Latest from Horse & Hound in Stolen

‘It’s gut-wrenching’: owner of two ‘irreplaceable’ stolen horses appeals for help to get them home

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 29 May 2026 15:20:11 +0000

The owner of two rare-breed horses who were part of the family but are believed to have been stolen has urged for help in getting them home.

Kamila Lewis said it was “gut-wrenching” to find that her home-bred leopard-spot Falabella stallion Lodo of Fort and black mare Equuelus Estelina had gone from their field in Edenbridge, Kent, yesterday morning (28 May).

“They’re irreplaceable; it’s gut-wrenching,” Kamila told H&H. “I want to make them too hot to handle.”

Kamila rents land on Marsh Green Road near Edenbridge in west Kent; she said that on Thursday morning she found all five of her mares and the stallion were gone from their field.

“Four of the mares were loose on the farm and we spent a long time looking for the other two,” she said. “One of the gates had been opened – it’s normally not used – and we followed their trail. There’s a public footpath, which they were taken along, and then fencing has been taken down as they couldn’t have got the horses through the kissing gate.”

Kamila said people camping on the site heard a “commotion” at about 10.30pm, when she thinks the pair were stolen.

“I bred the stallion; he was going to be my future stallion and this was going to be his first year to shine,” she said. “They’re fairly valuable; I sell a few worldwide and they’re about £5,000 each. The stallion is a fine example, but they’re part of the family.

“The stallion is our baby; we bred him, we were there when he was born and he had a future here.”

Stolen Falabellas: can you help?

Kamila said there is a layby nearby, in which she thinks the two horses were loaded up and taken away. She would like anyone who spots either horse, or is offered them for sale, to report to police.

Kent Police is appealing to members of the public for information on the stolen Falabellas; anyone who can help is asked to call the west Kent appeals line on 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/85133/26.

“Local residents with private CCTV or drivers with dashcam footage, who may have been in the area at the time of the incident, are also asked to check for footage,” a police spokesperson said.

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Are these your saddles? Police keen to find rightful owners after two men arrested

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 18 May 2026 13:06:37 +0000

Police are appealing for information as they try to reunite two saddles with their rightful owners.

Merseyside officers recovered the Albion and the Henri de Rivel, one a 17” and the other 17.5”, from an address in Wirral, which was searched as part of the arrest of two men.

“On 2 April we received a report that a flat in Oxton had been broken into and a gold chain and designer watches stolen from the address,” a Merseyside Police spokesperson said.

“Enquiries were conducted and on Thursday, 14 May, officers arrested two men in connection with the burglary.”

A 49-year-old man from Wallasey was arrested on suspicion of fraud, handling stolen goods and possession of a controlled Class B drug, cannabis. A 53-year-old man from Rock Ferry was arrested on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods.

Both men have been released on conditional bail while police enquiries continue.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“However, while carrying out a search of the address, two horse saddles were found, which are described as an Albion saddle with red buttons, and the other is a Henri de Rivel,” the spokesperson said.

“Officers would like the owner of the saddles to get in touch to reclaim them.

“If you are the owner or know who they belong to then please contact Merseyside Police social media desk using X or Facebook @MerPolCC with reference 26000272999.”

Anyone with information can also report it online, or contact Crimestoppers in confidence by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting the website.

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Owners of tack worth £30,000 stolen from locked horsebox locker hope to help prevent other thefts

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Rugs stolen off horses’ backs: dealer urges all theft victims to call police

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A tack room burglary, fire or flood can be devastating – would you be covered?

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

Having horses involves owning a lot of kit and, after paying our essential bills, much of our hard-earned cash goes on tack and equipment for our equine partners. With the totals adding up to a considerable amount, it’s understandable that you’d want to protect your items from being damaged, lost or stolen. This is where tack insurance can come in.

Equine tack and equipment insurance is there to protect the various items and gear used for horse care, training, and competition. It helps cover the cost of replacing or repairing damaged, lost, or stolen items. Whether your horse has an extensive wardrobe of bespoke high-end items or your tackroom is filled with second-hand equipment that you’d be equally gutted to lose, tack insurance is a valuable option that some people completely overlook – until it’s too late.

