The Martin County Sheriff is issuing a warning to members of the equine community after four horses were reported stolen in neighboring counties.The horses reportedly went missing sometime between late Thursday night and early Friday morning in both Okeechobee County and St. Lucie County.Sheriff William Snyder said Martin County hasn't received any reports of stolen horses, however they did learn of a suspicious incident involving a local horse barn."On the 11th of this month, we had a very suspicious incident where n Hispanic male, early in the morning, went on to private property in Palm City, with camera was taking pictures of horses and the horse barn," Snyder told WPBF.He said that incident, along with the investigations in Okeechobee County and St. Lucie County, put his agency on high alert."We're very alert now and paying particular attention with our road patrol and our agricultural units to make sure we don't lose any horses here in Martin County," Snyder added.He explained some steps owner can take to protect their animals including making sure owners have pictures and records of their horses. "We encourage people, if you have fencing around your property, which if you have horses, you will, make sure they're locked. Nobody should be able to just come in, open your gate and walk in," he said. "And then of course, always for us, some of the best evidence is video evidence."Along those same lines, a non-profit is offering their services to victims who have had their horses stolen.Debi Metcalfe is the founder and president of Stolen Horse International. The non-profit is dedicated to helping victims find their missing or stolen horses.Metcalfe started SHI after her own horse Idaho was stolen in 1997. Using the internet, she said they were able to get the word out and found Idaho roughly 51 weeks later.She also offered some options for owners to use to protect their animals."We encourage people to do a farm watch, and to start with one of our farm watch signs," she said.She explained the sign is similar to a neighborhood watch sign and reads, "If you're thinking about taking my horse, don't, because I'm watching you, and they have permanent ID so I can find them."Aside from signage, Metcalfe said people should consider microchipping their horses and a freeze brand."A visible ID, not just a lip tattoo because those can fade with age. I like a freeze brand because a freeze brand, you can see the horse go by and if you're looking for a particular brand, you can see the brand," she added.However, Metcalfe said those two things won't ensure that the owner will get their horse back. The non-profit offers their NetPosse ID registry to all animal owners.Metcalfe said owners should register their dog, cat, horse, or another animal to make sure information is on record in the event that their animal is ever missing or stolen.Unfortunately, she explained horse theft has been and continues to be a large issue with thieves selling the animals at auctions or taking them for their meat."The horses that are taken and are butchered nearby, those are different than the horses that are stolen that go into the network to be shipped out of the country to be slaughtered. Either way, it's not a good ending for the horse, but most of the time it's one or the other down in Florida," she said.The good news is that Metcalfe says they've had several cases where horses are found alive even a decade later."Horses can be found. We found a lot of horses missing from Florida over the years," she told WPBF. "We don't ever give up on them. I mean, we found horses over a decade later, because when we put information on our website, it stays there."Metcalfe shared one example where a horse from Florida was missing for over a decade when a woman saw the horse online and realized she had it. "A woman was just doing an internet search and came up with the horse on our website and she was honest, and she called us and said, 'I think I might have a horse on your site' and we were able to put that person together with the owner who had been looking for almost 11 years," she recalled. Stolen Horse International uses their social media following and registry to get the word out about missing horses and aims to track them down.Metcalfe said victims can reach out to them on their website or social media pages. She said they also provide educational content for animal owners to prevent losing their animals.Top headlines:Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25 Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
The Martin County Sheriff is issuing a warning to members of the equine community after four horses were reported stolen in neighboring counties.
The horses reportedly went missing sometime between late Thursday night and early Friday morning in both Okeechobee County and St. Lucie County.
Sheriff William Snyder said Martin County hasn't received any reports of stolen horses, however they did learn of a suspicious incident involving a local horse barn.
"On the 11th of this month, we had a very suspicious incident where n Hispanic male, early in the morning, went on to private property in Palm City, with camera was taking pictures of horses and the horse barn," Snyder told WPBF.
He said that incident, along with the investigations in Okeechobee County and St. Lucie County, put his agency on high alert.
"We're very alert now and paying particular attention with our road patrol and our agricultural units to make sure we don't lose any horses here in Martin County," Snyder added.
He explained some steps owner can take to protect their animals including making sure owners have pictures and records of their horses. "We encourage people, if you have fencing around your property, which if you have horses, you will, make sure they're locked. Nobody should be able to just come in, open your gate and walk in," he said. "And then of course, always for us, some of the best evidence is video evidence."
Along those same lines, a non-profit is offering their services to victims who have had their horses stolen.
Debi Metcalfe is the founder and president of Stolen Horse International. The non-profit is dedicated to helping victims find their missing or stolen horses.
Metcalfe started SHI after her own horse Idaho was stolen in 1997. Using the internet, she said they were able to get the word out and found Idaho roughly 51 weeks later.
She also offered some options for owners to use to protect their animals.
"We encourage people to do a farm watch, and to start with one of our farm watch signs," she said.
She explained the sign is similar to a neighborhood watch sign and reads, "If you're thinking about taking my horse, don't, because I'm watching you, and they have permanent ID so I can find them."
Aside from signage, Metcalfe said people should consider microchipping their horses and a freeze brand.
"A visible ID, not just a lip tattoo because those can fade with age. I like a freeze brand because a freeze brand, you can see the horse go by and if you're looking for a particular brand, you can see the brand," she added.
However, Metcalfe said those two things won't ensure that the owner will get their horse back. The non-profit offers their NetPosse ID registry to all animal owners.
Metcalfe said owners should register their dog, cat, horse, or another animal to make sure information is on record in the event that their animal is ever missing or stolen.
Unfortunately, she explained horse theft has been and continues to be a large issue with thieves selling the animals at auctions or taking them for their meat.
"The horses that are taken and are butchered nearby, those are different than the horses that are stolen that go into the network to be shipped out of the country to be slaughtered.
Either way, it's not a good ending for the horse, but most of the time it's one or the other down in Florida," she said.
The good news is that Metcalfe says they've had several cases where horses are found alive even a decade later.
"Horses can be found. We found a lot of horses missing from Florida over the years," she told WPBF. "We don't ever give up on them. I mean, we found horses over a decade later, because when we put information on our website, it stays there."
Metcalfe shared one example where a horse from Florida was missing for over a decade when a woman saw the horse online and realized she had it. "A woman was just doing an internet search and came up with the horse on our website and she was honest, and she called us and said, 'I think I might have a horse on your site' and we were able to put that person together with the owner who had been looking for almost 11 years," she recalled.
Stolen Horse International uses their social media following and registry to get the word out about missing horses and aims to track them down.
Metcalfe said victims can reach out to them on their website or social media pages. She said they also provide educational content for animal owners to prevent losing their animals.