Do you have an electric fence or hot wire running along the top that has to be turned off at a location away from the gate/fence itself? Ours would be easy to get to because the charger is solar,and it is right by the gate.But people might be a little more leary about an electric fence w/ AC current that they aren't able to turn off themselves.I have electric fence signs along my fence,too.Most folks don't know the difference,horse thieves might,but it makes people nervous when they see "electric fence caution" signs.Or,it does me,and will if they've ever been bit by one.

Also,a lot of insurance companies will provide signs that state rewards leading to convictions for theft,ect.I know this really doesn't answer your question about what you use to lock  up your horses with.Seems to me like anything such as a padlock is no good,really,they can cut the chain,or cut the fence.So I can't help out there.I just mentioned some possible deterrents.

"A couple of counties over someone had a yearling stolen out of a pasture.  What do you do to secure your horses? I had an interesting thing 2 sundays ago.  Someone stopped out front of our house taking pictures of the horses in the pasture.  I personally didn't care for that. I did walk out and talk to them.  Didn't seem to mean any harm I just don't trust folks. This last Sunday noticed a truck and empty horse trailer driving around in my area and in front of my house. I had never seen this truck and trailer before. I hate a theif!!!!!!"

The taking of pictures was your first tip-off they were looking to steal.  If you can remember the make/model/color of the truck and trailer you saw skulking around, I would:

1.  File a police report so it's on record.

2.  Notify SSI (Stolen Horse International) at http://www.netposse.com/

This is nothing to be ho-hum about.  They were taking pictures, to show them to prospective clients under the guise of the horse being for sale.  If the prospect likes the horse, then back comes the truck and trailer and the horse goes missing.  Just go to the Netposse web site and you can read all about that tactic and others.

My horses are situated in such a  way that they aren't easily seen from the road, I have woven wire all the way around, if the neighbors are home, they will shoot first and ask questions later, I have 5/8" chain and lock on the driveway gate and I keep an intercom on in the barn when the horses come in at night.

They are NEVER shut in when I'm not home.

They are all AVID microchipped and I have a sign on my driveway gate and barn door that says so.

I want to also get them freeze-branded, but I haven't had any luck finding a "nationally accepted" method, where the brand would be recognized in all 50 states.  Which is what is needed - a nationwide company that keeps a log of all freeze brands.

Now all this boogie-boogie stuff that I have done to protect my crew was done NOT because they are worth tons of money, it was done because they are nice looking, well-mannered back yard pleasure/trail horses.  Just the type of horse some no-account is looking to steal.  They don't go after the big money horses, the slimeballs prefer to steal family pets and children's ponies.

And sadly my one older horse is EMS.  Even though he looks the picture of health, he would not last long in the wrong hands.

Hope this helps.

That same sinario is what made me move my horses to NM before we had planned to.  My neighbour noticed someone looking at them and then the next day saw a trailer parked near my pasture.  He opened the gate between his field and mine and herded my horses onto his land and called me.  He kept them in his barn until I got there.

That is one of the main reasons we bought the property we have now.  Its only 2 1/2 acres, but it has a 6ft cinder block wall around the whole property with security lights and a big iron gate and the horses are not visible unless you look over the wall.   Who ever built this place was extremely parionoid.  It is wired for security cameras but they took the cameras with them.

Spooler

If you see something like that again, go out with your camera and start photographing them and their rig.  If you can manage a shotgun under your arm at the same time, all the better.  Personally, I would call the Sheriffs Dept if I saw someone doing that around my place.  At the very least, it is an invasion of privacy.

Dogs are really the best deterrent;  we have 2 great pyrenees (sp?) a lab, a heeler mix, a beagle and a fiest.  The fiest believes in biting first and asking questions later.

Oh, it also helps to have a little reputation as a gun toting nut. hee, hee

Well, I will file a police report in the morning.  I do not keep any halters on my horses at all.  I use a rope halter when needed. By the way, I am a nut when pissed.  Gun is optional but available.

I will also talk to the neighbors in the morning.  I have some retired folks right across my pasture.

I agree with the dogs, loud barking dogs are the finest sercurity system in the world.  I'd take photos of them too, a great idea.  I'm lucky in that my barn and pastures are hidden from the road.  I have an alarm on the barn entry gate, you can't get in without it being noted.  You can do something similar and have a camera wired to this so it trips and starts filming or snaps a photo...hunters use this all the time to photo game.