Most standard horse insurance policies offer some level of cover for saddlery and tack, typically including loss, damage, or theft. This coverage can vary, with some policies offering a specific sum insured for tack and saddlery, and others covering it as part of a broader “death, theft, and straying” benefit. Some policies may also require specific security measures, such as locking tack away when not in use.

Equine tack and equipment insurance cover

When looking for insurance for tack and equipment, you need to decide what types of cover you need. Options include:

Loss or theft: if your tack or equipment is stolen, or if it is lost due to circumstances beyond your control, this insurance can help cover the cost of replacement.
Damage: coverage typically applies to damage caused by accidents, or even natural disasters. Some policies may also cover damage caused by the horse itself.
Fire or natural disasters: some policies include coverage for damage caused by fires, floods, or other catastrophic events.

What items can be covered?

Tack is an obvious item that most of us want to be covered, but policies can be extended to include much more. Such items include saddles, bridles, reins, stirrups and other essential horse-riding gear.

Riding apparel including riding boots, helmets, gloves, and other protective gear used by the rider can also be included, as can stable equipment, for example, feed bins and water troughs.

In some cases, insurance can extend to cover such items as horse trailers or transportation gear used while traveling a horse and also competition gear.

In general, horse riding tack insurance policies may require that items exceeding a certain value are specifically listed on the policy. This is often the case for high-value items like saddles and certain bridles. The specific value threshold and whether all tack needs to be listed depend on the individual insurance provider and the policy detail.

“The maximum sum insured at The Insurance Emporium is £5,000 on a lunar monthly paying policy, and £4,500 on an annual paying policy,” says Frances. “The replacement value will be calculated on the price you paid less depreciation, sum insured, or market value, whichever is less.”

Policy types

There are a variety of policy types available to you when it comes to insuring tack and equipment.

All-risk coverage includes virtually any type of loss or damage unless explicitly excluded, whereas named perils coverage includes only the risks specifically listed in the policy, such as theft, fire, or specific types of accidents.

Some policies offer “replacement cost”, meaning they will pay the full cost to replace the item. Others offer “actual cash value”, which factors in depreciation and only reimburses for the current market value of the item.

It is worth noting that you can take out a standalone policy, or you could add it on to your horse insurance or horse rider insurance.

Policy limits, excesses and exclusions

Policy limits and excess

Policies will typically have a limit on how much can be paid out for each item or for all claims within a policy period. It’s essential to check the coverage limit for expensive equipment like custom saddles or high-end tack. Additionally, some policies may have an excess that must be met before the insurance covers a claim.

Exclusions

Insurance exclusions are specific conditions or events detailed in an insurance policy that are not covered, meaning the insurer won’t pay for losses resulting from those exclusions. They define the boundaries of what the policy protects against and are crucial for understanding the limitations of coverage.

Exclusions on tack and equipment could include:

Wear and tear: normal wear and tear from use is generally not covered.
Negligence: loss or damage caused by negligence (such as leaving equipment out in the rain) may be excluded.
Pre-existing damage: if the equipment was already damaged before the policy was in effect, it will not be covered.

Francis Martin, CEO at The Insurance Emporium adds: “You will not be insured if theft or damage happens while the saddlery and tack is being hired or loaned by anyone other than the named policy holder, or a member of their family (this includes husband, wife, civil partner, partner, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, children, and grandchildren).”

SEIB adds: “Some insurers may also have specific criteria for tack rooms that should be met in terms of the type of lock, window security, and who has access to the area. It is the owner of the item’s responsibility to make sure that where it is kept is appropriate for the storage of tack – not only to meet the insurers needs in terms of security, but also to ensure the tack is kept in good condition in all seasons.”

Security requirements to ensure your policy is valid

A claim could be rejected if your tack isn’t securely stored. Such security requirements might include storing equipment in a house, apartment or non-domestic locked building with security devices in operation, or in a securely locked and fastened vehicle (specific conditions may apply between certain hours).

Measures can also be taken to uniquely identify equipment, such as using air tags, or invisible ink. As with any type of insurance, owners are always encouraged to read the policy wording and security requirements carefully to familiarise themselves with what their policy covers, as insurance cover will vary among providers.

