What to do - stuff going missing at yard...

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zoeshiloh

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Over the last year I have had a number of items go missing at the yard where I keep two of my horses. Most of the items are small, and I shrugged them off - a show browband, an old bridle, a cotton summer sheet etc. Also I lost my Heather Moffett gel pad, and loads of my feed was going walkies in the winter (getting through five bags a week when normally use three). Well, nothing has gone missing (or I haven't noticed anything missing) for a few months now. Then another livery came up to me on Saturday and said one of her HW turnout rugs had disappeared. Another livery who left last year also said that some of their rugs/tack had gone missing.

The thing is now there is only four of us on the yard; one lady has one small pony and definately would not take anything, another lady really just hacks out, and I don't think she would take anything, I certainly haven't taken anything, which leaves the fourth woman, who is the one whose HW TO has gone missing, and she would be nuts to steal from herself, lol! I spoke to YO a while ago about my missing items, and food, and she said she didn't think anyone would steal at the yard, which until then I would have agreed. (BTW YO would definately not do any of this either).

Some liveries have left in the last few months, and girl missing TO rug is not sure when it went missing, but I wouldn't have thought that the liveries that left would have stolen anything either.

It's a complete mystery, and I am getting quite worried. The tack room is tiny and I can't fit all my stuff in there to lock away, and I have no room at home either. I have one big lockable box, and my best boots, tack etc are in there, but my rugs etc are very stealable. Short of taking them all home (impracticle) I can't keep them in a safe place. Does anyone have any ideas as I am getting really worried about this now - I can't afford to keep replacing tack and feeding other people's horses.
 
can you buy lockable feed bins? you know, like dustbins with handles that can be chained over the lid?

I would be leaving a few nasty notes where only people up to no good would see them.

Can you store things you don't use often at home and lock away the stuff you regularly use at the yard?
 
Don't know what you can do and its a horrible thought to think you may have a thief amongst you...I hate being suspicious of people and like to think most people are reasonable and like minded. I am quite aware that this isn't the case but like to start out like this till I have proof to the contrary!
Just a thought but we put some of our rugs in old filing cabinets (not to prevent thieving but to be mouse proof). Most of them come with locks and we have got them from friends as quite regularly someones office seems to be chucking out gear. Might help keep things safe for you till you have some indication where the problem is.
 
Is there room there for a trunk like the B&Q ones in addition to your box? I have one that I keep my clean rugs in and they're locked away. It's weatherproof as wel!
 
Ingatestone saddlery do feedbins with locks on, other places mustsell them too. I write my name on and in everything, not sure about bridles etc, i would always take my tack home, bit of a hassle but tack rooms can get broke into to. Can you not fit a small locker in your area of tack room?
 
Do you have a horsebox parked at the yard? Lots of people at the yard I'm in lock their stuff in their horseboxes since things have a tendency to disappear there too.
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You may think about getting a second tack box for your extra stuff. I got a wooden storage box from Argos, varnished it and put a bolt on it for €35. It has room for all my bits and bobs, (grooming stuff, hat, boots etc) so maybe that's an option for some piece of mind.
 
Big notice in tack room about things going missing.

But the best deterrent is to only keep what is absolutely necessary at the yard. Take your tack home. Only have rugs you are using etc. So essentially the basic minimum.
 
i used to use wheelie bins as they have hole through for padlock! if its not someone on your yard is is a friend of one of the livery's? or someone just walking on from down road occasionally?

why not have a meeting about it and see who has all had stuff taken, warning thought girl at my old old yard in Scotland said she had several bits taken as a lure because she was the one taking things
 
My OH owns an engineering company and is going to make some steel feedbins with locks for this winter.

I have an old plastic trunk for rugs that needs cleaning out, and I think I will put everyday boots, numnahs, grooming kit etc in there and find a way to lock it up.

I might just paint my TO rugs thanks for that suggestion
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At least then it will deter whoever it is from taking a liking to them.
 
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why not have a meeting about it and see who has all had stuff taken, warning thought girl at my old old yard in Scotland said she had several bits taken as a lure because she was the one taking things

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TBH I can't imagine anyone on the yard at the moment taking things. The one person I *might* be suspicious of (and am almost certain took some of my feed last year as they were tight for money) has had stuff go missing too. Now you say that I am starting to wonder again. It's so horrible when you can't trust people.
 
.....not to be suspissious (sp) but are you sure the people that have had stuff go missing too are not the culprits and are saying they're missing stuff so you dont think that it is them?
 
I know that the person whose TO rug went missing was definately helping herself to my feed over the winter, as my OH caught her in my feed bins. She told him she was just having a look at what I was feeding out of interest (all my feed plans are written on a board on the wall). I never told YO as she sees good in everyone and probably wouldn't have believed me. Also this livery is a bit of a creep and would have somehow turned something back on me. Oh well, I guess I'll have to commence operation lock-up. Isn't it sad when you can't trust people on such a small yard
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What a shame, it's horrible to be in a situation like that. I had a similar problem when I had my first pony, so I bought lockable boxes with combination locks. Imagine my surprise when I discovered one of my 'friends' had the combination written on a piece of paper in her own tack box.
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In other words, make sure you use padlocks with a key!

At least if you get everything secured then you can relax, and hopefully that will make for a better atmosphere.
 
I would pay very close attention to how and when you leave things. My feed seemed to be going down quickly at a different yard I was at a while ago and so every time I left it, I would leave my scoop/ bin lid in a different position, but I would pay very close attention to the way I'd left it (ie face up or down, which way the handle was pointing etc, which way round the writing on the bin lid was).

When I knew the person I suspected was up there alone, I would pop up after she had gone, but before anybody else had gone there and more often than not things were different. (I felt very Jessica Fletcher
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) Take photos of how you left it and how you found it if necessary, with the date and time thing turned on.

It helped work out who was doing it. Unfortunately this person was very friendly with the YO and I knew I couldn't do much about it so I arranged somewhere else to go and told the YO when I left. The really annoying thing was all her horses were natives who didn't need any food, if they were skinny and starving and she was doing it for their benefit as she was deperate, I wouldn't have minded so much.
 
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