For animals sold at auction or otherwise, the bill would require sellers to consult with local law enforcement, rescue organizations, stolen horse organizations, and breed associations to determine whether a horse was stolen before its latest sale, as well as provide proof of a current negative Coggins test and a bill of sale. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

A proposed South Carolina bill, developed in the wake of a rash of stolen horse reports, aims to prevent the sale of stolen horses to unwitting buyers.

Introduced in December 2018 by State Senator Paul Campbell, chairman of the state Senate’s Agriculture and Natural Resources committee, the legislation would amend the state’s statute governing the identification of animals sold at auction or otherwise to require sellers to consult with local law enforcement, rescue organizations, stolen horse organizations, and breed associations to determine whether a horse was stolen before its latest sale. The bill also requires sellers provide proof of a current negative Coggins test and a bill of sale at the time of the transaction.

Pamela Miller, South Carolina case manager for NetPosse/Stolen Horse International, said the legislation was introduced after several owners who reported stolen horses discovered that the animals had been recovered after Hurricane Florence and sold by unauthorized individuals to unwitting buyers