There may also be certain security requirements you should adhere to while away competing at competitions in order for your insurance to remain valid. For example, keeping doors, windows and other openings closed, locked and fastened on horseboxes and tack lockers, and having valid insurance and an approved alarm system.

Making a tack insurance claim

If you need to make a claim, you would typically need to provide proof of the loss or damage (photos, receipts, police reports for theft, etc.). Depending on the insurer, the process may also require an assessment or evaluation of the damage or the value of the items.

A spokesperson for SEIB highlights the importance of keeping receipts of items insured in case you need to make a claim:

“It’s essential to keep purchase receipts in a safe place. Some insurers allow you to send copies of receipts when the item is initially purchased, to keep on your policy file should a claim occur.”

In addition, SEIB recommends keeping the following records.

It is a good idea to have an inventory of all tack and saddlery for insurance purposes.

Keep all purchase receipts alongside the following:

a) Description of items: i.e. brand, colour, size

b) Details of any identifying marks such as engravings, stamps or microchips

c) Good quality photographs showing the items clearly from several angles, plus of any identifying marks

SEIB adds: “In the event of a claim, although some insurers have specialist equine or property loss adjusters who can attend premises if required, most simple claims can be assessed using photos and videos provided by the insured.

“The most useful proof in the event of a claim is a purchase receipt, written saddler valuations plus a photo of where and how the tack is stored – ideally with the tack and saddlery shown in situ.”

Is my tack covered on my home insurance?

Some riders put their tack on their home insurance and Frances says that there are some benefits to this.

“An advantage to having your tack on your home insurance is that it’s linked to other household contents, and everything is included in one policy, but this could be more expensive, and you should always check your policy wording. Horse insurance is tailored specifically to the needs of horse owners.”

Do I need tack and equipment insurance?

So who should consider this insurance? Anybody who owns tack and horse-related equipment should consider insuring it. Whether you are a rider competing at the highest level or a leisure rider, covering your gear could prove invaluable.

Stable owners should also strongly consider insuring tack and equipment given that they may have multiple horses and a significant amount of tack and equipment that needs protection.

SEIB says: “Livery yard owners may have a specific equestrian business policy, and requirements may differ slightly in terms of acceptable criteria for ‘secured’ storage. This may include the tackroom stated as a ‘standard construction’ building.”

Overall, equine tack and equipment insurance provides valuable protection for horse owners and riders who depend on their gear for both everyday use and competitive purposes. It’s important to carefully read the policy details to understand the extent of coverage and any exclusions.

Francis concludes: “As with many aspects that come with owning a horse, buying saddlery and tack is likely to be another big investment in what already has become an expensive hobby.

“Nonetheless, while your home contents insurance may cover your equipment, horse insurance covers the horse for death, theft or straying and, should you choose it as an optional benefit, can include saddlery and tack cover too.

“We understand the rise in veterinary costs, feed, yard fees and all the other costs associated with horse ownership are having a demonstrable impact on owners during the cost-of-living crisis, with many struggling to afford to keep them and looking to make cutbacks, but they should carefully consider the consequences of not having insurance cover.”

We all accept that horses and their gear is a significant investment, so knowing you have insurance can help provide peace of mind.

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‘I burst out crying’: happy tears as owner is reunited with pony stolen eight months ago

Becky Murray — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 20:32:12 +0000

The owner of a 16-year-old pony who was stolen last summer said it feels “unreal” to be reunited, eight months later.

Miniature Shetland mare Maisey disappeared from her field in Castle Combe, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, on 12 July. Maisey’s owner Allison Wood found “scrabble” marks, footprints and tyre tracks, and believed someone had taken Maisey away in a van.

The RSPCA attended the scene, and asked HorseWorld for assistance with “one particular pony in very poor condition”.

“We were asked if we could collect a severely underweight Shetland pony who had been abandoned,” said HorseWorld head of welfare Sarah Hollister.

“We were already at capacity, with other rescues having been taken in just a few days before, but we knew we had to help.”

A HorseWorld spokesman added that Maisey was in a “shocking state”.

