Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer. In North America, especially in the Wild West cowboy culture, cattle theft is dubbed rustling, while an individual who engages in it is a rustler.

Thieves developed a more sophisticated way of stealing cattle by altering existing brands. He then caught the calves and yearlings of his neighbor and branded or rebranded them as his own. Earmarking. Earmarks foiled many cattle thieves because it was difficult to convincingly alter both a brand and an earmark.

In the Wild West of the 1800s, rustling was a hanging offense. Theft of a single head of cattle these days in Oklahoma can bring from three to 10 years behind bars. Last year, slightly more than 3,900 cattle were reported stolen, and the group investigates about 850 to 1,200 agricultural crimes a year.

Cattle rustling is punishable by hanging.

The Texas House Tuesday unanimously voted to enhance penalties for theft of livestock. Current law punishes cattle thieves with a third-degree felony, which is punishable by as much as 10 years in prison and a fine of as much as $10,000 if they steal more than 10 head of cattle, horses or exotic livestock.

Urban legend has it that horse thieves can still be hanged or sentenced to death in Texas. Under Texas Penal Code Section 31.03(e), horse theft is a third-degree felony (2 to 10 years in prison) if the value of the horses stolen in a single transaction is less than $100,000.

If someone steals your horse, there is a law that allows you to publicly hang the person and no law enforcement officer is allowed to stop you.

In Texas, stealing cattle or horses is a mandatory third-degree felony, with penalties of two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 maximum fine. Second-degree theft carries sentences of 10 to 25 years in prison, penalties that can be enhanced to life, if the thief is determined to be a habitual criminal.

From around the 1750s until 1818, between 13% and 14% of persons convicted of horse theft in Home, Norfolk, and Western circuits were executed.

Under the current Texas law, theft of less than 10 head of cattle, horses or exotic wildlife is a state jail felony. They don’t hang rustlers these days, but Montana’s Legislature has passed a bill this session to jack-up the penalties not only for the theft of livestock but for illegal branding as well.

He says outbreaks of pig rustling usually involve gangs stealing 100 pigs or more valued at as much as $50,000. “After several incidents in one area or at one farm the spate of thefts will be over.”

American law doesn’t use capital punishment for property crimes like horse theft. Bob Palmquist, an attorney in Tucson, Arizona, says he doesn’t know of any territory or state where anyone was legally hanged for horse theft.

Literally, someone you can steal horses with. It means something like: someone you can count on in a tight spot, when things get dicey.

Thankfully, horse thefts are not daily occurrences but they do happen and so it is best to do everything you can to prevent your treasured horse from becoming a target.

Things you can do to prevent horse theft: Ensure that your horse is microchipped and all details are up-to-date. Keep your passport securely locked away: It is illegal to sell a horse, export a horse or present it for slaughter without a valid passport, so keeping this safe will help protect your horse.

Branding your horse may deter thieves from stealing your horse….4.

1. Keep pasture gates locked (again, with a mind to fire safety).
2. Never leave horses’ halters on (this is a safety hazard as well as a significant aid to thieves looking to work quickly).
3. Don’t feed your horses close to the pasture gate or near the road.

The best way to keep livestock and stray dogs off your property is to put up a good fence. If you don’t want to fence and the neighbor doesn’t want to keep his livestock at home your only remaining option is to live with it.