Warning - 3 yards cleared out completely - Leeds

[Dolcé]

3 yards were robbed and completely cleared out on sunday night, 2 in Bramhope LS16 and 1 in Horsforth LS18. Everything that could be moved was taken, including feed and hay, sweeping brushes, headcollars/ropes, rugs, grooming kits and with some high profile tack taken. I will put lists on the stolen page as they appear on the FB pages in the hope that if people are offered items at too good to be true prices, or see items for sale, perhaps at the smaller and more obscure sales, they will question where they have come from. I suspect this same gang are hitting yards around the Yorkshire area for now but wanted to warn everyone that this is rampant at the moment. The items taken indicate that these are not just tack thieves, I know smaller yards have been done locally where feed (including bins) have been taken and there has been no tack on site. Please keep your eyes open and don't take risks with your gear, I think Christmas will have been spoiled for those who have been hit this time!

 

[Carrots&Mints]

Weve had a few yards round here in Burnley/Colne area that have been targeted! I never leave anything of high value at the yard any more - and my feed will be around £20 to replace all. Our owner also lives onsite so fingers crossed will never happen to us!

There is some low lifes about im sick of it!!!! These people who are stealing need to get a job and earn money the proper way!! Disgusting! Karma will eventually get them

 

[crabbymare]

different area but sadly the owners being on site does not stop them a few years ago they went in through a tack room wall to avoid the cameras while they could see the owner on the phone to the police they also do not care about alarms as they know they normally have at least 3 minutes to get away and with 2 or 3 people they can be in and gone before the police will arrive

 

[lelly]

Barstewards!!

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

Oh dear, poor people (the owners I mean).

Hope they find everything, and the people.

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

There is some low lifes about im sick of it!!!! These people who are stealing need to get a job and earn money the proper way!! Disgusting! Karma will eventually get them

Totally agree C&M. The people who have been good enough to earn it & buy it, have it stolen from them!

 

[SunSeeker]

How sickening for you....these people are dregs of the earth. That had to be well organised, as not quick and easy to run off with all that, and this kind of crime is on the increase in remote rural areas. I hope all the horses were ok.

What are the Police doing about it?

We have dogs and geese....best deterrent ever!

 

[Moobucket]

I have avoided having a tack room at my yard for this very reason. If I have about 10 horses, there's a good chance there is going to be about 10k's worth of tack around, which means even if you sell it at knocked down prices you are still looking at 5-7k profit on an evening. I try to encourage people not to leave anything of value at the yard at all. It's a sad reflection on the times we live in. If there were some better sanctions we might have a hope.

 

[trickivicki]

Get to the next Derby sales!!! Every other Friday and full of 'too good too be true'

 

[fatpiggy]

And Holmfirth, especially because it is run by the ethnic minority who specialize in relieving people of their property.

 

[TheLankyRider]

Thanks for the heads up. Already keep most valuable things at home like tack but if they are even taking feed bins then theres only so much stuff you can keep at home

 

[Bigbenji]

Big dogs and shoot um in the butt whilst they run away!

Joking aside police won't bother with 'non urgent crime' as they see it. Gutting for folks who loose everything.

 

[D66]

Well it must be "people like us" who buys the stolen tack. I'd like to see random checks on saddles at shows to find the security markings and check out the real owners. otherwise what disincentive could there be?

 

[peanut]

How awful

 

[chocolategirl]

I'm pretty sure if a dog were to bite someone stealing from your property they could sue you under the dangerous dogs act? Correct me if I'm wrong please! I always tell my liveries they leave their stuff at the yard entirely at there own risk, their choice then.

 

[Highlands]

Yes if a dog bites thy can sue and you can't shoot them either. Feel for everyone

 

[wench]

Whats the point in nicking feed in bins? Maybe in sealed bags I could understand, but even then its not really worth pinching large 20kg sacks you could only flog for a fiver or so.

 

[Bellea]

And Holmfirth, especially because it is run by the ethnic minority who specialize in relieving people of their property.

Wonderful.

 

[Bigbenji]

Yes if a dog bites thy can sue and you can't shoot them either. Feel for everyone

Erm was said tounge in cheek you know still can't see them running to the police if they did get bit can you?
I'm sure they use the feed, rugs and cheaper items for themselves. Anything to save a bob. Utter scum.

 

[Moobucket]

Proper feed bins are surprisingly expensive to buy new. I once heard a story about a yard where they literally took every last thing that wasn't bolted down... stable doors off their hinges, bins, every rug, every head collar, even the bloody sugar for the teas! It's what nightmares are made of.
Most of the farmers around me have stories to tell about calling the police to be told they were non urgent issues, when there barns were being broken in to etc. It's going to entice people to do daft things, because in a lawless society that's all you have left.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Proper feed bins are surprisingly expensive to buy new. I once heard a story about a yard where they literally took every last thing that wasn't bolted down... stable doors off their hinges, bins, every rug, every head collar, even the bloody sugar for the teas! It's what nightmares are made of.
Most of the farmers around me have stories to tell about calling the police to be told they were non urgent issues, when there barns were being broken in to etc. It's going to entice people to do daft things, because in a lawless society that's all you have left.

Totally agree, I worked in a day centre for the elderly and sometimes still do. We had a frequent thief in our office stealing money, one day we caught him, he bolted and we gave chase.He shot out of the car park and was off, our caretaker at the time followed him, police were called and advised where he was and where he was heading via caretaker on his mobile,police didn't respond until hours later!
Second attempt I found him in my office and challenged him, he bolted again.Called the police who were stationed round the corner at the time, half hour later they rang back saying " as he's no longer there do you still want us to come"?