“Her winter coat was very fluffy but with further inspection, it was clear the mare was severely malnourished and emaciated, covered in lice and could be pregnant,” he said.

“The RSPCA arranged for an equine vet to attend the site to examine Maisey prior to being transported to ensure she was fit to travel. The pony was rushed to the safety of HorseWorld where she was carefully settled into their emergency care unit and given the immediate lifesaving treatment by the equine welfare and veterinary team.”

When RSPCA inspector Dan Hatfield processed the data from Maisey’s microchip, it was discovered that she had been reported as stolen.

“With a little more delving it quickly transpired that HorseWorld had shared a Facebook post about Maisey’s theft in July 2023. We immediately telephoned colleagues at the RSPCA and shared the amazing news that we believed we had identified not only the pony, but where she had originally come from too.”

Maisey was reunited with Allison on Wednesday (6 March).

“It feels unreal to have Maisey home. When Dan phoned I just burst out crying; I didn’t say anything. I’ve had people in the village crying when I’ve told them,” she said.

“Holly, her fieldmate, will be over the moon. But without the microchip, and the amazing work of everyone involved, we would have never got her back.”

Mr Hatfield said it is “absolutely wonderful to be part of bringing Maisey back home so many months after she was stolen”.

“When we rescued her in such a sorry state last week, we had no idea that she would turn out to be a much-loved, missing pet,” he said.

“This is a fantastic example of how vital it is that we microchip our pets – without this, Maisey may never have found her way back home to her owners, and I am so happy to witness them being reunited today. It was a special moment for us all.”

PC Jess Swanborough of Chippenham Neighbourhood Policing Team was there when Maisey was returned to Allison.

“It was so lovely to see Maisey come home and her owner was absolutely delighted to have her back safely,” she said.

“We are extremely grateful to the member of the public who reported their concerns to Avon and Somerset Police. We are so pleased this case has had a happy ending – it shows the importance of chipping your animals so if anything like this does happen, the chances of the animal being located and returned safely are much greater.”

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Desperate appeal to find missing miniature pony believed stolen

Becky Murray — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:33:00 +0000

The owner of a much-loved family pony who has been missing for more than a week, believed to be stolen, has said she will not give up trying to find her.

Allison Wood’s miniature Shetland mare Maisey disappeared from her field in Castle Combe, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, between 8pm on 11 July and 2pm on 12 July. Maisey had been grazing with Allison’s horse Holly when she disappeared.

Allison, who has owned 16-year-old Maisey for 13 years, told H&H that she believes someone may have taken her over a stone wall.

“There are scrabble marks and someone’s trainer footprints where they have skidded at the edge of the field by the wall,” she said.

“At the end of the lane we found tyre tracks. She’s only 31 inches tall and we think someone has put her in a van.”

Allison said Maisey has a history of laminitis and needs to be carefully managed.

“She’s on minimal grass, and this year she has been doing amazing. She’s probably not worth a lot of money, and she can’t be ridden, but whoever has taken her doesn’t know that,” she said.

“She’s part of our family. When we have animals we keep them for their lifetime, and I won’t give up until we find her. She wasn’t really in view, and it’s horrible thinking that someone has been checking us out.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“We just hope to get some good news, and that someone might leave her somewhere and we can collect her,” said Allison.

“We’ve done everything we can to make her too hot to handle.”

Wiltshire Police are appealing for witnesses. A police spokesman said if anyone recognises Maisey and can help locate her, to contact 101, quoting reference 54230073017.

Two arrests made as police investigate theft of tiny foal

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:07:42 +0000

Two men have been arrested as police continue to investigate the theft of a weeks-old donkey foal.

H&H reported that tiny Moon was stolen from Miller’s Ark Animals in Hook, Hampshire, on 15 May. After a police investigation, and a major response from the public, the foal was recovered on 31 May. She was returned home to her dam, Astra, and to the delight of her owners.

“We are beyond excited, ecstatic,” said Pamela Jessopp of Miller’s Ark at the time.

Hampshire Constabulary has since issued an update on its investigation into the theft of Moon.

“Officers from our Countrywatch team, assisted by the Thames Valley Police rural crime taskforce, made two arrests,” a spokesman for the force said.

