HORSE THEFT AWARENESS
AND PREVENTION
uick action and persistent
legwork are crucial to re-
covering a stolen horse.
The actions you take in the first 24
hours after a horse is stolen can
mean the difference between re-
covery and loss. Longtime persis-
tence can also pay off, as horses
have been reunited with their own-
ers even years after the theft.
To improve your chances of
recovering a stolen horse, act
quickly to report and spread the
word about the theft.
What to Do
if Your Horse
is Stolen
L-5244
2-99
Amelita F. Donald,
Pete G. Gibbs and
Vanessa Mason*
*Extension Horse Theft Advisory Com-
mittee member; Professor and Exten-
sion Horse Specialist; Extension Assis-
tant-A nimal Science/4H; The Texas
A&M University System.
Start recovery efforts by reporting the theft to the law enforcement
agency with primary jurisdiction in your area.
Q
Report the theft
Begin recovery efforts by re-
porting the theft to the law en-
forcement agency with primary
jurisdiction in your area. Be sure
to obtain a case number and a
copy of the incident report, and
keep original copies of all police
and/or sheriff reports. You may
have to prove that the horse was
stolen.
Important papers need to be
gathered to help identify the horse
and prove ownership:
Receipt of purchase, bill of
sale and/or canceled check;
Breed registration papers il-
lustrating brands, marks and
scars;
Brand and other identification
certificates;
Health certificate, Coggins
test and veterinarian receipts;
and
At least four good color pho-
tographs of the horse, show-
ing brand, marks and scars.
Photos should include both
sides, front and rear views.
These should be updated
yearly to include the horse’s
summer and winter appear-
ance.
Although you may be able to
report the crime to more than one
agency, only one set of statistics
on each crime reported is sent to
the National Crime Information
Center. Reports to other agencies
are supplemental, but consider
following up with any agencies
whose jurisdictions may overlap.
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