I've been told you should chain your gates at both ends, cattle theives have been known to take a gate off it's hinges(that's why you put the gate hinges facing each other.)  But really if they want your animals they are going to get them, point blank...they'll just cut the fence open if the gate is chained shut.

Since you must drive past my barn to get to the pastures I also leave a radio on so it sounds like someone is out working.

I feel like I'm at a disadvantage after reading about some of the ways others horses are "hid out" on their place.

My house sits at the corner of a crossroads.My pasture is part of my yard,and a huge deep ditch runs along one of the roads between it and my pasture.The front pasture has one horse in it,and it is on the other road.

That would be the easiest target.The others,they would have to pull up in the driveway unless: they tried to load them out in the road,then,they'd have to get them out of the pasture and lead them through the yard past the driveway.

I suppose it helps that my garage door is down most of the time.

Any suggestions? A dog isn't tenable for us,as we've had 2 and something always happens to them.Coyotes,or,they stay at the neighbors house with THEIR dogs.

Crowleysridgegirl

check in with your humane society/pound.....if you can get a pyrenees or pyrenees mix, you should not have any trouble keeping it...they instinctively know their area and their charges.  I was amazed at the g.p.s abilities.  Both of ours were given to us because they could not stay where they were, so you may get lucky if you ask for one.  Both of ours were grown, 3 to 4 years old, when we got them.

Well, the wife and I have put things together since Sunday.

Sunday afternoon I had the horses in the pasture.  I put them up early due to a thunderstorm in the area.  I rope haltered all of them and put them up.  No problem, all horses came up to me.  Sunday night Monday morning my Blue Heeler (Bay) ran off the carport raising cain at 4:30 in the morning per my Wife.  She woke up but did not get me up.  Monday morning fed the horses and noticed I could not pet the neck of one of my horses as I always do after I feed them.  I couldn't put my hands on one of them on the end paddock and stall.  Told the wife Tuesday at lunch about it.  That is when she told me about the dog barking.  Today I was going to pick, brush, and bug spray the one horse that's demener had changed.  I tried to put rope halter lead rope on him, He threw his head back, rared up.  I tried touching all over him,  He is not himself at all. Dosen't want me to touch him at all. They tried to steal this horse not doubt. Horses don't change like that for no reason. Since I don't use halters I would think they tried to rope him or trick him in some sort to put him on a lead rope. His is a big fella all 16 hands worth. At this time he is unhandleable. I am glad I still have him but it will take me a while if I ever can get him back right. This sucks..... I did file a police report this morning.

I hope they come back, I have some bullets I want to share with them!!!!

Spooler

Talk to your vet, your horse may have some ptsd and medicine could help.  See the posts on resperidene (sp?) and other meds on the horse forum.  Also, if the creeps hurt his neck, he may be sore,  can you get some banamine or bute into him?

Most horses I have had like classical music...soft and calming.  Bless his heart.  Please tell him I am so proud of him for fighting off his would be kidnappers.

spooler, now that the chills are gone and the hair has come back down on my neck, let me say how sorry I am your horse has been so badly traumatized but conversely how happy I am that he is still in your pasture.

Glad you filed the police report.  I would also send an e-mail to Debbie Metcalfe at http://www.netposse.com/

Believe me when I say she wants to know these things and especially if you have reliable information on the truck and trailer and the picture-taking vehicle that were lurking in your area.

Debbie started Stolen Horse International, a/k/a netposse.com, after her horse Idaho had been stolen.  It was either 51 weeks or 53 weeks after Idaho was stolen that Debbie got her back. 

Debbie vowed to help others and her network of folks across this United States is absolutely amazing.  There are a lot of horses recovered thanks to netposse.com that otherwise would not have been.

Thankfully you don't have need for her services, but please give her the details because you never know how it might help catch the slime balls somewhere down the road. 

Sadly, Debbie will probably pay a lot more attention to your report than the police will.  Most local law enforcements don't seem too enthusiastic about horse theft

Neighbors about 1/2 miles up the road have about 3 of them.They make their rounds,every night.

Pyrenees,that is.Not thieves.

That is a good idea.  The wife dosen't like my Blue Heeler so that may be some fast talking....