“A 17-year-old male and a 38-year-old male from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, were arrested at 8pm on 1 June on suspicion of theft.

“Suspected stolen plant machinery was also recovered from the scene on Whitehouse Lane in High Wycombe.

“Both have been released under investigation while further enquiries continue by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Country Watch Team.”

A Miller’s Ark spokesman added last week: “We are beyond thrilled and Mum and foal are finally back together. Moon appears to be in good health, thank heaven, and we will make sure that Moon and her mum Astra get lots of love and care as they rediscover each other.”

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 44230191581.

‘Beyond thrilled’ as tiny stolen donkey foal returns home

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:13:02 +0000

A weeks-old donkey foal stolen over a fortnight ago has been reunited with her owner – and her mother – after “fantastic” police work and public response.

Moon, who was 12 weeks old at the time, was taken from Miller’s Ark Animals, Hampshire, on 15 May. “Countless” members of the public contacted police as they investigated – and the foal was recovered from Buckinghamshire last night (31 May).

“We are beyond excited, ecstatic,” said Pamela Jessopp of Miller’s Ark. “You always hold out hope but as the time frame and the time window got larger you do wonder if she would be found or not.

“We are very grateful to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Surrey Police and Thames Valley Police for their support and investigation and for the speedy action last night.”

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A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the farm, which had been sent information about Moon, contacted the force last night.

“We immediately deployed officers to an address in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire,” the spokesman said.

“At around 8.15pm the stolen donkey was located, recovered and returned, to the delight of the owners.”

Police Sergeant Stuart Ross, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Countrywatch team, added: “This was a fantastic piece of joint working from Countrywatch and Thames Valley Police’s Rural Task Force team.

“Our appeals to find Moon attracted countless calls and online reports from members of the public with possible sightings and potential lines of enquiry and we want to thank everyone who shared these appeals and got in touch with us.

“We are absolutely delighted about this positive outcome.”

A Miller’s Ark spokesman added that the team liaised with Thames Valley Police and recovered Moon.

“We are beyond thrilled and mum and foal are finally back together,” she said. “Moon appears to be in good health, thank heaven, and we will make sure that Moon and her mum Astra get lots of love and care as they rediscover each other.

The Countrywatch team will continue its investigation into the theft of Moon. Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 44230191581.

Woman arrested after£10,000haul including tack stolen

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:52:24 +0000

An arrest has been made in relation to the theft of equipment, including tack, worth about £10,000.

Hampshire Constabulary confirmed that a young woman has been arrested in connection with the theft from a vehicle last week.

“We received reports of a theft from a vehicle between 8.30pm and midnight on Tuesday, 21 March from an address on Whitsbury Road in Fordingbridge,” a spokesman for the force told H&H.

“Following further police enquiries, New Forest’s high harm team and response and patrol officers searched three premises including a property on Alexandra Road in Bournemouth, a property on The Headlands in Salisbury, Wiltshire and a property on Salisbury Road in Ringwood.

“Property, including horse tack items valued at around £10,000 in total was recovered and seized as a result.”

The spokesman said a 23-year-old woman from Bournemouth was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. She has since been released under investigation while enquiries are ongoing.

A 33-year-old man from Ringwood is expected to voluntarily attend an interview under caution in a police custody suite.

Calls for riders to keep reporting crime despite feelings of ‘waste of time’

Lucy Elder — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:20:32 +0000

Riders and those living in rural areas are urged to keep reporting crime – even if it feels futile – as it helps police build a clearer picture of problems and how to tackle them.

The Countryside Alliance’s (CA) annual survey, published last month, revealed that 97% of the 2,016 people who took part said that rural crime was a “significant” issue in their community. A total of 49% did not think police take rural crime seriously, and 63% of those who did not report crime they experienced to police said they did not do so because “it was a waste of time”.

“Rural communities have for a long time been resigned to the fact they will receive a poorer level of response from the police when they have a crime committed against them and this is just unacceptable,” said Sarah Lee, CA director of policy.

“However, it comes against a backdrop of increasing and competing pressures on rural police forces, who are themselves facing challenges around funding.”

She added that as the review of the police funding formula gets under way this year, the CA is “urgently” calling on the Government to “level up rural policing, by increasing funding and resources”.

