I know if it was my horse, I'd sure appreciate to get it back. If you had any expenses during the time of keeping this horse, I'd hope the owner would at least help reimburse you for any reasonable expense.  

We had a young dog once that got lost for about three - four weeks before the people that found him noticed our lost ad posted on a board.  They had given him shots, wormed him, treated him for ticks & fleas and feed him.  They fell in love with this dog and he was even sleeping with them in their bed.  It ended up being a couple I knew personally that lived two miles down the road and they said if they hadn't known me, they wouldn't have given him back.  We really appreciated all the good care they had given the dog since it sounded like he was in bad shape when they found him.  We asked them what they thought it cost them while they had the dog and reimbursed them.  I eventually helped them find another lab dog to adopt since I felt bad taking the dog home with me. 

So what is the outcome?

Hello,

Thanks to everyone for all your comments and suggestions.  I've been in contact with the original owner several times and we are currently negotiating a price for me to purchase the papers.  I'm hoping that we can come to an agreement that will benefit us both.  I've tried really hard to handle this with the golden rule in mind.  I would hate for something like this to happen to me.

Thanks!

I'm glad everything is working out for both of you.  You said in the first message "people are going to jail."  You might have to testify in court if they have the person(s) who sold you the horse to begin with.  That would be justice for both of you if he served jail time.  Hopefully you might be able to get your money back.   

Wow that poor owner, I can't begin to imagine the anguish she has been under for 5 months.  I also would not even consider asking the owner to pay if their horse was indeed the stolen one.  You enjoyed the horse for those months obviously, and she did not ask you to care for it.  So I would think it would be very rude to even suggest they pay!  That is like rubbing salt into a wound. 

I am glad you took great care of the horse and I am sure they truly appreciate it.  I would also agree, to chalk it up as a learned experience.  Always buy from reputible people, not dealers, and also get a written receipt/bill of sale. 

I hope if you did ask her to pay for the horses care that you have since called back and apologized!!!!!  Good luck and hope everything works out.  Just be at peace knowing that you were at least an Angel protecting that horse and caring for it.  Good deeds do not go unrewarded, I truly believe that.  

With all due respect, I don't agree with mrs.  Although it is within the owner's rights to NOT pay you anything, most people would be glad to pay for the care of their stolen horse.  After all, they are getting it back and they have not been paying towards it for the last five months.  I have seen this with dogs and most people upon finding their lost dog after a few months reimburse the findee the cost of shots and food.  As far as buying from "reputable" people, frankly, how can you know sometimes?  I bought my horse from a woman who bought it from a dealer who bought it from a farm...at least that is what she told me. Honestly, if the horse had been stolen to begin with I would not have had any way of knowing, as he is a grade horse.  

Well call me a cynic......but I am real curious about this whole deal.  It almost sounds like a scam of some sort.  If there are DNA test results on the papers, I would want to have the horse tested to make bloody sure the papers actually belong to that horse. 

It is very odd how that horse came to be stolen then sold, sold and sold yet again and the alledged true owner managed to telephone the person now in possession of the allegedly stolen horse.  Around here, it would be a deputy sheriff who would show up on your barn door step and ask about the horse.

Anyway, it just seems so totally odd to me that anyone would steal a horse to sell it since the horse market is so depressed and zillions of horses can be obtained for little or no cost.  See the Craigs List thread for example.

Hope everything works out and the poor horse has a permanent home now.

What a minute!!!

The former owner is willing to SELL YOU THE HORSE???

Rose is right...you need to determine exactly what is going on here...

Something is starting to smell...

Have you seen the police reports and talked to the sheriff about this?  If they are willing to sell the papers I'd be doubly sure to have the DNA checked to be sure those papers belong to this horse.  I don't know about where you live, but when I took in my old mare the sheriffs dpt told me if anyone tried to claim her they were responsible for paying for feed and care, up to $10 a day.  It may be different in your case since they are saying she was stolen, but I would definately check.

If they were so desperate to find the horse that they found and contacted you I don't see why they are willing to sell the papers instead of taking the horse back.   If they DO come to get it make sure and tell them to bring the sheriff with them with copies of all the reports so you know it's legal.

