All I can say is that if horses are sacred to these groups and involved in their rituals, please come along and make yourself known and get involved caring sensibly for the horses in an agreed and responsible way. Creeping around fields at night not only puts fear into our livestock but is also a security risk.

The knots that appear are partly hidden underneath the mane and so complex (I have photos and evidence) that in no way could these have been created by the weather or by the animals themselves. There are various forms but the most complex involves twisting then joining two strands of mane; then weaving around these strands at the end, looping part of the mane back into the know and then almost sewing in and out a smaller strand of hair to hold everything together. This knot would serve as a very effective rein for riding bareback as usually at just the right distance, so whether the animals have been ridden as well I'm not sure. At best after such a visit our ponies are a bit nervous and a little wary and difficult to catch. At worst (at least as far as it has involved our horses) I believe they have hung onto an ear to keep the pony still whilst they completing the plait. This made the pony concerned very nervous and took him a good couple of years to get over it. We couldn't get anywhere near his ears and had huge difficulty putting on a bridle or head collar that went anywhere near his ear. We had him checked out by the vet and there most certainly was no other cause, so I can only put it down the mischief in the field by our secretive visitors.

Regarding gypsies ... I very much doubt they would have much interest in turning up in people's fields at night in all weathers and plaiting their manes so carefully. This clearly is some form of ritual and not a matter of marking for theft. Quad bike theft I can imagine, but complex knotting really can't be their style and nor have we (thankfully) ever had any ponies stolen.

Anyway ... wish there was a proper investigation into this and it wasn't so under cover. If people with these interests would like to come along and care for horses and plait manes in a kind and secure way which is organised with the owners, this would be better for all concerned and much kinder to the ponies which if they are supposed to be sacred and respected, would more effectively adhere to these beliefs.

 

[Tinseltoes]

If someone wants your horse they will just take it no matter what.My cobblet has been missing/stolen 6 weeks ago and he didn't have any plaits!!!!

 

[Miss L Toe]

http://www.onestopponyshop.co.uk/superbasket/product/263/Snowswick_Pony_Fleece_-_Pink_Flowers