Essex Police, fire and crime commissioner Roger Hirst, who is also a horse owner, spoke to H&H ahead of Friday’s (10 March) launch of the county’s 2023–2026 rural crime strategy.

He said that tackling rural crime is “really important”, nodding to the reductions in specific areas of rural crime and the doubling in size of the rural task force in recent years, and stressed that they “need people to report crime”.

He described the CA’s statistics as a “hair-tearing” moment, as he “needs to get the message across” that reporting crime “really makes a difference and is not a waste of time”.

Referring to how the phrase “no further action” can be confusing, he said: “But actually, there will be further action around dealing with the data, understanding the patterns of crime and dealing with that.

“It’s just that your particular crime isn’t going to be the one that leads to the prosecution. I know that’s a really tricky message, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get it across – people do have that sense of despair, that it’s a waste of time, why would I bother calling the police, it’s a lot of time spent waiting on 101.

“Please use the online website, give the data that you have and keep on doing so, and that way we actually get crime down as we can put in place either preventive patrols, hotspot policing or we can successfully pursue the prosecution.”

In terms of specific advice for equestrians, he reiterated the basics of keeping tack rooms locked, CCTV and being a member of local watch groups. The strategy contains plans to expand the pilot Essex Horsewatch scheme, where riders are extra “eyes and ears”, supporting police by reporting suspicious activity or crimes.

Action is happening elsewhere, too. New rural crime task force Northumberland Partnership Against Rural Crime has “big plans in the pipeline” after Northumberland Police secured a “landmark” £250,000 Safer Streets funding.

Police Scotland and some 35 organisations are also joining forces in the North East Partnership Against Rural Crime (NEPARC), which names equestrian incidents among the crimes it will focus on.

“The effect of offences within a rural environment can often be far-reaching and impact the victim and the wider community. As a partnership, we will encourage, implement and promote initiatives to prevent and reduce opportunities for such criminality,” said chief inspector Simon Reid, NEPARC chair.

Thieves strip out partitions, breach bars and wheel – but leavehorse trailer behind

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:47:53 +0000

It’s a terrible experience having anything stolen – but imagine your surprise if you went to hitch up your trailer, only to find thieves had stripped out partitions, breach bars and a spare wheel, but left the box itself behind.

Norfolk Constabulary is appealing for witnesses or information relating to the theft of a trailer’s contents, in Thurning, last Saturday night (14 January).

A spokesman for the force said the stolen items were together worth about £900.

“The incident happened at around 11.30pm on Saturday, 14 January, on Hindolveston Road in Thurning when the interior of an Ifor Williams HB505 horse trailer was stripped and removed,” the spokesman added.

“Contents included four breach bars, a central partition pole, front and rear partition panels, spare wheel, and spare wheel cover. A rear light cover was smashed.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call PC David Greenwood at Norfolk Constabulary on 101, quoting crime reference number 36/4627/23 .

They can also call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.

Two charged in relation to tack thefts at major show centres

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 16:23:00 +0000

Two men have been charged with theft in relation to tack stolen from Weston Lawns, Bolesworth and the David Broome Event Centre this year.

Jamie Aston, 31, and Kieran Quinn, 35, both of Arthur Street, Blaengwynfi, have been charged with five counts of theft. Mr Aston was charged with a further count of theft.

The charges relate to the stealing of tack at Weston Lawns, Coventry, on 24 April, and from Bolesworth, Cheshire, on 3 July, and the David Broome Event Centre, Chepstow, on 10 July.

Both have been bailed and are due to appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court on 11 October.

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(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

New stickers aim to prevent trailer theft following police crackdown

Becky Murray — Sat, 21 May 2022 18:03:50 +0000

A police force is cracking down on horse trailer theft with a new initiative to deter criminals.

Nottinghamshire Police is providing “tamper-proof” stickers, which can be placed on the side of trailers. The stickers are designed to help highlight when a theft might be taking place as they say “Police – stop if seen moving between 10pm and 5am”.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“As legitimate users of the boxes typically only use the trailers to transport horses and livestock during the day, seeing them being moved at night can be deemed suspicious,” said a police spokesman.

