13 years ago someone walked onto our property, broke into our horse trailer and took off with 4 saddles, at least 20 headstalls and bits, numerous breast collars and saddle pads. I remember the shock and disbelief I felt. I knew there must be some explanation.
Did someone borrow them? Did I move them and forgot?
Nope, it didn't take long to discover we had been robbed. You could even follow the footprints from our trailer out to the road where they had parked and made numerous trips with our belongings. We had been wiped out. And living in a tiny town called Alfalfa, where the cows outnumber the people 100 to 1, you just don't expect something like this to happen.
Then, just a few months ago while on a trip to San Antonio, TX. our truck window was busted out in broad daylight, in a public paid parking lot by yet another bottom feeder of society. This one got away with our laptop, iPad, iPod Touch, and a handgun.
The good news in both of these situations is that we had good insurance, so were able to replace most of the items.
But then there's the bad news. The part that sticks with you even years later.
Among the items that were stolen was a saddle I received for college graduation, headstall and breast collar awards I had won on horses I no longer owned, bits that could no longer be bought... My husband had a journal about our daughter he had been keeping for 6 years that was saved on the iPad. There were thousands of pictures between the computer and iPad that cannot be replaced.
These people didn't just steal our possessions, they stole our memories.
There are just some things that you truly cannot put a dollar amount on. They are priceless and they are irreplaceable.
What do you have in your tack room right now? How many saddles? Anything custom made for a particular horse? How about a headstall or breast collar you received as a gift, or won as an award? Any sentimental items that you would be devastated to be without? Any bits that you can't remember where you bought them and would likely never be able to be exactly reproduced?
If you're like most people, you have a $5 combination lock keeping all of these items "safe" in the back of your trailer. The kind of combination lock anyone with a set of $15 bolt cutters can get through in about 30 seconds.
Feel safe now?
That was me too until about 6 months ago when some friends introduced me to a clever locking system for my trailer called Invizi-lock. It essentially makes your trailer impossible to break in to, is inexpensive, easy to install, and comes with the convenience of remote keyless entry. It boggles my mind that no one has thought of this before, and I will never have a trailer without it again. So if you are in the market for some peace of mind, you will want to check it out. http://www.invizilock.com/
Have you ever had something like this happen to you? If so, we'd love to hear your story!
Until next time ~ Jess