About Me
PROFESSIONAL BIO (Personal note follows)
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. Important ties binding her family together were stressed by the abduction of a horse they viewed as a member of their family. They reacted with confusion—people still steal horses?!—and fear. When she realized local law enforcement considered her family’s loss a minor matter, she took action.
Metcalfe began what would prove to be one incredible journey. Her quest led she and husband Harold into the dangerous world horse thieves inhabit. 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.
TWHBEA, is the first national breed organization that has partnered with Stolen Horse International to provide education to its members through Metcalfe’s monthly column in the Voice Magazine.
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, The Appaloosa Journal, as well as television newscast and shows. Metcalfe, recently featured on the cover of The Gaited Horse magazine, can be seen on RFDTV on Best of America by Horseback and HorseCityTV’s In the Barn series. 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 PhelpsSports.com, Tom Seay's of Best of America by Horseback Radio. She has also been on radio with Rick Lambe, Wayne Williams, Jim Campbell and Lisa Ross-Williams.
PERSONAL NOTE FROM DEBI METCALFE
I live on a farm in NC and have far surpassed my high school aspirations of just "getting by" and "having fun". I have accomplished everything I had on my short bucket list, visit Krispy Kreme and see how donuts are made, take a cruise and...well honestly it has been so long ago that I made that list that I have forgotten the third! I am getting old and forgetful so when I remember the third I will be sure to update this page.
I am married with children, dogs, horses and one mother-in-law with Alzheimer disease. Life is interesting each day but in many ways is like the movie "Ground Hog Day".
I use to have a normal life until our horse was stolen in 1997. My husband and I searched by land and by Internet--I actually started everything by accident that pertains to theft today on the net--and brought our horse Idaho home 51 weeks later. We learned to walk the walk and talk the talk and did our own sometimes dangerous undercover investigation to find her.
A seed was planted with that theft on 9/26/97 and from it grew Stolen Horse International, aka NetPosse.com, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is the equivalent to the missing children's network in the horse industry. As president of the organization I have learned many things from sending simple emails to website design, from writing letter to news articles and books (I have one published and working on the second one), from talking with my friends on the phone to interviews with newspapers, radio/TV and one skill that I never thought I would overcome...public speaking. Just don't ask me to talk about anything other than horses.
I love to talk to connect with family, old friends, and make new ones. Hope to talk with you soon.
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