Chief inspector Heather Maelor, the force’s rural crime lead, said Nottinghamshire Police has received several reports of this type of theft taking place as supply issues make trailers “very sought after”.

“This has been recognised as an issue across the region, so our officers have been making extra efforts to combat this theft trend and deter criminals. As part of this, we’ve introduced the stickers, which can then be placed on horseboxes and are difficult for offenders to take off quickly,” she said.

“We know that most of these offences take place overnight, at a time when these trailers aren’t typically in use, so they can offer a simple but effective way of alerting officers and the wider public that a crime is taking place.”

The spokesman added this was “just one of many” tactics Nottinghamshire Police is using to combat rural crime, with a “string of enforcement activity” that has resulted in the recovery of stolen trailers and subsequent criminal investigations. Officers have been visiting farms to hand out the stickers and offer security advice.

“We know that theft of trailers is a serious issue for members of the rural community that can impact livelihoods, so we have redoubled our efforts to do whatever we can to crackdown on this type of offending,” said Ms Maelor.

“As part of this, we have also relaunched the Nottinghamshire Police Horse Watch page on Facebook, where the public can get advice and support. It’s important that anyone who spots any suspicious activity, relating to horsebox thefts or other rural crime matters, reports it to the police straight away. We’d much rather come out and find that it’s nothing to worry about than not be there at the time.”

Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner Caroline Henry said the force hopes to deter criminals from stealing horseboxes in the first place as part of efforts to tackle rural and wildlife crime.

“Part of our response is seeking to address the concerns that rural communities tell us about, which recently was concerns over a spate of horse box thefts,” she said.

“These stickers are a direct response to these concerns and demonstrate how we are continuing to listen and respond to residents’ concerns.”

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‘How can we stop these people?’ Rider targeted for a second time in latest show tack theft

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 13:09:39 +0000

“What can we do to stop these people” is the question being asked as the spate of high-value tack thefts from show centres continues — including one rider who has been targeted for the second time.

A total of 12 saddles were stolen from lorries at Northcote Stud last weekend, which was holding a four-day British Showjumping show from 10-13 February. One of the riders affected was Holly Johnstone, who had two saddles stolen from her at Onley Grounds Equestrian Complex last May. Her two replacement CWD saddles, including one her partner had bought her new as a Christmas present, were taken, along with other equipment, her Samshield hat and her gloves.

Stud event and sport manager Adam Cromarty told H&H the total value of the stolen gear was about £50,000.

“I don’t think anyone is under the illusion that it was someone just passing by, I think it’s an organised criminal group,” he said. “At the moment, it’s all theories and opinions but probably someone who’s part of the sport is involved. They may not be the ones actually using the screwdrivers but I think there’s knowledge being passed on.”

Adam posted on Facebook to inform riders of new security measures the stud is taking, although there was already CCTV throughout the site, indoors, outdoors, in the arenas and in every stable.

He also asked whether competitors would be prepared to pay a small amount for extra night security, and had a positive response.

“I thought it was important to gauge feelings in the show community,” he said. “We don’t want it to feel like a prison camp here but people have to feel secure.”

“It was definitely overnight,” he added. “We’ve got cameras on the main gate, which is really the only way in, and there was nothing spotted on them so it could have been 10pm or 3am.

“Looking at the back fields, there are tyre tracks so the theory at the moment is they gained access through a gap in the hedge, which makes you think again it’s organised; they’ve been on site to do a recce in advance.

“This should be national news and I don’t think police will get anywhere investigating it as local crimes; these people have travelled.”

Adam said the centre is being proactive; he has asked for police presence at the centre’s pony premier show this weekend, and will ask for the same at its forthcoming major events, as well as beefing up night security.

“It’s a bit sad we have to,” he said. “We didn’t really think it would happen to us.

“I don’t think the net is closing in on these people but it’s made and maybe ready to cast and hopefully, if police work together, they’ll correlate information. We’ve given them a list of everyone who was stabled here and if someone in the industry is involved, even if they’re not the one using the screwdriver, they’re involved, and it’s a worse moral crime as they’re part of the community.”

