# Ownership of a stolen pony



## Edentrails (Sep 21, 2011)

Thought this maybe a helpful way of obtaining some details of how to help a 16yo girl who brought a pony (10hh shetland) from a horse trading place over 12months ago. Pony was brought for $100, within a week she was limping, so the girl organised for the vet and chiro to fix the pony. Pony was wormed and looked after, but now due to changing circumstances she is selling the pony. This is where the fun begins.:shock:
A lady rang her and abused her saying that this is the pony that was stolen from her a few months earlier. She has threatend to take the 16yo to court, and has said she is coming to get the pony. The 16yo has seen no proof of ownership from this lady and has been bluffed by a horse crook in my opionion. any suggestions would be very appreciated as I believe she brought this pony in good faith and its the horse dealers who should provided the answers to this woman as they have the details of where they got this pony from.


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## ItzKayley (Jun 8, 2011)

The girl needs to go to the police, she is threatening to take some ones pony. Whether it looks like her stolen pony or not, if she takes him, she is the one in trouble with police.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BarrelWannabe (Feb 8, 2011)

Unless this person has cold, hard evidence that this pony was in her possession and then was stolen, she cannot legally do anything. Even if the pony was once hers, your friend doesn't have to do anything this person demands of her. As far as anyone is concerned, it is your friends pony. Not this other persons.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Welcome to the forum!

I would go to the police first and to the place where she bought the pony as well. 

Even if the story is true and the pony was stolen from this woman, she just can't go and take the pony. I would also be looking for a police report from her. If there is no police report, she could just as well sold the pony and now wants it back. It's for the police and the courts to decide.

BTW, the seller should be 100% involved in this problem - if the pony was stolen, he could be held liable for receiving stolen property.

(Do they still hang horse thieves?)


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

tell the woman to send you a copy of the police report she originally filed when the horse was stolen. DOnt tell her how long you have had the horse, if you havent already. The date on report may help if it is newer than you have owned horse.
Id send the request certified mail return reciept. The person who has the horse now could also be in trouble for holding stolen goods. Sending the certified letter making a good faith attempt to find out if horse is stolen should more than cover you. You could also call the law in the area the woman lives and see if there were any reports of stolen horzses filed in the several months before you bought yours. I think the caller is probably full of it. Horse may have been sold somehow that she didnt agree with that was technically legal. Sorta like a husband selling a legally joint owned horse right before a divorce, the now X tries to say it was stolen.
If the horse was actually legally stolen I would have been calling the police and filing a report right away. and later if I saw the horse I wouldnt be saying anything to the person that had it. I'd be afraid they would hide the horse agian. Id just call the police tell them I saw the horse I reported stolen last year.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Possesion is truely 9/10ths of the law. The burden of proof is on the caller to prove the horse was hers and that it was stolen. Without a police report she doesnt have a leg to stand oneven if she could prove it was once hers.


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## Edentrails (Sep 21, 2011)

*Thankyou!*

Thank you to eveyone who have left "their two cents worth', I am calling the police and the lawyer tomorrow morning to see what our states laws are. The young girl in questions works hard and has spent alot of money on this pony to get her right and I just couldnt sit by and watch another horse scammer get away with it. This so called owner of the stolen pony has not entered a police report nor did she advertise anywhere. But she did certainly scare the young 16yo about court and the name calling was really not needed. I thought that the 16yo was within her rights to keep the pony, this other woman wants to come and pick up the pony whilst she is at school, so still no proof of ownership will be seen. And as for the horse traders that sold it to her, they are being very unhelpful and have told her they will have nothing to do with it. Makes me think that they are doing some underhanded deals! Once again thankyou for everyones comments, its nice to know that there are still some honest people in the horse world. (No matter which part of the earth your on )


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

If the horse is boarded, be sure the young girl tells everyone that no one has the authority to pick up the pony. The woman may show up unannounced and claim all sorts of things including threats to call the police (which would be a good thing, actually).


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