They Still Hang Horse Thieves...Right?

UPDATE: 1/14/2020: Horse owners are being vigilante! Please visit Florida Horse Watch Group and Keeping Florida Horses Safe on Facebook for updates. Because there are so many reports, I am no longer going to try and post about every single one, therefore, I highly suggest following these two groups to stay informed. I suggest printing out the flier on the Florida Horse Watch Group page (go to files) and ask local stores to post in their windows. Also, talk to your UPS/Fed Ex driver, mail delivery person, neighbors, etc and tell them what is going on and to be on the look out for anything out of the ordinary.
UPDATE: 1/6/2020: Zephyrhills: barn owner reports dog was beaten and 2 horses had rope burns. Breaker box was turned off, lead ropes trampled in stalls, barn in disarray. Three sets of boot prints, one female and 2 male. Sheriffs office notified.
UPDATE: On New Years Eve, a woman scared off possible horse thieves from a barn near I-10 in Glen/Macglenny. West of Jacksonville. Police were called but suspects escaped.
UPDATE 12/23/19 2:19PM: My barn owner observed and videotaped a blue Camry driving slowly along Leslye Lane in Eustis, off of 44A. This car was pulling into driveways. They sped off when they saw they were being videotaped. Windows are heavily tinted. Pictures below.
UPDATE 12/23/19:
Horse owners are reporting that they are seeing suspicious activity, from Plant City, Geneva, Sorrento Brooksville and Lakeland. A common denominator is that the person, who is usually Hispanic or Middle Eastern (and one woman, see photo below) comes to the property under the pretense of wanting information about riding your horse (not necessarily taking lessons but wanting to ride) and taking photos "of the pretty horses." Several have reported seeing a light blue Toyota Camry. This was seen in Geneva and in Sorrento. Also, see photos below about possible suspects in Plant City.

Stealing horses out of their stalls and pastures, butchered and remains left behind for the owner to find. This is sadly, a common occurrence in South Florida. Several monsters were caught and sentenced to jail terms, but sadly it is a larger situation than just 2 individuals. Because it was happening so often, Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) was founded to help combat the problem.
From time to time, a horse would be found butchered outside of Dade County. When Phedras De Blondel, a half million show jumper was discovered butchered at the Palmetto, Florida farm of Steve and Debbie Stephens, the news media took note. The warmblood had just been imported and had been at the farm only a few days, having been in quarantine. That was in October of 2015.
Fast forward to this past Thanksgiving. A chestnut gelding named Hot Rod was discovered missing from his pasture south of Ocala. His owner, Tammy Davis, found the butchered remains of Hot Rod close by.
Then, a horse was stolen and the remains found on December 2, just 2 miles from the Stephens farm in Palmetto. Surveillance video captured a person of interest, but even with over $10,000 in reward money being offered, there has been no arrest made as of yet.
Then on December 11, Jayda, a beloved family member, was found butchered near her pasture in Webster Florida.
In addition, several horses have been reported missing over the past few months, including a bay horse in Oxford, just south of Ocala. Not only that, but there was an attempt of a horse being stolen from the Florida Horse Park while being stabled for one of their horse shows. Police were called, but nobody has been arrested in that case either.
So what do we do to keep our horses safe?
Plenty.
First, the obvious. Install motion sensor lights and motion activated surveillance cameras. Get the kind of cameras that alert you to movement. If you have an alarm, use it! But don't install it near windows where anyone can see whether or not it is set.
Post signs! Thieves will typically keep going if they see signs warning of security cameras and/or dogs.
Thieves don't like noise. So get a goose or 2. A donkey is another deterrent. And of course, dogs.
If you have wire fencing, if possible, consider replacing it with wood fencing. Especially back pastures that have easy access to roads. Patrol your pastures daily. Look for fresh tire marks where there should not be any. Look for cut wires, trampled bushes and other signs of someone scoping out your property.
Plant thorny shrubs along your fence line and make the fence line as inaccessible as possible.
Get to know your neighbors! Look out for each other. Tell them that if they see anyone leading your horses or attempting to load, do not assume that it is alright. It's ok to be nosy!
Vary your routine. Thieves like orchestrated schedules. If you are gone, consider timers to turn on and off your lights and tv at different times. And if you are gone for an extended time, make sure your mail and papers are collected. Is it snowing? Ask a neighbor to make fresh tire tracks in your drive way.
Many thieves canvas farms by posing as potential boarders, students, etc. I would seriously consider asking to see their drivers license and take a photo of their car tag. Don't assume that women and even adults being accompanied by children are safe.
Treat your horse as if he is your child and follow the same safeguards on the internet. Don't reveal locations of your horse. Remove your address from websites and other social media pages. Don't reveal that you are leaving town on social media.
Lastly, be diligent. Don't be afraid to report anything suspicious. Don't take for granted that the person waving to you while loading your neighbor's horse is supposed to be there. Better to call the police and let them decide. And don't be afraid to ask your local police to step up their patrols.
Lets hope that arrests are made soon and this problem goes away. I am encouraged that these 3 cases in Central Florida have gotten the attention of the news media. But in the meantime, everyone needs to be proactive.

