Something interesting happened on facebook the other night when someone tagged me in a comment on a photo. It was interesting because it was MY photo that I took of my friend’s young stallion Diabolo D’Esquelmes a few summers ago here in Texas. Only problem? It was posted by someone I don’t know, and the caption said that it was her young horse Winston. Umm… no.
This really begs the question: what the hell??? Perusing this person’s page and doing a little sleuthing uncovers that many of their photos are stolen.
I really wonder why the heck anyone would do this. This is definitely not a kid playing some kind of internet game because the page can be traced back to a real life adult woman. Are you just inventing a fake internet life for attention? Or are you trying to do something worse and more fraudulent by creating a fake business with a fake reputation and fake credentials? And really – do you think no one will notice? The Global Sporthorses page has almost 2500 likes – what’s going on here?
In case there’s any doubt, here’s more pics I took of DD that day
And pictures of his buddies, Cartier R and Jus D’o. Obviously the same jump and the same venue.
I’m not a photographer, so I don’t mind people using my pictures elsewhere. These are on facebook and have been re-facebooked several times for legit reasons, plus shown up in articles and blog posts. What I do mind is people taking them and using them for fraudulent purposes, lying to people, and making themselves look like jerks on the internet. Someone explain this to me because I don’t get it.
breedrideevent.com 
What a whack job! Seriously- how could they think no one would notice??
LikeLike
Best part is – days later – it’s STILL her profile picture.
LikeLike
People are stupid. Period.
Lovely horse and photos, though :).
LikeLike
I don’t understand how people do stuff like this and think NO ONE WILL NOTICE.
LikeLike
It’s gotta be some kind of mental illness, right? I mean… that’s just not normal.
LikeLike
I know someone who basically had her horse’s identity stolen. Super creepy.
LikeLike
So weird!
LikeLike
If they’re going to post stolen photos, they should at least check to see that the landscape is correct for the time of year they’re posting!! Don’t think trees have summery green leaves in Holland in December.
Certainly takes A LOT of arrogance, or the business is run by pathological liars.
LikeLike
That’s what I’m thinking. Looking through her posts on that page, this seems to be an ongoing trend.
LikeLike
Growing up I had a friend who was a pathological liar- she would do just this, stealing photos and posting them as if that was her life (I will never forget her “deaf German Warmblood ‘Speaks through Silence'”, highland cow collection, etc etc). I never knew whether to be annoyed at it or to feel sorry for her, that apparently she felt her own life wasn’t exciting enough.
LikeLike
Wow. Just wow. That is so strange, it doesn’t even make sense to lie about that.
LikeLike
Wow, this is annoying. I’ve had people steal my photos of my horse’s (My nice photo’s that I work hard on.) and even remove my watermark, and claim them as their own. I’ve gotten tagged like that several times, so annoying and it makes no sense at all.
LikeLike
Yikes! That’s super scary to think that she could be potentially out there misrepresenting horses for sale.
LikeLike
Well you win the prize for most random weirdness on the internet today.
>.<
LikeLike
Hey, at least I finally won something.
LikeLike
Some people are straight up Batsh*t Crazy. That is the only explanation for it. There have been numerous trainwreck threads on the COTH forums with people using stolen photos to promote their businesses.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that are just not mentally well, and you seem to have run into one of them.
LikeLike
A dog blogger has her dog pictures stolen
And someone posted them on FB that it was her dog. The internet has unleashed a new era of fucked up ness.
LikeLike
The ballsiness of this is beyond my comprehension… I would be MORTIFIED to do something like that.
LikeLike
That is REALLY bizarre. I’ve heard of sim game people stealing photos, but not a real business?! Wtf.
LikeLike
It’s almost like she’s a wannabe-real-business? I have no idea. It does look like she rides and has horses and all that, but pretty much all the show pictures (or any of the nice/impressive pictures) aren’t hers.
LikeLike
Seriously?! And she’s a grown woman?! She needs to get a life!!
LikeLike
Ugh. What the hell. I have had issues with this, but with my art. I posted two drawings on a contest and two or three other people tagged themselves in it and tried to claim it as theirs. Ummm, NO. This is why I dislike people. Well, just one of the reasons.
LikeLike
Agreed, people are dumb.
LikeLike
Why would someone steal photos and claim it’s their horse when it isn’t? I don’t get it.
LikeLike
I have no idea! I don’t get it at all either!
LikeLike
I saw this on FB too. It seemed to be that the whole deal is fake fake fake. She/He/They post about being kind of all over the place within a matter of weeks, like Spruce one week, then Kentucky the next, then FL etc etc. Not to mention a single picture that looks like it was taken by a non professional! Its pretty crazy.
LikeLike
CATFISH!
LikeLike
Very strange and concerning! Have you and the horse’s owner point-blank asked that it be taken down?
LikeLike
Several people have. The comment thread is actually really entertaining at this point, but with no response and no action taken.
LikeLike
That’s crazy! Why? And I agree with mango bay–that clearly isn’t even Holland. Maybe the person isn’t even a real business? What a crazy work we live in….
LikeLike
I’m constantly surprised at the crazy in the world.
LikeLike
People be crazy & do the strangest things when hidden behind “anonymity” on the internet
LikeLike
Beyond being crazy, I wonder if there isn’t some bigger internet scam going on here? Think about it…. people order frozen semen all the time, and there are lots of people who don’t breed responsibly who probably wouldn’t mind getting some budget semen from “Windsor” because it’s his first time donating/he’s unproven/it’s a warmblood sale! Can’t you just see that happening? ISN’T THAT HORRIFYING?
This rabbit hole is scary.
LikeLike
that’s kinda creepy… a young teen at my farm is horse shopping for her first full size horse (she events) and says it’s way harder than she thought. she told me with a deep sigh “everybody lies, it’s just crazy” — and it actually made me really sad to see such a young person learning that lesson 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
It cracks me up that she made it her profile picture. That takes it to a whole new level for me.
LikeLike
Absolutely bizarre.
LikeLike
HAHA wow. That’s deeply bizarre.
LikeLike