Stolen Horses in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania, Northen Territory

My horse has been stolen - What do I do now?

* Keep a journal of all your activities, who you call and at what times. Also keep a record of phone calls, advertising costs, etc as you may be able to claim them back if it ever goes to court.

INITITAL CONTACTS (From a legal point of view, you need to contact these people ASAP)

- Police
- Council (they will probably give you several other people to contact as well)
- Insurance Company (they may be able to give you more contacts and help with procedures)
- Lawyer (if you want legal advice on handling the situation, relevent laws, etc)
- Office of Motor Vehicles and Registration (floats)
- Relevent Breed Association (in case they try to change ownership), EFA, etc. Legally, if you can't prove you own the horse, you may not have a case.
- If your horse is microchipped, contact your vet.
- Your neighbours (they may have seen something and assumed you had arranged it)

SECONDARY CONTACTS (Notifying places where a stolen horse may turn up)

- Stock pounds, Animal Welfare, RSPCA
- Horse Abattoirs
- Saleyards
- Doggers
- Horse Transport Companies
- Float Repair Centres

PUBLIC AWARENESS (Letting EVERYONE know about your horse/float/etc)

- Make up flyers and give them to vets, farriers and anyone else who visits a lot of horse properties.
- Put flyers on your local noticeboard. Non-horsey people may have noticed something.
- Put flyers in saddlers and on Pony Club (any competition venue) boards.
- Put a notice in your local newspapers.
- Radio ads.
- Place ads on high traffic websites like Aushorse, Cyberhorse, Horse Deals and even Ebay.
- Notify all relevent Breed Societies in case they try to re-register the horse under their name.
- Ask all relevent Breed Societies, EFA and Pony Clubs to include an ad in their newsletters.

Creating Exposure

* You should be prepared and have photos and details of your horse, gear and
transport. Even if saddles don't have an ID number, you can have your
driver's license number stamped somewhere inconspicuous. Floats can have
details engraved or stamped somewhere hidden. Make sure you have your
horse's microchip number handy. Even unbranded horses may have
distinguishing features that you may forget in a time of stress. Make sure
everything is recorded...if you are fretting over the loss of a horse, will
you remember which leg his sock is on?...

WHAT DO I INCLUDE IN MY ADS?

- The time (even if approximate) and location of the theft (Someone may have noticed something at that time)
- Include a photo
- When describing a horse, don't just include the brands. Include whether the horse was shod, if it's mane was pulled, if its tail was shaved or natural, any scars or lumps, noticeable lines in the hoof, grey hairs in a dark tail, missing teeth, etc.
- License Plate number (floats)
- ID number (saddles)
- Tack: Include colour, brand, size, condition, gullet size, scratches, etc.
- Rugs: Include colour, obvious repairs, size, type, brand, condition, etc.
- Floats: Brand, colour, is it a standard size?, fully enclosed?, describe access doors (ie, full length, one side), scrolling, any additions (ie, yards), etc.
- Your phone numbers (mobile and home, preferably with a messagebank), number of local police station, your email address and your postal address (if someone wants to remain anonymous)