Missing from Oxford

Hot Rod. Murdered in South Ocala along CR 475A

Person of interest in Palmetto 

Jayda, murdered off Hwy. 471 in Webster

New details. Please keep sharing and alert your local law enforcement if you see anything that is a possible lead, no matter how small:

Seen in the Black Prong area, Ocala

Blue sedan, most likely Toyota Camry. Spotted just before noon 12/23/19 on Leslye Lane, off of 44A in Eustis.

Secret's Progress

I had this new horse....now what????
It was apparent to me that all my time with Tucker had spoiled me. I adopted him at the age of 6 months, and while he was wild and untouchable for the first 2 months, once I was able to halter break him, the rest of his life with me was pretty easy. He accepted everything with no questions. Now I was back to owning an OTTB...while very level headed, she was none the less, a very young Thoroughbred. What was I thinking??
I had resolved that I was not in any hurry to get on Secret, and that the plan was to bond and work with her on the ground. Because she had just turned 3 in April of 18 and was so big (and growing), I was in no hurry to push her mind or body. It had been many years since I had done ground work with a baby, so I decided to enlist the sister of our vet, Kirsten Nelsen, who had recently moved to the area and had impressed us all with a clinic we held at the barn.
Kirsten (www.kirstennelsen.com) specializes in bio-mechanics and balance of horse and rider. She has studied under Jean Luc Cornille, Dr. Gavin Skofield, Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and Pat Parelli.
She showed me how best to work Secret, who was very unbalanced, from the ground, utilizing both lunging and long lines. It was a little different from what I had learned to do, but fascinating and result driven (and no gadgets!)
The long, hot Florida summer was spent bonding and learning...both Secret and I learned much about each other and ground work. Summer finally gave way to fall and we continued the ground work, as well as long walks and trots alongside the golf cart. As time passed, I became more secure and less reactive if she reacted to something new (temper tantrums were usually on the lunge line, as she learned to balance herself.) We practiced walking over tarps and jumps, and I bought an assortment of toys from the Dollar Store which to torture her with...blow up pink flamingos, flappers and more, all of which she took in stride, probably wondering what the hell was I doing to her? Her sire's reputation of being brave and smart had obviously been extended to her.
There were comments from time to time from people, questioning why I had not yet mounted Secret. I made no apologies. I am in no hurry and that day would come. But in the meantime, I was enjoying the journey and learning so much!
So it is almost 2020 and where are we? Well, in some ways we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
After Tucker's death, a week later, I had decided it was time to sit on Secret. By all accounts, all the boxes were checked. She was working really well on the lunge and long lines, I had been putting my weight in the stirrups and leaning over her. But when I straddled her and picked up the reins....yeehaw, it was a bucking bronco rodeo. I think I stayed on 8 seconds...there is video proof, but I ended up managing a dismount, which would have gone fine, other than being sore ( I did have my eventing vest on as well as my Charles Owen helmet ) but on the way down, my calf connected with a flying hind hoof and I was struck. Painfully so. I laid on the ground, unable to move, as everyone who had gathered to watch the big event, made sure that I was alive and not paralyzed. I don't think I uttered the F-word more times than I did that afternoon lying there, waiting for the ambulance. I was transported to the ER where x-rays revealed no broken bones, but an MRI, 2 painful weeks later revealed a torn calf muscle. By the time I returned from the ER, Kirsten was riding Secret, who was pretty calm.