Regarding tack thefts, I spent years stripping down saddles and placing a microtag actually on the tree so it couldn't be removed. None of the saddles that were stolen after that were recovered, what's the point when no one scans them at sales or auctions?
No one cares.
Apart from the poor people who have their stuff nicked.

 

[Batgirl]

It's dreadful, a local shop has offered discount to anyone replacing stuff from the theft and everyione round here is offering what they can. Just horrible!

I feel lucky that we are a hundred yards from the police station, owners on site and difficult access to our tack! Still it can happen to anyone!

 

[hairycob]

My son had his motorbike stolen from the car park at work. He was walking back from a break & actually witnessed them taking it. He was straight on the phone to the police while his friend checked they were picked up on CCTV which they were. They were also able to check that the petrol station next door had picked them up with faces clearly visible in their CCTV. Police informed of CCTV availability within minutes of the theft. This was 5pm on Saturday evening. The police arrived to collect the film from son's place of work at 8.30 pm on the Monday & never collected it from the petrol station. Surprise, surprise they never found the bike.

 

[cremedemonthe]

My son had his motorbike stolen from the car park at work. He was walking back from a break & actually witnessed them taking it. He was straight on the phone to the police while his friend checked they were picked up on CCTV which they were. They were also able to check that the petrol station next door had picked them up with faces clearly visible in their CCTV. Police informed of CCTV availability within minutes of the theft. This was 5pm on Saturday evening. The police arrived to collect the film from son's place of work at 8.30 pm on the Monday & never collected it from the petrol station. Surprise, surprise they never found the bike.

Think it's a case of too much crime, not enough police

 

[hairycob]

The trouble is there are things that I know they have responded to pronto that have you amazed they bothered with at all so I am a tad sceptical. We have a rather nasty neighbour who used the police to harass us & despite them acknowledging this was the case & she only had to pick up the phone about a non existent event for them to come rushing round - including once in response to a complaint that OH had waved to her while driving (not that he had) it only stopped after we wrote a letter of complaint to the Chief Constable. Of course it had nothing to do with the fact that he had a senior position in civic society including being on the Police Committee of another authority.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

And Holmfirth, especially because it is run by the ethnic minority who specialize in relieving people of their property.

Hardly, it is run by Holmfirth attested auction mart. There may well be some travellers ( I assume that is who you meant ) selling/buying but there are also plenty of non-travellers and I defy you to be able to separate them out, unless you actually know the backgrounds of the people there. Dress and way of speaking are not indicative.

The way to stop thefts of tack etc is for no-one to buy cheap 2nd hand tack. I feel very sorry for those who have lost everything.

 

[YorksG]

When did Holmfirth auction became the property of any ethnic minority? First I've heard of it. If people didn't buy cheap second hand tack there would be fewer tack thefts.

 

[fatpiggy]

When did Holmfirth auction became the property of any ethnic minority? First I've heard of it. If people didn't buy cheap second hand tack there would be fewer tack thefts.

I went there looking for my stolen tack, against the advice of the local council who told me it wasn't a safe place to go on my own given that it was no longer an authorised market and run by the gypsies. I went anyway and it was clear that the tack that was there was dodgy (would you really put decent tack in still attached to hairy, filthy girths and numnahs?) and the standard of animal husbandry was appalling. There is supposed to be a vet in attendance at authorised markets. There were animals crammed 5 to a pen , a stallion fighting with a gelding in another pen, a shetland foal that had clearly been weaned in the last few hours, very sick with snot pouring from its nose, very depressed and very very young, ducks crammed into tiny cages, ponies with bracken and gorse in their manes and tails and ponies being hammered round the carpark bareback. A lovely day out not.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I went there looking for my stolen tack, against the advice of the local council who told me it wasn't a safe place to go on my own given that it was no longer an authorised market and run by the gypsies. I went anyway and it was clear that the tack that was there was dodgy (would you really put decent tack in still attached to hairy, filthy girths and numnahs?) and the standard of animal husbandry was appalling. There is supposed to be a vet in attendance at authorised markets. There were animals crammed 5 to a pen , a stallion fighting with a gelding in another pen, a shetland foal that had clearly been weaned in the last few hours, very sick with snot pouring from its nose, very depressed and very very young, ducks crammed into tiny cages, ponies with bracken and gorse in their manes and tails and ponies being hammered round the carpark bareback. A lovely day out not.

What on earth is an authorised market? Do you really think that the owners of the site would allow unauthorised people access to their site week in, week out? It is not a warranted market - if you go looking to buy a horse you know it will be unwarranted. I know breeders who send their 'rejects' there. If you do buy from there you need to be very experienced and able to spot a good horse in the rough. I know of good horses which were bought there and now have a decent competition record.
If you see a genuine welfare problem, go to the market manager's office and tell them. I have done and the problem was sorted immediately.
I have frequently seen RSPCA and the police at the horse market. Admittedly the police are usually checking for red diesel
There will be some travellers there, just as there will be at York and other local sales. There will also be well-known breeders and dealers and some people who are on the lookout for a cheap horse, some will know exactly what they are doing, others will be idiots

 

[chocolategirl]

Think it's a case of too much crime, not enough police

Disagree with that statement sorry when 10 policemen were sent to assist fire fighters and wildlife experts to relocate a lost seal?! I often see police officers doing their shopping in my local supermarket whilst in uniform too!