Spike In Saddle Thefts Seen

Tuesday, September 25th 2007, 11:48 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Law enforcement authorities in Texas and Oklahoma have seen an increase in the theft of horse saddles in recent months. Two Texas men arrested recently are believed to be responsible for stealing at least 31 saddles on both sides of the Red River and selling them at cut-rate prices in both states.

``It's a crime of opportunity for these guys, same as cattle,'' said John Cummings, a Tulsa-area based special ranger for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. ``The thing about saddles is they are worth a lot of money; some of these saddles were worth $3,000, $4,000, $5,000 a piece, and that's just a good saddle. A really top notch saddle can be worth a lot more than that.''

Cummings assisted fellow special ranger John Bradshaw of Paris, Texas, in tracking down 24 of the saddles valued at $19,000.

Thefts of saddles run neck and neck with cattle thefts these days, Bradshaw said.

``They are pretty even,'' he said. ``Saddles are easier to get rid of than cattle.''

The two Texas saddle rustlers were caught, in part, because they were peddling saddles stolen in Texas in the Tulsa area. A potential customer spotted their roadside wares, became suspicious and called law enforcement authorities.

Cummings also helped recover 28 saddles and $70,000 in property from another theft ring in the Tulsa area. The suspects used bolt cutters to enter barns or trailers where the tack was stored in thefts reported between July 9 and July 16.

Cummings and Bradshaw are two of 29 special rangers employed by the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association. They are stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma, and all are commissioned as special rangers by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or both.

``It's a job where you get to work with some of the best guys around,'' Cummings said. ``All the Rangers are top-notch guys, and we all have a special passion for farmers and ranchers who go out here and work hard to make a living and feed America. Their profit margins are fairly low, and when they get stolen from, it just makes it worse.''

Related story:

10/16/2006 - Using The Internet To Recover Stolen Saddles