Saturday morning, September 3, 2011, at the crack of dawn, Kathy Taylor faced what we all dread: an empty paddock where just the night before a horse had been turned out. Gone. Gate off its hinges. No horse.
The chestnut mare, owned by Naomi Lefkowitz was being restricted from grass and thus was that night in the round pen with hay. Was she gorging herself nearby on the lush new grass, the result of the recent cool, rainy spell?
Located near parkland in the Damascus/Mount Airy area, the equestrian community around Taylormade Stables went into high alert. The day was opening cub for the two local hunts, so there were plenty of riders out and about in the surrounding parkland, but no sign of the 16 hand, 12 year old Thoroughbred/Warmblood cross.
For days everyone searched. Tracking dogs were brought in, as was a psychic. While near parkland, the area is surrounded by development, making it highly unlikely that the mare would not have eventually been spotted by someone, or eventually wandered into another stable yard looking to join a herd.
Eventually, Addie’s people reached the conclusion that she had to have been stolen. Why this mare would have been stolen is not clear, particularly as there were 60 other horses on the property, including several worth considerably more, but there seems to be no other explanation. The tracking dog was able to conclusively follow Addie’s scent to a certain spot on the paved road, where there were scuff marks, as if Addie refused to load into a trailer.
If you have any information about Addie, please call the Montgomery County Police Department at 240.-773-6330, owner Naomi Lefkovitz at 301-570-8223, or farm manager Kathy Taylor at 301-253-6661 or e-mail editor@equiery.com. For photos of Addie and updates, please scroll down. You can follow the community conversation about the search for Addie on The Equiery’s facebook page.
