Thieves on yards

ElleSkywalker said:
Wasn't there someone on here who got sick of thieving and put purple spray in her show sheen? Then the theif had the nerve to have a go as her grey horse now had a purple stain on its neck and was meant to be going showing :D
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I think I might do that with the old thing of fly spray and leave it in my old box for someone to steal. Will be funny. :)
 
Can't believe people are cheeky enough to steal medicine/medical supplies!
It's one thing to pinch a plaster if you've cut your finger, it's another to steal a sachet of bute!

I've always been well stocked with bandages, vet wrap, poltices, salts, lotions, potions etc etc, and never hesitate to offer them out if someone has an emergency or late night abscess. Heck if it were a sudden emergency whilst I wasn't there, I wouldn't begrudge someone grabbing some supplies to prevent an injured horse from bleeding out before the vet gets there, so long as they let me know and at least offered to replace them (chances are I'd tell them not to worry about it unless they used a lot). But I do know that I'd soon lock everything up if anyone started taking the mick with it, or even stock piling out of my own supplies.
 
ElleSkywalker said:
Wasn't there someone on here who got sick of thieving and put purple spray in her show sheen? Then the theif had the nerve to have a go as her grey horse now had a purple stain on its neck and was meant to be going showing :D
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I was going to mention this one, I thought it was absolute genius!
 
I have a large (palm-sized) plastic spider for leaving in shadowy feed bins for when I feel the levels are dropping faster than they should be. Imagining the jump-scare almost makes up for not being able to witness it :)
 
Floxie said:
I have a large (palm-sized) plastic spider for leaving in shadowy feed bins for when I feel the levels are dropping faster than they should be. Imagining the jump-scare almost makes up for not being able to witness it :)
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You could attach it to a bit of fishing wire and the lid, so that when it's opened it moves towards the opening..!
 
Once my saddle went missing for two weeks, meaning I couldn't ride. I asked and asked and asked and nobody admitted to taking it. Only reason I found it was that I arrived in early one day at a time I was not expected to be there and it was on another liveries horse while she was riding in the arena. She had "borrowed" it as her own was sent off for flocking and brought it home in case I might discover someone was using it and take it home with me.

Needless to say the horse was stripped in the arena of my saddle, and a complaint put into the YO. Brought my tack home until I got a box I can lock tack into.

A few months later I walked in one day to find my clipped horse rugless in his stable. His stable rug had been taken off him, and put on another liveries horse (in the rain) outside.

Excuse was, oh but my horse was cold and I couldn't find my rug. It was the same person as above and they have since been moved on thankfully!

Generally the yard is fine though and apart from that I've not had any issues since.
 
I like the purple spray idea :D My horses are at home now so the worst I have to deal with is one of my dogs stealing carrots from the feed buckets! But I remember a few incidents in the past.

Many years ago I remember someone who helped themselves to another livery's horse. Just fancied a go on it so got it out of the field, tacked it up and off they went on a two hour hack. No permission or anything. That incident did lead to the person who took the horse being asked to leave though.

Another yard I was on there was one particular family, not the brightest you will ever come across, they used to help themselves to the YO's haylage, but left a trail of haylage from the barn to the stable. Same family used to use my wheelbarrow, fork etc and I always used to find them abandoned at various locations around the yard. I wouldn't have minded if they had asked to borrow my stuff and put it back when they were done. Anyway, one of my horses had a bit of a tendency to take a chunk out of people who got too near to her stable (she did have a warning sign on the door). I started keeping my tools by her stable and they were never taken again. That family's stay on the yard was somewhat short lived too.
 
ElectricChampagne said:
Once my saddle went missing for two weeks, meaning I couldn't ride. I asked and asked and asked and nobody admitted to taking it. Only reason I found it was that I arrived in early one day at a time I was not expected to be there and it was on another liveries horse while she was riding in the arena. She had "borrowed" it as her own was sent off for flocking and brought it home in case I might discover someone was using it and take it home with me.

Needless to say the horse was stripped in the arena of my saddle, and a complaint put into the YO. Brought my tack home until I got a box I can lock tack into.

A few months later I walked in one day to find my clipped horse rugless in his stable. His stable rug had been taken off him, and put on another liveries horse (in the rain) outside.

Excuse was, oh but my horse was cold and I couldn't find my rug. It was the same person as above and they have since been moved on thankfully!

