While at a horse show this summer, I went to retrieve my horse trailer in the parking lot, only to realize that it was not there. It was, quite simply, gone.
I know it would be much more exciting if I could share some detailed course of events that lead to the horse trailer's MIA status or clues as to where it ended up, but it just didn't happen like that. One day it was there, and then it was not.
After the subsequent and repetitive hour-long drive through the two-acre parking lot, I stood in the location where we had parked our horse trailer. As it began to dawn on me that our horse trailer had been stolen, I suddenly realized how a seemingly simple occurrence had such complex consequences.
Gone with my horse trailer was a lifetime of horse acquisitions. That would include beloved belongings such as the custom Mike Craig silver show bridle that was given to me by my parents when I was 18, and the beautiful beaded show shirt and Jim Taylor show saddle I won two world championships in. Also gone was a tack room full of everyday, yet cumulatively expensive, items-brushes, buckets, blankets, hoses, reins, bridles, and bits. Gone too was my ability to haul my horse home. And the ability to haul to the vet, horse shoer, and the local arena I went to twice a week for its good stopping ground.
The irony, I realized, was that these things really weren't gone. They had just gone missing in my life. These things I worked hard to earn were now being enjoyed, or sold, by someone who gained them through theft. And let me tell you, that is a truly infuriating realization.
Moving On
I was asked to write this article to not only share my experience, but to also share with you some useful information. I suppose I could spend hours accumulating trailer theft statistics. But after all of this, I think it would be more beneficial to share what I have learned on a practical basis, and what other people who've had their trailer stolen have shared with me.
Here is what I now know that I didn't know before:
1. Lock Your Trailer Hitch
I have been showing horses for over 25 years and never used a hitch lock in all those years of towing a trailer around. After having my trailer stolen, I now realize the flaw in that practice. So, whether you have a bumper hitch or a gooseneck, purchase a hitch lock and use it. There are many great hitch lock options out there, and they take only seconds to put on and off and will run you about $30 to $100.
