Stopping Theft At Horse Shows

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190 – March/April, 2025

By Megan Arszman

It’s a sinking, unsettling feeling: your privacy shattered, your trust shaken. What should have been a joyful escape with your horse suddenly turns into a nightmare. Experiencing theft at a horse show not only disrupts your plans but leaves a lasting sense of vulnerability in a space meant for camaraderie and competition.

At the AQHA World Show, one of Colleen Riedle’s customers had just purchased a new scooter to help her get around the fairgrounds. She rode the scooter to her trailer and parked it right outside her door to turn in for the night. The next morning the scooter was gone. Riedle and her clients worked with fairgrounds security to search for the scooter and later found it, and a second scooter, hidden near the railroad tracks.

“They took the charger and some of the loose items in the basket, but we did get the scooter back,” says Riedle.

Farley McLendon also had a scooter stolen–only it was at her stalls during the 2023 All American Quarter Horse Congress. “I had a whole aisle just for my barn that was closed off with curtains on each side,” she explains. “The scooters were parked at the end–just inside the curtains and out of the way.”
Upon returning from competing in a class, McLendon realized the scooter was gone.

Click here to read the complete article
190 – March/April, 2025