Monday evening January 30th the gates at Camp El Har church camp were checked, every horse had was taken care of and they were turned out into their pasture for the night. The camp had 10 lesson horses that they used to teach children and adults to ride, but not anymore.
Horse alert for stolen sorrel mares
Children are devastated when horses are stolen from church camp in Texas.
Tuesday two horses did not come when they were called up to be fed and watered. It was not until Tiffany Gardner later walked the fence line on foot in search for the two that she noticed the wire had been cut. It was at that moment she knew the horses had been stolen!
The children at Camp e Har, are devastated that someone stole Zip and Blaze, sorrel Quarter Horse mares from the southwest Dallas church camp on January 31, 2012.
Owner Tiffany Gardner says, “Zip and Blaze were taken by the thief from their stable, led through three other properties to a trailer parked on the service road of Spur 408 and then loaded on a trailer” She continues, “I feel violated, insecure and can’t help thinking about where they are at this very moment.”
Any child’s horse is special, but Zip and Blaze are a little more-so than most. Since 2009, Zip has been faithfully serving riders at the church camp with her patient personality. “I WANNA RIDE ZIP!” “Zip is my favorite,” are terms heard most often from her young riders.
“Even on days when Zip is stubborn, I learn something from her,” says Gardner of the nine year old mare who came into her life in 2006 as Finally Got Zipped, aka “Zip.”
The second horse stolen, Blaze, enjoys taking children on their first trail ride, or giving them confidence in the round pen. Blaze receives comments like “Blaze is so much fun!” “Blaze is challenging today, but she taught me to be tactful!”
“Ever since she came to the camp in 2009, she has been a favorite. She is a horse that is able to bring a smile to even the most tentative child. If I were going for a relaxing trail ride, I would choose her,” Gardner says about the 12 year old sorrel mare Blaze.
Stolen Horse International, Inc. received an online report on its Web site, www.NetPosse.com, filed by Tiffany Gardner and, in short order, began distributing the information via their NetPosse.com Alert (the horse community’s Amber Alert) on the Internet to hundreds of social media groups and to thousands of individuals in an effort to rally the public to help this camp in need. A nonprofit organization, NetPosse, is well known in the equine community for horse theft education and assistance in recovering stolen or missing horses, as well as other equine equipment.
You will find a webpage with information and a printable flyer for Blaze and Zip on their NetPosse.com listing, which is where any updates or leads will be posted. People interested in helping can search for report number NR001530, or use this direct link on the NetPosse.com site:
http://www.netposse.com/view_report.asp?reportid=1530.
“Blaze and Zip’s flyer needs to be posted in all public places since it is possible that someone has seen the horses and does not know who to contact. And remember, not everyone is on the internet, especially in rural areas of the country. It is up to those who are on the internet to print the flyer and make sure these horses are seen in public places,” says Stolen Horse International founder Debi Metcalfe.
Circulating Blaze and Zip’s flyer and the NetPosse.com Alert nationwide is imperative, as the horses could be anywhere by now. These flyers are the tool that bring home many horses and must be posted in as many public places as possible.
NetPosse recommends posting in tack and feed stores, auction barns, restaurants, and convenience stores; in short, anywhere that area people, and potential witnesses, congregate.
“There is no doubt that thieves were serious about their business since they went through two properties to get to the horses. They cut the fence wire, restrung the top strand of wire and left the rest on the ground. There was one pile of manure on the other side of the fence. They cut three fences!” say Gardner.
Disillusioned by the theft and feeling frustrated that local authorities do not understand the urgency of the situation, Gardner adds, “We filed a police report, but the only help they could give us was, “A detective will be assigned to your case. Call him in two days to give him more details.”
“The best idea was to file a report on www.netposse.com. Debi Metcalfe called me personally to help me with finding and getting the word out about the horses!” Gardner said.
“At NetPosse.com we never underestimate the power of one. If you are reading this information you are now that “one”. You can make a difference. I cannot encourage you enough to act now and help this camp when they need you most. Print a flyer immediately and post it right away!” says Metcalfe. “You never know who will post the flyers that bring Blaze and Zip home.”
You will find the police department’s case number on Blaze and Zip’s NetPosse flyer and webpage which helps identify this case quickly when calling in a tip. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Dallas Police Department or NetPosse.com with information.