Keeping horses, facilities, and property safe from harm and theft is probably a paramount concern for most barn and horse owners. Highly publicized cases of horse theft with tragic outcomes have dominated social media in recent years, inspiring many horsemen to at least spring for a lock on the front gate. But is keeping your driveway secure doing enough for your entire property?

You may not be ready to install a full video surveillance system on your stable, but there are other options to make your farm more secure.

Bring In Your Halters: It’s a simple thing that many of us do to save a few steps in the evening and morning: leaving the halters and lead-ropes hanging on the paddock fence. But the same thing that makes life easier for you can make theft easier for criminals. Take your horse’s halter off, and bring it into the barn with you after turn-out. Sometimes a simple deterrent buys you all the extra time you need to prevent a theft.

Secure Your Fences: Are your fences wire or wooden? Wooden fences take longer to dismantle, while wire can be clipped apart fairly quickly. Add a bonus measure of security by running electric fence along your boards and turning it on. If you’re padlocking your driveway, use a thick, hard-to-cut padlock and/or chain.

Motion-Activated Lighting: It’s an easy and inexpensive deterrent: install motion-sensitive lighting around your barn door and anywhere else a person might think to sneak inside your facility.

Smart Design: Are you designing an equestrian facility? Be sure you’re keeping security in mind. Consider a single entrance/exit point to prevent thieves from sneaking in a side-gate, and maintain sight-lines from your house to your barn if possible.

Hire a Private Eye: Okay, this one might not be the most cost-effective security strategy. But equine personal security exists! Check out this article at Horse Junkies United on the Pinkerton investigators who protect the interests of some of the world’s most expensive equines: http://horsejunkiesunited.com/?p=92365. Then, go pick up some new motion-detector lamps. A little prevention goes a long way.