Generally the yard is fine though and apart from that I've not had any issues since.
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I can't believe someone took your saddle or took your horses rug off, didn't you want to punch her face in I know I would have wanted to the language would have been choice as well!
 
I've not really had much of an issue other than at the last place when the flies were bad one day I offered to the adjacent horse's owners (who actually were the YO and her daughter) to use a bit of our Phazer Gel on their gelding's muzzle as they'd run out of fly spray. As I was sharing the doing of the horse with my daughter I hadn't paid too much attention to the volume of gel left in the pot but in hind sight it was going down a bit quicker than expected then suddenly one day the tub disappeared.
They'd only taken the whole tub off with their horse to a week of competitions! It returned when they did.

We left that yard not long after.
 
ElectricChampagne said:
Once my saddle went missing for two weeks, meaning I couldn't ride. I asked and asked and asked and nobody admitted to taking it. Only reason I found it was that I arrived in early one day at a time I was not expected to be there and it was on another liveries horse while she was riding in the arena. She had "borrowed" it as her own was sent off for flocking and brought it home in case I might discover someone was using it and take it home with me.

Needless to say the horse was stripped in the arena of my saddle, and a complaint put into the YO. Brought my tack home until I got a box I can lock tack into.

A few months later I walked in one day to find my clipped horse rugless in his stable. His stable rug had been taken off him, and put on another liveries horse (in the rain) outside.

Excuse was, oh but my horse was cold and I couldn't find my rug. It was the same person as above and they have since been moved on thankfully!

Generally the yard is fine though and apart from that I've not had any issues since.
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Jesus that's unbelievable. I'd have been phoning the police on her too to make sure she really learnt her lesson. Tack is bloody expensive.
 
A livery at my last yard suspected one of the others, we'll call her 'Sue' for the purposes of this anecdote, was nicking her feed. She quietly put a note inside her closed feed bin that said, "Sue, stop nicking my feed". The next day, Sue approached her, terribly upset and asked why she had left such a rude note, accusing her of stealing feed. When the other livery asked her where she'd seen the note Sue suddenly went very quiet...
 
I had someone "borrow" my horse too.

I got to the yard early one day to find a young girl, about 13, standing next to my horse stroking him. He saw me and barged her out the way to get to me and she said "he's really nice, isn't he", so I just said "yes he's lovely". Then, I don't know what made me say it, but I asked if she had ridden him - she said yes, they had been for a lovely hack, she told me the route and it was along one of the busiest roads in the area!

At the time, he was very fit as was we were out showing every weekend, so on his toes and a bit of a handful sometimes and this 13 year old beginner rider had just hacked him! Thank god he behaved. Needless to say, the YM and the Instructor who took her out were given a talking to!! I don't swear, but every other word was a curse word - I was furious. I knew the YM hadn't rung to ask because she knew I would say no, and banked on the fact that I would be down my normal time. She got caught out. She swore it was the first time, but I didn't believe her.

I left the yard that week. I still get so cross thinking about it, even years later.
 
Hexx said:
I had someone "borrow" my horse too.

I got to the yard early one day to find a young girl, about 13, standing next to my horse stroking him. He saw me and barged her out the way to get to me and she said "he's really nice, isn't he", so I just said "yes he's lovely". Then, I don't know what made me say it, but I asked if she had ridden him - she said yes, they had been for a lovely hack, she told me the route and it was along one of the busiest roads in the area!

At the time, he was very fit as was we were out showing every weekend, so on his toes and a bit of a handful sometimes and this 13 year old beginner rider had just hacked him! Thank god he behaved. Needless to say, the YM and the Instructor who took her out were given a talking to!! I don't swear, but every other word was a curse word - I was furious. I knew the YM hadn't rung to ask because she knew I would say no, and banked on the fact that I would be down my normal time. She got caught out. She swore it was the first time, but I didn't believe her.

I left the yard that week. I still get so cross thinking about it, even years later.
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I would be so furious if someone borrowed my horse. Thankfully no one would, they all think he is nuts or too difficult for them to ride. He isn't either, but as long as it keeps them off him it's fine. :)
 
Pinkvboots said:
I can't believe someone took your saddle or took your horses rug off, didn't you want to punch her face in I know I would have wanted to the language would have been choice as well!
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I'm a firm believer that Karma is an absolute B*tch and catches up with you in the end. Which it did as she was kicked off the yard for not paying bills.
 