I don't think it is fishy.  The horse has been gone for 5 months.  In that time their situation could have changed, as well as purchased another horse in the meantime to replace the horse if they do showing, trail riding, or have a working farm. 

I agree a DNA test IS in order, but I would not even consider asking them to pay since they are alleging the horse was stolen. 

As for getting your contact information, there is the wonderful "word of mouth".  Folks who have horses tend to talk to other horse owners, and that may be how they were able to track down their horse.    If someone stole my horse I sure as heck would be using every avenue I had to find my horse.  So I don't think it is "fishy" at all in either situation.

Mrs The op only has the word of the alleged owner that the horse has been gone for 5 months. I would want to see a police report of the theft dated 5 mths ago before I would believe it. And I don't believe it. That horse was not stolen. This is a scam. A deputy would have been out to recover the horse......not a phone call from an alleged owner. Mrs You may wish to think the best of people who claim to be horse people; but not all people who claim to be horse people really are.

And if a Deputy recovered the allegedly stolen horse there would not be a question of paying for board etc.  Now the alleged owner has telephoned several times negotiating about the papers instead coming to get this horse.

And you really believe this is not a scam?

Since I work for the Sheriffs Dept, I think I know what the process is.  Each dept handles things differently.  If the horse is the alleged stolen horse the owner would have the right to contact the person.  We don't automatically go and recover stolen property until it has been substantiated by physical proof.  Such as DNA test, photographs of the animal, tattoo's, witnesses, etc.  Some folks will circumvent the police procedures and go do things on their own.  Who says the police have been notified.  The party involved could be ecstatic that she found the horse on her own, as well as the horse may be in another departments jurisdiction.  Maybe she got antsy and didn't want to wait for the red tape that is involved in recovering the horse.  Recovering a stolen horse is different from recovering a stolen car.  You can't just go in and pick it back up. 

Maybe I am not the typical law enforcement officer that is jaded.  I try to find positives in a situation.  Am I naive? I don't think so, I do go with my guard up, but I am not about to jump to a conclusion because law enforcement hasn't come knocking on the door. 

As traumatic as it may be to the owner, many depts are understaffed and have to handle the higher priorities first, such as murders, meth labs, Dui's, domestic disputes, assaults, etc. 

I suggest the original poster contact the law enforcement in the area the alleged stolen horse comes from.  As well as contact Debbie Metcalfe from Stolen Horse International.  I am sure she would be of greater assistance in this matter since she deals with this situation frequently.

We don't automatically go and recover stolen property until it has been substantiated by physical proof

And no one will have that positive proof until the police show up with the documents/pictures to verify that it is the correct animal.  I would not release the horse until the police show up and can show WHY they believe the horse that is missing is the one I had.

Most of my family has been in law enforcement and when I brought my mare home they all told me that if someone shows up and tries to claim her NOT to turn her over (give up posession and you could loose your claim) until the people show up with the sheriff/police and they can present positive proof of ownership.  Jurisdiction really doesn't matter in this case since all the 'owners' local pd would have to do is call your local pd and fax over the information/reports and accompany the owner during the recovery.   Recoveries like this happen at pawn shops all the time.    

Come to think of it, we haven't heard from the OP in a while ......  now that has me thinking...lol..  To be honest the whole story was a bit questionable, but as one has said of me, I try to see the good in everyone first.  But after reading the OP's posts it does seem strange.  She says arrests are going to be made...yet the police weren't the ones who notified her, but she KNEW arrests were being made.  Too many holes in the story now that I go over it. 

I hate to think this, but could the OP just fabricating a story to get the board going?  After reading it again, it doesn't make sense.

Lots of discussion.

Agree Verify the horse was reported stolen 5 months ago. Contact the police deptmartment that the theft was first reported to, if they haven't contacted you.

