horse theft

[upstatesc]

Have others out there been the victims of horse theft? I understand this is becoming fairly common but I am just not sure what the gain is for those who are stealing the horses.

[lovethemountains]

Never had the honor of being a horse owner so I have never experienced this type of travesty. But I would assume that people steal horses for the same reason that they do so many other things and that is to make money. I guess some are also looking to breed them especially if the horses have an excellent pedigree and then others would be willing to pay the big bucks for the offspring.

[dsteve]

I would definitely think that it would be the lure of the money which may come from selling the horses. But is there any way for a buyer to recognize that a horse has been stolen and that this indeed may not be a fair deal?

[frankie]

It would be great to be able to do a "carfax" on a horse when you do buy it like cars!

If a horse is unbranded or not registered then you are buying it in good faith as there is no real way to prove ownership.

There are many stories of people buying stolen horses which I would think would be heartbreaking, you pay good money, get attatched to your new best friend only to find that he was snatched from someone else. Its never happened to me and I hope it never does.

[maggie]

If your horse is registered with pictures it can be easier to track down thiefs. Also some are tatooing for security purposes. I agree with the previous person, it is all about money...

[patdarb]

Been going on for thousands of years. One of the worst crimes committed pre-autos. It's all about money. No thought what so ever about someone's love and attachment. If that was the case, children would'nt be snatched away either. It is so sad!

[cathmarmar]

I guess there's a beauty in just having a plain horse that wouldn't command a huge price. We love our horse, but I hope she would never be the target of this. It is so sad!

[miriameme]

Do vets have the same type of subcutaneous chips that some dog owners use? I've never read about it for horses. I know these are just for i.d. , not a horse LoJack, but it makes like a good plan to me.