Stolen Horses: Intriguing Tales of Rustling and Rescues (Amazing Stories)

Dorothy Pedersen
Altitude Publishing (2004)
ISBN 1234567890
Reviewed by Sandra MacLean for Reader Views (3/06)

Author Dorothy Pedersen speaks from personal experience gained since her own horses were stolen in 1992. She takes the reader on a journey as far back as the 1800’s that makes it abundantly clear that this is a modern day crime that has roots deep in the past.

The most astonishing thing about this book is that it describes true events! Horse rustling gangs? My only exposure to the world of horse rustling comes from old TV shows that I assumed were created just for entertainment, a foreign world that was very familiar to the fictitious “Wild West.” Imagine my surprise to discover that the real “Wild West” included Canada and upstate New York!

Pedersen tells about the people involved in horse rustling along the Canada-US border in a very easy reading style that draws the reader into the story. She uses historical material to create the feeling that you are reading a series of letters to a relative. Eight separate short stories that span more than a century and two countries give the reader a sense of the magnitude of the industry. “In fact, by 1812, … stealing from frustrated farmers got to be so profitable in New York that some thieves has no other form of employment.”

Through Pedersen’s storytelling, we are able to see how the outcome of an investigation into horse theft can be heart breaking whether or not the horse is ever found. One owner describes her situation six years after the theft; “I still involuntarily look for her when I go past a field of horses.” Her horse, Khalett, was not recovered. Even after Mekeezun (stolen in 2003) was found and returned home, her owner says “I wish I knew who did it because I’ve still got a big issue with him … I still get nightmares.”

Successfully tracking stolen horses continues to present challenges for law enforcement personnel and owners. Pedersen’s research has made her sufficiently expert in the area of horse and livestock theft that in 1996 she was asked to consult with the Ontario Provincial Police. She continues to write about prevention and detection of horse theft.

“Stolen Horses” gives a fascinating glimpse into a world that is unknown to most people and the author relates the story from a uniquely Canadian perspective.

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