2010 WHIA CONFERENCE
September 23, 2010
Keeping your horses safe
10:00am - 10:30am
SPEAKERS
Deb Metcalfe - Stolen Horses/NetPosse
Often referred to as the “John Walsh” of the horse industry, Debi Metcalfe is perhaps the most recognized expert in the field of horse recovery, theft prevention and horse identification. Cases first brought to the public by Stolen Horse International have been featured on the TV shows America’s Most Wanted and The Maury Show.
More than just a pasture fence was broken when thieves took Idaho , from Debi Metcalfe’s husband in Shelby , North Carolina , in 1997. When she realized local law enforcement considered her family’s loss a minor matter, she took action.
Metcalfe and her husband Harold began what would prove to be one incredible journey. Along the way she discovered unexpected allies and recovered Idaho in a church parking lot 51 weeks later in Tennessee .
She didn’t see it coming but Stolen Horse International had started forming itself as soon as she sent out her first plea on the Internet by email to anyone who would listen. Little by little people joined this unnamed group linked together by big hearts, kind hearts and broken hearts.
Stolen Horse International, Inc., located at www.netposse.com, sometimes referred to as NetPosse or SHI, is a one-of-a-kind, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with hundreds of thousands of visitors to the website each year and is the reason for many recoveries. Information ranging from stolen horse listings to theft protection, from recovery tips to disaster planning and much more are on website. NetPosse, a volunteer group of people who forward IDAHO ALERTS for missing horses via email, print flyers and post in their communities, and watch for stolen horses at auctions, numbers into the thousands and is responsible for many of the recoveries.
Stolen Horse International, Inc. has been featured in many international magazine articles such as America ’s Horse, Dressage Today, Horse and Rider, Paint Horse Journal, Equus, Practical Horseman, Western Horseman as well as television newscast and shows. Metcalfe, has been on RFDTV on Best of America by Horseback and Horse City TV’s In the Barn series. As a speaker/lecturer she has presented programs at all the Equine Affaires, Equine Extravaganza’s and many more throughout the US . Metcalfe has been a contributing columnist for news and magazines and a guest on many radio talk shows.
Metcalfe is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and lives on a farm in North Carolina with her husband, Harold. Metcalfe’s first book, Horse Theft: Been There, Done That, is a must read addition to every horse owner’s library. Metcalfe received the North Carolina Horse Council Education Grant in 2010 and is a recipient of the National Collegiate Kappa Delta Sorority's Awe Inspiring Woman over 50 Award.