By nice to the previous owner of the stolen horse. Do not accuse them of a scam, especially if you want to purchase the horse legally. Otherwise, they have the right to come and get the horse and not pay you any money for the horse's care. Except, perhaps, there could be some recourse to collect money for board and care from the date you were contacted about having bought stolen property. They can't drag their feet to collect the horse if that is what they want and not expect from this point to reimburse you for care. Care previous to that is not their responsibility as they had no knowledge of where their horse was.

That said, if there is a DNA profile on the horse, definitely have a DNA test done properly to verify. As it is a criminal case, the DNA will have to be collected in a specific manner as to protect both sides of the case. After all, you may be concerned that the people are selling you papers on a horse that is not the one you have. They too would have cause to worry that you might collect the DNA from another horse to try to keep their horse illegally. If I was in their shoes and you said you'd done a DNA test and it didn't match their horse, I'd want a second test done at a Vet clinic with both parties present.

As for the person now being willing to sell the horse. That is not uncommon, though certainly not the rule. If the horse had been bought as a resale project or has been replaced interim. Or as someone else mentioned, financial issues may have occurred since then as well. Also, having gotten to know you, they may be rest assured the horses has found a good home and may find it better to leave said horse with you. And since they had money involved in the horse prior to the theft, it is understanding that they would want some money in the sale of the horse. As for me, I'd have high tailed it with the police in tow and got my missing ponee ASAP.

All in all, it sucks for all those involved, I would be less then thrilled to be thrown into your shoes on this issue, but life is like that sometimes. If nothing else, now you know who the horse is and will have his papers, should negotiations work out. Good luck.

Hi,

For whoever said the OP might be fabricating this story.  I only wish that were true, but this is real and I've already updated the post once.  You just can't make this stuff up.

NOw the plot thickens.  In the beginning, things were very civil.  The lady called.  She was frantically trying to find her horse to ensure the horse was in safe hands.  Of course, I was shocked and believed every word she said.  I want to believe her, but things are not turning out well.  She pointed me to a national stolen horse website and there is a picture of a horse that looks like mine and the details of my purchase of the horse is correct, however it remains to be seen if the horse was indeed stolen from her.  As I said, the lady was very upset and I treated her how I would hope someone would treat me if I were in the same situation.  I offered (hoping to make everyone feel better about the situation) to pay for the papers.  Remember, in the beginning all she wanted was to ensure the horse was safe and she had no intention of recovering the horse.  Now several discussions later she is asking an enormous amount for the papers.  We're not talking about a $30,000 Apendix QH...were talking about a regular trail broke quarter horse with no professional training except for what I have done with him over the last 5 months.  I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.  I want to be nice, but I don't want to be taken advantage of either. 

I told her as nicely as I could, if she did planned on recovering the horse, then she needed to show up with the police with her and show some proof that the horse was stolen from her.  I have talked to my county police department and they advised me to call them if she shows up to take the horse.  That the proof of ownership must be more than the papers.  From the discussions with the alleged owner, the horse has not chip and there is not a brand. 

That's my update.      

I told her as nicely as I could, if she did planned on recovering the horse, then she needed to show up with the police with her and show some proof that the horse was stolen from her.  I have talked to my county police department and they advised me to call them if she shows up to take the horse.  That the proof of ownership must be more than the papers.  From the discussions with the alleged owner, the horse has not chip and there is not a brand.

That was an extremely smart thing to do.  Make sure that if she shows up or continues to contact you to let your PD know.  And don't be afraid to call 911 if she shows up.  If she starts getting 'agressive' you can file a complaint with your PD. 

She pointed me to a national stolen horse website and there is a picture of a horse that looks like mine and the details of my purchase of the horse is correct, however it remains to be seen if the horse was indeed stolen from her.

Try to enlarge the picture of the horse on the web site and see if any markings match up.  Does the contact info on that site match up with the contact info you have from the person that contacted you?   Everyone has access to that information and if someone saw a horse that looks like the picture they are perfectly capable of copying the name and number of the owners and try to claim that the horse you bought is the one in the picture weither it is or not.  How would she know the purchase details?   Did they catch the theif and track down all 3 people that bought her before you?  And since you got no reciept there was no record, how did she find out that YOU bought the mare.