Warning: That Time Of Year

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Cheshire Chestnut

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It's coming up to Christmas and this is when you see a rise in tack/rug/horse thefts. They tend to be 'stolen to order', ideally for Christmas presents. There has been a large number of tack room break-ins in the Cheshire/North Wales area recently, with 9 reported in the last three weeks alone. They have been a mixture of private and large yards, a Riding for the Disabled riding school also having all it's tack and specialist equipment stolen. Last night a member from this forum had a tack room break in with the rugs even taken off the horse's backs!

We should all be on the lookout. If you see any vans/cars around your yard that have no purpose being there, note down the reg plate and then call the police on 101 and report it. There usually can't be much done if there has been a break in with no CCTV or fingerprints (usually they will wear gloves so there aren't any) but at least if you have reported a suspicious vehicle previously and there is then a break in, the police have something to go on. People moan about the police not being able to do anything but with no clues, no CCTV, no fingerprints, no witnesses and no crystal ball - the police have nothing to work with. Even Sherlock himself wouldn't be able to help.

Just please note that these people are organised crime groups and do not just go on the 'off chance', they will have done their research. That means they will have been near your yard, scouted out who is there and at what time, where the tack is and then assessed other things such as fences, gates, locks etc. They are professional criminals and will not chance being caught so they make sure they have all the right equipment for the targeted job. This is why it's more important to be extra vigilant and note down reg plate numbers etc when you see them.
A good cover up is a delivery driver in an unmarked car/van, salesman/woman, someone looking for livery or riding lessons. Also, these people have been reported to be women too, not just men so look out for them!
 
Thanks - it really is becoming an issue and needs people to know. Cheshire Police have been tweeting about it and if you're on Twitter, follow Western Rural if you live in the countryside near Chester. They have been tweeting about the thefts x
 
Timely warning CC.
They are organised, we had the roof taken off our tack room a few years back because the doors and windows were barred. They had also cut through thick hedges to get away without disturbing the farm dogs.

Don't forget to postcode your rugs and always ask visitors on the yard who they are.
 
I am very grateful that we don't have this problem living on a small Island. I hope everyone stays safe over Christmas and New Year
 
I was only just saying that to my mum yesterday! We've had many break- ins over the years... Last winter three! Every time they seem to be after horse feed. The first time we had just had a delivery and they took the lot. After that we kept it at home so they took nothing.
We also have hay and straw delivered in small bales do as we stack we cut one of the strings so they fall apart if moved!
 
dogatemysalad said:
Timely warning CC.
They are organised, we had the roof taken off our tack room a few years back because the doors and windows were barred. They had also cut through thick hedges to get away without disturbing the farm dogs.

Don't forget to postcode your rugs and always ask visitors on the yard who they are.
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They really do know what they're doing. Unfortunatly working for the police myself, I have come acrosss these individuals more than I'd like to and they spend a lot of time planning out their next thefts. They are sneaky and can sometimes befriend you first. Their careers are made up of thieving from hard working people and they are professionals, just like you have said here - they know what they're looking for. It is frustraing for the police that want to help the victims and ultimatley catch the 'bad guys' but like I said in my previous posts, without evidence or even a lead, there isn't much that can be done and these creatures keep getting away with it. With the countryside so vast with very few police stations and patrols about in the middle of the night, it is impossible to be everywhere at all times - this is why people need to take it upon themselves to keep an eye on their own property and report ANYTHING suspicious, no matter how trivial you think it is. Sometimes it only takes your little piece of information to patch together a much bigger picture.

Be wary of them, horrible people and they don't care about the lives they ruin either.
 
I am considering post coding my rugs, what's the best thing to use? I have a pot of external white gloss paint somewhere I'm sure....

We don't keep any tack at the stables now, buy feed as and when and thankfully since having electric no more generator thefts. I'm not complacent though, last year they stole the horse box battery, a set of jump wings and siphoned all the diesel, using one of our water carriers! They have also taken stored fence posts. We now only put £30-40 of fuel in at once and try to leave it as empty as possible. There's no one on site at our stables, and I think CCTV is the next step for peace of mind, ESP as some scumbag shot our stable cat in the face in the summer :mad: We're in a rural location too, no adjoining housing estates etc :(
 
My farrier let me know last week that there have been a fair few thefts around the Binfield/Wokingham/Ascot area recently. (He's on a different Ringmaster route to me.) It would appear that the thieves have a small white van and are visiting yards asking if anyone has any hay to sell, the next day after they've been round all the tack and anything else they can lift has been found missing.

Also, last night whilst at my yard we had an unmarked police car turn up, a house up the road had been burgled and they were checking our yards to see if the thief was either hanging about or had stashed anything on our property to fetch at a later date. Bit scary to think that there might have been someone like that hiding out - we made sure that all of the lights went on absolutely everywhere!!!
 
Parts of Worcestershire/ South Staffs have been done as well- mainly rug stealing, energizers & a horse box was also taken the other day as well -so I suppose whatever they can lay their grubby hands on - Just be extra vigilant! !! The police were supposed to contacting the lady who reported one of the crimes to talk to about security advice - as of yet she has heard....... nothing :(
 
Also been hit in Hampshire ironically just weeks after having all our tack postcoded by the police. None have ever been recovered and police closed the case very quickly despite a photo on a phone of the car leaving the yard and descriptions of the thieves who were disturbed during the burglary. It was still light on a lovely summers evening. I still wonder where all those saddles are and who is buying them from the thieves?
 
Omg Stencilface - I cannot believe someone would do that to your cat :( how awful. That makes me so sad, there's stealing and being a thieving scumbag, but then there's a scumbag that's even worse that would be cruel to an animal. Disgusting, who are these people?! Honestly, I cannot sometimes believe the world we live in. Don't get me started!
 
Thanks for the heads up CC, i sadly dont live at my yard but leave nothing about - i learnt my lesson when fencers were taken and the knackered old betteries with them :(. Its sad to think we all work hard and scrimp and scrape to pay for our horses only for someone to thieve it - will ask my neighbours to keep a watchful eye out
 
Cheshire Chestnut said:
Omg Stencilface - I cannot believe someone would do that to your cat :( how awful. That makes me so sad, there's stealing and being a thieving scumbag, but then there's a scumbag that's even worse that would be cruel to an animal. Disgusting, who are these people?! Honestly, I cannot sometimes believe the world we live in. Don't get me started!
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starryeyed said:
Stencilface, that is just awful :frown3:
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The worst bit was he still has a pellet lodged in his spine so had actually been shot before and we hadn't noticed (must have been barely any wound) this time round his jaw shattered. :(

Bonus for the cat is that despite saying they could never have a house cat, my parents now have one very content cat who eats his dinner with the dogs and is completely in charge of the household.

The worst bit about the cat getting shot was the fact my horse was on box rest at the same time :(
 
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