Shergar quickly'"; another shareholder, Lord Derby, disagreed and said "if ransom money is paid for this horse, then there is a danger of other horses being kidnapped in the years to come – and that simply cannot be tolerated". The first phone call from the thieves was on the night Shergar was stolen; Fitzgerald was not back at Ballymany by that time, and had not had the chance to tell the news of the theft to anyone. The call was to Jeremy Maxwell, a horse trainer based in Northern Ireland. The caller demanded £40,000, although this figure was later raised to
Stolen Horse International notifications out to thousands of recipients. Horse trailers are an easy target for thieves. Despite having a unique VIN and requiring a title, thieves have figured ways to forge titles so they can resell the trailer and not be tracked. Once a trailer is stolen, notifications and fliers can be sent out by SHI to help make potential buyers aware of the stolen trailer. Stolen Horse International, Inc.also assists owners with recovering horses whose owners are unknown. The organization excepts some "civil thefts" since many horses disappear in this manner. Such events typically occur during natural disasters such as wildfires