Do your horse a favor and don't drug him.  If you dope him up and they come back he'll be easy prey.

Sounds like motion detecting lights and maybe a dog barking on tape are in order.

I bet he did give'em H E Double Hocky Sticks. It took me 6 months to win his trust. He was slow giving it up. His neck seems to be fine. Can't touch him anywhere near the top of his pole. Nose, jaw, neck is all fine. He put his nose in the rope halter as usual.  Went to reach over his pole to tie it on the other side and that is when he lost it. If he gets wound up it takes a while to calm him down. Can't see any physical marks on his head near his ears. I'll work with him. At least I still have him.

His stall and paddock is near a power pole security light (imagine that). I smoked a cig. Sunday night at 12:30 before I went to bed.  He was layed down sleeping in the front of his paddock while his buddy next to him was watching. Seen him do it many times. I don't believe in drugging a horse unless he has a medical problem.

Sorry, I didn't mean to say just give him drugs....was trying to offer helpful suggestions....Thought maybe the would be kidnappers might have hurt him.

"There is a foundation quarter horse farm 2 miles down the road. Why did they notice me?"

1.  You're the back yard person --- less liklihood of having some sort of wahzoo camera security and/or other alarm systems.

2.  Your horse is "lit up".  Makes him a delectable target because "lit up" horses are all the rage these days.

I had a grandson of The Pusher C.G. that I lost to a freak pasture accident right before he turned 4 years old.  He was exactly like you describe Slick.

He slipped on our "golf course" pasture in the rain and shattered every bone in his leg between his fetlock and his knee.  That was about two weeks after Barbaro's accident.  Broke, broke, broke my heart.

I can sense how much Slick means to you.  Please consider micro-chipping him, tatooing his lip, getting him freeze-branded with something that at least has Regional recognition.  Were I in your circumstance, me thinks I would take the paranoid route and get them all done if possible.

Here is the article on the stolen horse from a county next to me.

http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/4505/

OK, since he was sleeping on the ground in his paddock...could he have been startled by anything(not just horse thieves) and smacked his pole on the paddock fence or barn making him sore and leery?

It was not possible where he was sleeping at 12:00. But as you know he probably only laid down for only 30 to 40 min. before he got up to become the sentery for the other horse.  Possible, I don't know.  I did let him out in the pasture yesterday afternoon and put him up right before dusk when the bugs came out.  I was able to get the rope halter on him with a little bit of a struggle.  I was able to do pressure and release on top of his head.  He gave me a fit at first but got better. I will have to desensitize his pole some more.  If was able to feel on top of his head behind his ears.  It may have been  somewhat swollen.  Couldn't tell for sure. 

Yeap, definitely thinking about a great pyrenese puppy. Got it smoozed over with the wife last night.

My mastiffs do the same.  I am starting to think that they think the horses are part of their "pack".  I missed a great picture this morning.  The pups were laying with my 4month old filly.  All three stretched out together with momma and "granny" watching over them. 

GOOD NEWS,

I worked with the horse again today and gained enough trust for him to lower his pole so I could look in his ears.  In his right ear he has a big ole TICK!!!!! I was able to touch the base of his right ear and all of his left.  Gave him some bute but he was still very ansy about that right ear.  The rope halter would pass right by that ear hence the problem.  So now that I have the problem figured out I just slide the rope around his neck farther back with no troubles at all.  Off to the Vet tomorrow to get an ACE shot so I can remove the tick and search to make sure he hasn't got any more. He did really good today considering it probably hurts like heck. Proud of the big feller.  The picture taking and all hopefully was just that.  We are still thinking real hard about freeze branding. Next step is looking into registering the brand.

We have a registered brand, the horses and mules are freeze branded and microchipped, we have an aussie and heeler, and locally are considered to be gun-totin huntin shootin folks.  Altho I wonder if often the stealing takes place as targets of opportunity by strangers, who don't know that trespassers will be shot, and survivors will be shot again.

If an opportuntiy presents itself, the theives will take advantage...heck I know from working in retail that many normally "honest" people will be thieves if they get the chance(ie.."the clerk didn't see the bag of dog food in the bottom of the basket, therefore it's free" syndrome).  It's all about keeping the opportunity to a minimum, definetely.