This is a phenomenon that appeared 3 years ago with us, but which has been increasing lately: the theft of equipment from professional stables. A dozen teams were victims of this during the month of October 2022. The damage often amounts to several tens of thousands of euros.
We met Cathy, in Ittre. “This is where we had the unpleasant surprise of seeing that all the equipment had disappeared”, she explains to us, opening the door of a room. “We store a large part. Each hook must have a bridle, there should be 20. A bridle is €350. The reins are €75 per pair”, she explained to us. If we add the 5 saddles, the total loss for Cathy is around 60,000 euros. “A life that is erased in one go, you have to start all over once more”.
And it’s not just a financial concern, it’s also a loss of work. Because a new saddle does not adjust directly to the new horse, the leather is not softened, nothing is put in place naturally.
“When we contact the police, it remains an isolated case”, deplores Cathy, while there is obviously a wave (10 stables at least) of burglary. “It is a phenomenon of great magnitude”. Cathy thinks it’s a well-organized network. France was badly affected a few years ago, according to her.