We determined that the box missed was her lack of acceptance of contact. I thought that had been long worked through. I was wrong.
A plan was developed and Kirsten would work Secret for the 2 months that I was laid up. Eventually, I could manage to lunge her and Kirsten rode. Secret came along very nicely with no more rodeo episodes.
I wish I could say the same for my brain. I was emotionally a wreck. It is one thing to fall off a horse that you know, and say that X caused it. But Secret was a blank slate. Could I trust her again? Would she result to bucking again if scared or stressed? I had questions and fears but no answers. Months went by and I finally resolved to get back on Secret, with Kirsten at her head. I was mortified that I was a nervous wreck and needed someone close by. But Secret was good and the following lesson I didn't need Kirsten at her head.
In June, I started a new full time job.
It was hotter than hades. My son was getting married in August. Days went by and I didn't ride. As we got closer to the wedding date, I realized I was making an unconscious decision to not ride...just in case...I didn't want to attend the wedding on crutches or with a black eye!
I continued ground work and Kirsten rode 1-2 times a week. We had balancing issues but we persevered and honestly, it turned out to be the best plan for Secret, as she really matured over the summer. She filled out, she grew both physically and mentally and she figured out her balance. Kirsten has these amazing bio-mechanics training tips and they did wonders.
In the fall, I got back on Secret and rode her. Even stayed calm when another horse took off in the adjoining field and Secret got tense.
But then the time changed. It was dark by the time I got to the barn. I would run into the barn, grab her and go lunge her for the 15 or so minutes of twilight that was left and then groom her. I realized this was not good for either of us.
So I made the difficult decision to move Secret to Kirsten's barn, up the road. Secret has only been there for 2 weeks, but it was the right decision. She has 12 hour turnout, which she really needed as her fitness level increased. Kirsten can work her during the week and I will work her on the weekends. It's a good move.
We list our house in February and will look for a farm, so she can come home. By then, I expect that she will be turning 5 in April as a wonderful event prospect, ready to start showing.
It has been a slow journey but well worth it. I look forward to what next year brings!

Secret blossomed over her summer as a 4 year old!

Our longest ride!

Lots of ground work!

Fearless!

My Queen!

Farewell, My Friend

It has been difficult to post this, but I felt that it was time.
Tucker crossed the rainbow bridge on January 2 of this year.
The EPSM was taking it's course on his body. He looked horrible...if it weren't for his fat belly, he could have been mistaken for a rescued starvation case. His hip bones protruded, you could count his ribs, and there was an ever increasing big dip just in front of his croup. Weird.
He had been very subdued during the month of December. He was off his feed a little and just not himself. I could see muscle tremors.
I had come to terms long ago that I would not let him suffer. There is no cure for EPSM. He would continue to worsen. I prefer to let an animal go with dignity. Better a day too early than a day too late. I have seen many horses who waited until it was a day too late and it has left me with emotional scarring. If it is in my power, I will never let one of my animals have to suffer because I was too selfish to let them go.
Tucker, you were definitely one of my best horses. I am sorry that health issues kept getting in the way. We had fun on cross country. You were a gently soul, you had a funny bone in you which amused everyone and you were certainly beautiful.
I hope that you are galloping pain free and that you, Imp, Pilgrim, Dolly and Teddy are all getting along and loving heaven.
"No heaven can heaven be, if my horse isn't there to welcome me."
Author Unknown