What Do Wednesday: Tack Theft

Staying with the tack theme, this week is slightly reminiscent and also relevant to current times.

So, story time. Apparently people like to steal my shit. I think I am cursed with a sign on my forehead that says “please, take all my shit, its not like I can afford replacements” and everything that I own that says, “please, take me!!!”, but I have gotten my tack and apparel stolen from me on the regular.

The first incident was a while ago. I don’t know if any of you remember this, but ALL my tack (yes all of it) was stolen out of my barn and horse trailer. This was about 6 years ago when I was home on summer break.

I know you’re thinking, ‘well, that was stupid, why didn’t you keep it locked up or something?’

You’re so right.

I was incredibly naïve, thinking we lived far enough away in the country that NO ONE would know I had thousands of dollars worth of tack hiding in my shitty run down barn and horse trailer, but god bless it someone did. What pissed me off more is that it HAD to have been a friend, because no one else would know a) where I live b) that my tack was worth that much and c)see my shitty barn and think, “I’m gonna ramsack that dump”.

Bunch o’ bitches!!

Once I got over my anger from that, I was more sad than anything. I had worked so hard to save money to buy nice things and ALL of it got taken from me in one night. I’m talking bridles, breastplates, saddles (THREE OF THEM) and girths. ALL. OF. IT.

I was devastated and rebuilding my collection was so slow. I “luckily” had one saddle leftover; because I NEVER used it (too small) it was stored in the garage and missed the thievery.

a 16 inch saddle does not fit this 18 inch ass

 I used that jump saddle (Crosby) for literal years, and just replaced it this year with a properly fitting saddle. It actually was my favorite, but never fit me past age 12. Along the way I also acquired a Burney Bro’s saddle that I adored; I purchased this because the Crosby fit neither Yankee, nor myself. It was also very cheap (in the, I-paid-600-dollars-for-this-dead-cow cheap), did not fit me and bought from an ex-boyfriend (LOL) so I got a good deal.  Anyone who rides in it loves it, and it is awesome, just too small for me. 

Le Burney Bros

Still did not fit me

However, did not fit B at all, wheras the Crosby did…but that saddle fit me even less than the 17in Burney. NOTHING FITS ME, its a curse. Enter the ETT steal, a 18.5 Marcel Toulouse I got for less than half the retail price this January. WIN.

Backing up.

Then, there was replacing my Isabelle Werth dressage saddle that got stolen—my love. God, I was heartbroken. Luckily, I found a County saddle on Ebay that fit the bill and it was like Christmas getting it in the mail. I never had the luxury of testing and trying saddles or spending thousands on a nice saddle, so I always just crossed my fingers and hoped the second hand things I found would work. THANKFULLY it fit the horse, because this was small fortune for me in college (still is).

the only unmounted pic I could find of it

Along the way I also acquired several very nice bridles and breastplates through gifts, tack scrounging and mostly recently, ETT. Girths are easy to come by too.

However, through all these years since the first incident, I have lived absolutely paranoid my shit will get stolen again. I literally never let saddles leave my sight at shows, and used to always take them home from the barn in MO, until my house was robbed (HAHAHA YES THIS HAPPENED, what is my life). Luckily, the thieves did not recognize the worth of my tack and left it, but took all the electronics and whatnot. Whatever. I will never have nice things again.

I also never thought that someone would steal clothes, until my ENTIRE set of show clothes including my helmet, XC vest, boots, coat etc was taken at Champagne Run 2 years ago and I haven’t gotten around to replacing most of it because money. They must have seen it all in the garment bag and though, ‘omg how nice of this person, gathering it all up for me in one convenient package, imma take it, BYEEE’. Literally while I as in the bathroom….I cannot watch my shit at all times and keep eyes on everyone. God I hate people. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. AT A SHOW. Easily about $1,800 right there, gone. Fuckers.

Anyways.

After that, I got my shit insured, like, all of it. It was easy to put on my renters insurance, which is attached as a rider to my car insurance.  I should have done this ages ago, and I generally do not fear leaving it all at the barn anymore.

Until recently….

Things have been disappearing from my tack box…

 First it was a martingale attachment. I thought nothing of it, and it was easy and cheap to replace. Whatever. Then it was a girth. Okay, maybe someone confused it with theirs but it was a TSF girth and I was HIGHLY annoyed. No one owned up to it when I asked. THEN a nathe bit I borrowed and ended up having to pay for because someone took it, even though B didn't like it. Worst was, it was stolen right off my bridle. I. WAS. PISSED. Lastly, some schooling boots I had. Not the worst loss ever, but, um, still mine.

We had two shady boarders that ended up getting kicked out and I am hoping it was them, because I can’t foresee any of our original boarder gang doing such a thing. BUT STILL. I am out items and I am not happy.

I am also worried with 40 extra boarders now that things might…disappear. I don’t know everyone and all our things are in very close quarters, easily mixed up, etc.

For the most part right now, half my things live in my parents old barn (winter blankets, spare wraps, polos, saddle pads etc) and the spare leather goods (boots, martingales, breastplates, the 7 nosebands I somehow hoarded) live in my car until our tack room is completed. BUT. I am anxious again about things possibly disappearing. Not just because of boarders; the new barn is off a slightly busier country road and the driveway is so long its mistaken by drivers as an actual road sometimes, and then they see horses and drive all the way down and get out and WANDER AROUND, oh my lort, it scares me. Not just because of our leather goods but because horses!! What if someone fed them something or tried to steal them, or our tack or OUR TRAILERS.

God, it gives me anxiety. Luckily my boys are in the far pasture and good luck to anyone trying to steal B, he will probably kill you. Yankee would follow anyone though….

Yankee, in dog form

So, I  took to getting a trailer lock for my trailer, and I also put name tags on literally everything I own, leather and blankets. Also both boys got microchips. Not sure what to do about large pieces of tack, but at least its all insured and I can just hope no one--boarder or stranger, steals it.

I want to suggest to BO maybe putting a code on the tack room door, or gate at our driveway…but with 60 boarders I can see that never actually staying closed/people sharing passwords with friends and family defeating the purpose.

I am paranoid. Help.

So what I want to know this week is what all of you do to keep your horses, tack and equipment safe and locked down. Do you keep it/them at home, locked away in the house? Do you insure it/them? Does it live at the barn in a locked tack room? Do you do nothing and hope for the best? Tell me dear readers, what do?