ElectricChampagne said:
Once my saddle went missing for two weeks, meaning I couldn't ride. I asked and asked and asked and nobody admitted to taking it. Only reason I found it was that I arrived in early one day at a time I was not expected to be there and it was on another liveries horse while she was riding in the arena. She had "borrowed" it as her own was sent off for flocking and brought it home in case I might discover someone was using it and take it home with me.

Needless to say the horse was stripped in the arena of my saddle, and a complaint put into the YO. Brought my tack home until I got a box I can lock tack into.

A few months later I walked in one day to find my clipped horse rugless in his stable. His stable rug had been taken off him, and put on another liveries horse (in the rain) outside.

Excuse was, oh but my horse was cold and I couldn't find my rug. It was the same person as above and they have since been moved on thankfully!

Generally the yard is fine though and apart from that I've not had any issues since.
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The one yard I was at I kept noticing my stirrups were down a hole from when I had last ridden.As I am only 5ft 4" it could have been all manner of people who had taken it!My bottle of regumate also went missing which was a nightmare as its sooo expensive.
 
Several years ago, my Dales pony was accidentally used by the RDA on one of their lessons. He was generally very good under saddle, but certainly wasn't a suitable RDA candidate! They had told a new girl to tack up the black cob in the end barn, but she found mine in the middle barn instead.

Apparently he was very well behaved when they parked him next to the ramp and wheeled a rider up in a huge chair, although he looked a bit confused!
 
rachk89 said:
I would be so furious if someone borrowed my horse. Thankfully no one would, they all think he is nuts or too difficult for them to ride. He isn't either, but as long as it keeps them off him it's fine. :)
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the YO was very lucky not to get punched in the nose - particularly when she told me that she thought it would be OK as she hadn't had time to ride him that day. She rode him 3 days a week - it was MONDAY, she had the rest of the week to fit in 3 days - so that annoyed me even more!!

The instructor just slunk off and hid - I should have taken the money off her that she earned from my horse!

Still annoyed!!
 
I used to keep my horses on livery at a riding school. I turned up early to find my friend's horse tied up on the yard. I knew that my friend wasn't down until later and I also knew that they had every intention of using the horse in a lesson - she was ex-riding school and pretty easy going. I smiled sweetly and said 'oh, is the farrier up?'. Lots of guilty looks between staff, then the horse got turned back out.

Horse was moved to a new yard shortly after as she just couldn't trust them not to use the mare when she wasn't there.
 
Flicker said:
A livery at my last yard suspected one of the others, we'll call her 'Sue' for the purposes of this anecdote, was nicking her feed. She quietly put a note inside her closed feed bin that said, "Sue, stop nicking my feed". The next day, Sue approached her, terribly upset and asked why she had left such a rude note, accusing her of stealing feed. When the other livery asked her where she'd seen the note Sue suddenly went very quiet...
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bloody idiot!
 
scats said:
Several years ago, my Dales pony was accidentally used by the RDA on one of their lessons. He was generally very good under saddle, but certainly wasn't a suitable RDA candidate! They had told a new girl to tack up the black cob in the end barn, but she found mine in the middle barn instead.

Apparently he was very well behaved when they parked him next to the ramp and wheeled a rider up in a huge chair, although he looked a bit confused!
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my horse was accidentally tacked up and taken on a hack no one noticed from the riding school until my horse decided to tank off down the track and proceeded to gallop along a grass verge at the side of the road, eventually the child that was on her fell off and my horse continued along the road until someone driving along got out and managed to catch her.

The manager of the riding school had the cheek to tell me how dangerous my horse was and that the kid could have been killed, no sorry for tacking up the wrong horse and nearly getting my horse killed on the road.
 
ElectricChampagne said:
Once my saddle went missing for two weeks, meaning I couldn't ride. I asked and asked and asked and nobody admitted to taking it. Only reason I found it was that I arrived in early one day at a time I was not expected to be there and it was on another liveries horse while she was riding in the arena. She had "borrowed" it as her own was sent off for flocking and brought it home in case I might discover someone was using it and take it home with me.

Needless to say the horse was stripped in the arena of my saddle, and a complaint put into the YO. Brought my tack home until I got a box I can lock tack into.

A few months later I walked in one day to find my clipped horse rugless in his stable. His stable rug had been taken off him, and put on another liveries horse (in the rain) outside.

