Warning - new type of horse theft? sellers beware!!!

eventrider23

eventrider23

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22 April 2006
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I haven't posted in ages but I have had THE WORST day and thought I would share it with everyone on here and also warn people to be careful.
I have this week advertised my grey Dales mare and her foal for sale as I have got to cut down on the number of horses I have got. She needs a bit of condition as her foal that she's just been weaned from has run her down a bit so I wasn't asking much money for her. As a result I 've been inundated with phone calls, etc. and a depsoit went down on her on Monday and she is set to be collected on Sunday. Since then I have told all callers that a deposit had been taken and if anything fell through I would let them know on Sunday.

Well.....here's what happened today.
Was at the yard this morning when I got a phone call from someone stating they were the new owner's husband. He had managed to organise with a friend of his who was in the area today to come and collect them....sounds fine.....just needed the postcode for sat nav. OK fine...
Afterwards something just didn't feel right so I tried getting in touch with the lady as I had never spoken to her husband before and wanted to clarify, etc. I couldn't get hold of her so went ahead getting both of them ready to go just in case.
Finally get hold of the lady and she nor her husband know anything about it!!!! Still planning for Sunday collection, etc. Right, so I instantly turn the foal back out (they're weaned and mum lives in at mo as has bad mud fever) Whilst out in the field a trailer turns up and I get back to he yard to find two men having climbed over the padlocked gate and in her stable!!!!!!!

Long and short was that they'd supposedly been sent to collect her. tried giving me the cash, etc. When I refused they got a bit shitty, etc. and were adamant they were taking her. I again refused and ordered them to leave. It also transpired that they knew nothing about her foal and were only there for mum....dodgy or what!!! I finally got them to go peacefully....

As a result I have now moved the mare to a friend's yard until she goes and have hidden her foal and my other 2 youngsters in a far off paddock but this has seriously shaken me up to my horses now being possibly stolen!!! What if they come back?

I have filed an incident report with the police and also have alerted the website I advertsied through but just thought I would let people (especially those in Sussex) know that this has occurred and to be wary of sending their horses off with transporters at the moment.
 
golly gosh! oh crumbs that sounds very scary, some people these days; really i mean how can they put so much effort into doing bad! well my fingers and legs are crossed for you hun, i hope they dont go near your yard and horses, i am sure they will be fine! thanks for the warning!
 
im speechless................wtf..........what will these lowlifes think of next ........good job you had your wits about you shame you didnt have the police waiting for them ......
 
Did you get the reg. number of their vehicle? You really must report this incident to the police, together with a description of the men, also report it to your local area Horsewatch. Well done for being on the ball!!

Talking of scams, when the person who had her horse stolen from Bristol in December spoke to a witness, the witness said that the thieves were dressed in RSPCA uniforms. She immediately rang the RSPCA, and they knew nothing about it.
 
Thank goodness for your intuition! I'll put your post up in our yard so that people are forewarned : where are you in Sussex? Any descriptions of the men so that we can be on our guard?
Brilliant that you were so qucik-thinking, and I do hope that you get no more hassle.
smile.gif
 
Wow - that is scary. Some friends of ours had their house identified from a picture they posted on ebay of motorbikes they had for sale, and their garage was broken into (through the roof, at night!) and the bikes stolen. I guess the only solution is to get a phone number from the buyer, and always ring them back to check just as you did. Selling is a dangerous game these days!
 
I definately reported it to the police as I took their refistration number immediately.
I am based in East Sussex and have got all the people in the immediate neighbourhood on the alert.
They were no doubt gypsy's, albeit very well dressed and very well spoken ones at that and were driving a shogun and pulling an older Ifor Williams trailer - was brown and now faded to a really old streaky wood colouring. Thinking back on it I did have a very dodgy phone call at the beginning of the week for my mare and said she was sold (I'd have said she was sold to this person even if she wasn't). the person was very angry about her being sold and insisted that if the people didn't turn up that I should ring him and he'd be over within the hour with the cash to 'take her away' as he put it.....we are now wondering whether it could have been this person.

That is a very good idea of alertin horsewatch....I have already told adhorse and also the police of course.
 
Maybe if someone gets a snotty phone call like that in the future, it might be worth doing a 1471 to see if they could take a note of the number. You poor thing it sounds like you are having a nightmare.
 
Oh god
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thanks for sharing your experience. Its a scary world out there. I'm so glad you and your horses a escaped this safely!
 
the number for this person and subsequently the people who tried to take her were all listed as 'private numbers'. I am fine now and very happy to have 'saved' my mare from a very uncertain fate, however I am still worried about my other horses at the yard as now they know I am there who knows if they will try again when no one is around.
 
Hi ya,

hope your ok.

A similar thing happened to me but with a car i had listed on ebay for a friend. Not so scary but just a note for people to act with caution and check things. As i said i listed the car for a friend who doesn't have the internet. It sold and the person rung up, got the address where the car was kept and came and collected it and gave the owner £5 more than the wining bid (which he took thinking he'd just rounded the amount up). Later that day the actual winning bidder rung and of course my poor friend had to tell him the car had already been collected. I ended up with bad feedback. What we should have done in hindsight is rung the buyer ourselves rather than letting them contact us. Lesson learnt!

xxx
 
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