What would you do if the one tool you rely on every day suddenly went missing, especially if it wasn鈥檛 the first time it happened?
That鈥檚 the dilemma the ) faced earlier this month when a thief stole their ATV (four-wheeled quad) 鈥攁 vital piece of equipment used to maintain their riding arenas.
It wasn鈥檛 just any piece of machinery, though; it was something essential to the club鈥檚 operations, helping volunteers keep the footing safe for horses.
鈥淲e use the quad to harrow and maintain our riding arenas. Having a quad enables us to maintain the arenas ourselves. It鈥檚 one of the ways we keep operating costs down, as we don鈥檛 have to hire someone with equipment to do it for us,鈥� said Stephanie Golder, treasurer of the SVEA.
They noticed the theft on Oct. 10.
鈥淭he theft could have happened the previous week, as we had not been into our sea can for a week,鈥� she said.
The quad was the only thing stolen.
The theft was reported to the police shortly after it was discovered.
鈥淭hey responded quickly鈥攋ust a couple of hours after I filed the report. They came out, asked a few more questions, and actually took a crowbar left behind at the scene as evidence,鈥� Golder said.
Association struggles with repeated thefts.
Despite upgraded security, this theft marks the third time the club has had equipment stolen.
Similar incidents occurred in 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淥n both occasions, we were able to recover the quad after members of the public spotted someone using it and reported it to the police. The police retrieved it both times. Unfortunately, this time we haven鈥檛 had any luck,鈥� she said.
Donation helps the association recover quickly.
A donation from Daniel Pitts of Ocean Rock Art helped the association to purchase a replacement.
鈥淒an and his wife own horses and participate in cowboy challenge clinics, which they also host at our club. He understands how important the equipment is to us and wanted to help us get back on track,鈥� Golder said.
Winter preparations with new ATV
In preparation for winter, the new quad will also be fitted with a snowplow attachment.
鈥淲hich means we will be able to keep our arenas accessible during the winter months,鈥� Golder said.
Community support for the volunteer-run organization is essential.
鈥淲e don't receive government funding, only occasional grants,鈥�
鈥淥ne of the conditions of our lease with the District of 麻豆社国产is to keep membership fees low to ensure accessibility. So, every large expense, like purchasing a new quad, impacts our budget. Donations like this mean we don鈥檛 need to dip into our funds or raise fees,鈥� she said.
To avoid future thefts, the new ATV will be stored off-site.
鈥淲e鈥檝e upgraded the locks, but the new quad won鈥檛 be kept on-site. I鈥檇 rather not give whoever took the previous one any ideas,鈥� Golder said.
Bhagyashree Chatterjee is The Squamish Chief鈥檚 Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the.