Excuse was, oh but my horse was cold and I couldn't find my rug. It was the same person as above and they have since been moved on thankfully!

Generally the yard is fine though and apart from that I've not had any issues since.
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I can't believe this. Clearly she knew what she was doing was wrong as she was worried you'd take the saddle home if you knew. What an utter cheek
 
I'll admit to having nearly stolen somebody's horse once!! I was at a newish riding school, and was given the tack for my mount and told " he's the bay tb at the end of the row" and a vague gesture toward a barn, went in and started tacking up this (lovely) bay tb, for the owner to luckily come into the barn looking confused and asked me what I was doing, I was very apologetic and she seemed to take it in jest and showed me where the horse I was looking for was!!
 
ApolloStorm said:
I'll admit to having nearly stolen somebody's horse once!! I was at a newish riding school, and was given the tack for my mount and told " he's the bay tb at the end of the row" and a vague gesture toward a barn, went in and started tacking up this (lovely) bay tb, for the owner to luckily come into the barn looking confused and asked me what I was doing, I was very apologetic and she seemed to take it in jest and showed me where the horse I was looking for was!!
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Haha least you knew and apologised. You reminded me of when at the current yard, a girls parents went up to feed her horse and started taking mine out by accident. They do look very similar though and they realised before they took him to the stable and put him back. My horse went quite willingly though, probably thinking it's his lucky day and gets fed twice!

I am so happy, my new lockable box is here to hide everything in and lock it away from the thieves. :D
 
The only thing I've ever had stolen was a leadrope. My old horse would chew the rope whenever he was led, so a friend bought me a rope with a chain. I used to leave it attached to the headcollar, hung on a hook outside the stable. Came up one day to find leadrope missing. This was a huge livery yard - I searched and asked people but it never turned up. More upset because it was a gift.

I'm now on full livery, nothing has ever gone missing. My tools get borrowed (I still have fork, broom & muck bucket for skipping out!) and end up in various places... and friends will use my wash mitts and sometimes pinch some shampoo... but we are friends and we share things so I don't mind this.

So many selfish kleptos about, by the sounds of things!!
 
Pinkvboots said:
my horse was accidentally tacked up and taken on a hack no one noticed from the riding school until my horse decided to tank off down the track and proceeded to gallop along a grass verge at the side of the road, eventually the child that was on her fell off and my horse continued along the road until someone driving along got out and managed to catch her.

The manager of the riding school had the cheek to tell me how dangerous my horse was and that the kid could have been killed, no sorry for tacking up the wrong horse and nearly getting my horse killed on the road.
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If the kid had been killed it would 100% have been her fault for putting the kid on her! She's got a nerve saying that!
 
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Well, after "borrowed" saddles, rugs and horses, my anecdote isn't very dramatic.

Not long ago, a new sharer skipped out the pony into one of my buckets which I reserved for soaking feed. It had never been anywhere near manure. Then instead of emptying the bucket on the muckheap the bucket just disappeared, never to be seen again.

More annoyingly, last week my aluspray walked off for a couple of days, and the mare next door to my ponies suddenly developed a silver tail. I put a note on the board asking if anyone had seen the spray and funnily enough it turned up within 24 hours. It has now been hidden; which I find really disappointing as our yard is very friendly and we all get along well (enough).
 
Flicker said:
A livery at my last yard suspected one of the others, we'll call her 'Sue' for the purposes of this anecdote, was nicking her feed. She quietly put a note inside her closed feed bin that said, "Sue, stop nicking my feed". The next day, Sue approached her, terribly upset and asked why she had left such a rude note, accusing her of stealing feed. When the other livery asked her where she'd seen the note Sue suddenly went very quiet...
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Now that's one to remember for the future.....
 
rachk89 said:
Haha least you knew and apologised. You reminded me of when at the current yard, a girls parents went up to feed her horse and started taking mine out by accident. They do look very similar though and they realised before they took him to the stable and put him back. My horse went quite willingly though, probably thinking it's his lucky day and gets fed twice!

I am so happy, my new lockable box is here to hide everything in and lock it away from the thieves. :D
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My farrier once shod someone else's horse instead of mine by mistake! My fault entirely - new horse and I texted farrier to say he was the bay ISH at the end of the barn. Probably should have said which end... Someone else's horse got a lovely new set of shoes paid for by me. Then I had to pay again for my horse to get done. Expensive...
 
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