wind plaits or something worse?

happyhacker101

Active Member
Mar 19, 2007
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Ok, here we go again:biggrin:

Facebook is full of people saying their horses have been marked by a plait ready to be stolen.......

I personally think a lot of these plaits are made by the wind, but it doesnt hurt to up security I guess

Thoughts anyone?
 
Always confused me a bit too. It seems every summer all our horses are going to get stolen. In reality, it is pretty rare that a horse is stolen (I get the horsewatch emails from 2 police forces as I am on a border). I don't know what the statistics are for those that are plaited before hand but it seems like a myth to me.
 
Where do these stolen horses go? With horses passports, microchips, freezemarking etcwouldnt it be pretty hard to sell on?

I know foals are easily stolen but I can't see anyone wanting to nick your average run of the mill TB all rounder. Horses are literally being given away atm with all the over breeding / job losses.
 
See, the interesting thing to me is that i'm yet to know of a horse that has had one of these plaits to be stolen (runs of to touch wood) Obviously, most of us would increase security just to be on the safe side which is no bad thing

Yesterday I saw a friend of mine who has a horse well into his 20's and looks his age, he had one of these plaits and you could tell it was a wind plait not a marked plait - tbh - who would mark a horse his age - as lovely as he is? His owners know his are made by the wind btw

If the plait was secured by an elastic band i'd be worried tho!
 
They'd be lucky to get a plait in Rosie's mane! I tried to do a few once, cue giraffe neck. Once I'd finished, I popped off for 5 minutes, they were all out when I got back. She's rubbed around the stable walls to get them off.:giggle: She just doesn't do pretty.:redface:

Seriously though. She does get wind "plaits". They look more like twists, dreadlocks? If that's what people are talking about?:unsure:

As someone has said above, I'm yet to hear off horses stolen after these "plaits" have appeared.
 
I suggested to my vet that it was an urban myth and he was adamant it wasn't and that people had moved their horses because they had been marked. I guess its one of those things I won't believe until I see it...and I hope I never see it, so I guess precautions are best taken.
MY horse always has plaits in his mane - put there by me because of the length of it. I had someone make a remark about it being dangerous but I just nodded and went, yep, point taken. I'd have to wonder why they would need to mark my horse in a field of two where one is a heavy chestnut and the other is a grey arab. Pretty easy to tell apart even in the dead of night.
 
Roxy sometimes gets these 'witches plaits' in her mane too, usually over winter when she gets little attention from me regarding grooming (oops :giggle:) and her rolling around or it's blowing a hooly outside.

Although they can look intricate, she has yet to be stolen (famous last words, hopefully she's still in her field this evening.... :unsure:)
 
I have always found the idea of a thief giving notice that they plan on nicking a horse rather odd.

Can you imagine a house burglar dropping off his Jemmy a few days before breaking in.
 
flipo - why did somebody tell you it was dangerous for your horse to have plaits in? Did they think they might snag on fencing or something?

I guess we should all be vigilant anyways, rumour, legends or whatevers - it always pays to keep a beady eye on our neds whatever the time of year.
 
I found a "plait" in the boys mane the other week, but my first thought was ohh thats what a wind plait looks like, not that they were being marked :redcarded:

because it was just this really loose plait, thought if it had been a nice neat proper one maybe I would have thought differently ? i dunno lol
 
flipo - why did somebody tell you it was dangerous for your horse to have plaits in? Did they think they might snag on fencing or something?

Oh, never thought of that lol - think she was just saying that I should watch as sometimes they put the braids in to mark them - so me doing it was just helping them along?!
 
My stallion had a plait in yesterday. It was three distinct twisted spirals of hair plaited. Should I be scared, I think not. He is very very nervous of strangers. They would have had to plait it in the dark after climbing over a ditch and over an electrafied fence with guard dogs around. Mine and the neighbours. He kicks out if hes stressed. It was the wind. Blooming clever Mother Nature is.
 
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