A kick in the teeth

Holly, who owns a livery yard and showjumps as an amateur, told H&H it was a “kick in the teeth” to be targeted again. Her tack locker was securely locked but the thieves used first a screwdriver, then a crowbar to force it open.

“The first time, you think it’s bad luck, what can you do differently, but the second time, it’s heartbreaking,” she said.

Holly, who estimates the total worth of all her stolen tack at about £20,000, also thinks an insider is involved, passing information.

“I think someone’s competing alongside us, having a look to see what tack we’ve got and what lorries we’re in,” she said. “I wasn’t going to post about what happened on Facebook but I did and it reached thousands of people and that’s what we need; these people keep getting away with it and think they can just carry on but it’s got to stop, it has to go somewhere.”

Holly hopes someone involved will slip up, or let something slip, or that someone will pass some information to police.

“What can we do to stop these people?” she asked. “I just want to help someone else; I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I’d do anything to stop them.

“I’ve got two horses I’ll never part with as they’re my joy and that’s what hurts the most; I showjump because I love it and this takes the enjoyment out of it — but I won’t let them stop me doing what I love.

“These people have no morals and there’s no other word for them but scum, they’re disgusting. Someone has to know something, someone knows where the tack’s going, and if they could just pass on a name to police, even anonymously, that would give them somewhere to start.

“I’d like to think I might get my saddles back, but seeing these people caught would be enough for me.”

A spokesman for Lancashire Police told H&H no arrests have been made but “enquiries are very much ongoing”. Anybody with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting log 0370 of February 12, 2022. Information can also be passed, in confidence, by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Both Lincolnshire Police, which is investigating the Arena UK thefts, and Lancashire told H&H they are not working with other forces on the thefts, but a Lincs spokesman said a general force position is that “we always keep an open mind with any investigation, and we will work with our colleagues in other force areas if needed”.

‘Why would someone do this?’: thieves target RDA charity shop

Becky Murray — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 18:06:19 +0000

Thieves left a “trail of destruction” when they broke into a Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) charity shop and stole goods worth over £1,500.

The Cotswold RDA group’s shop at Tewkesbury High Street was targeted in the early hours of Thursday morning (27 January).

Cotswold RDA general manager Lesley Gorton told H&H thieves broke in through the shop’s glass front door.

“All our show jackets were stolen, along with casual riding and hunting jackets and we had a big beautiful silver ceramic horse-head display that’s been left in a nasty mess. They’ve left a trail of destruction.”

The charity’s first standalone shop in the UK only opened in December. The group also has a charity shop situated within the Midcounties Co-Op store in Longleven.

“It feels like having your home broken into, we’ve put so much passion into the shop,” said Lesley.

“You think, why would someone do this to a charity that helps disabled children and adults?”.

The group has had a difficult couple of weeks. One of its riding ponies, Chester, was injured in a field accident on 17 January resulting in the removal of his eye. Lesley told H&H the gelding has been making progress and has now had his dressing removed.

“The support we have had for Chester and since the shop was broken has been incredibly uplifting. We’ve had influential people from the racing world make donations and even children who ride with us donating their pocket money,” said Lesley.

“It’s made us realise just how loved our work is.”

Anyone who wishes to donate to the shop’s fundraiser, or Chester’s appeal can do so via the group’s Facebook page or website.

A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesman told H&H police were called to a report of a break in at 4.30am on 27 January.

“Police attended and arrested two men and a woman in connection with the incident. All three were arrested on suspicion of burglary offences,” said the spokesman.

“The men, one in his 30s from Cheltenham and the other in his 20s from Gloucester, have since been released under investigation. The woman, in her 20s, has also been released under investigation.”

‘We must stick together to beat these scumbags’: horse world urged to unite against tack thieves

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:27:30 +0000

Riders who lost tack worth tens of thousands of pounds want the horse world to unite as a community to beat the “scumbag” thieves responsible.

Ibi Whatley and Wayne Garrick’s five saddles, which with stud girths and stirrups were worth about £30,000, were stolen in one of a number of thefts from lorries at Arena UK last Friday or Saturday (14-15 January).

H&H has reported that the riders want to alert others to issues such as the fact many tack-locker locks are generic, and insurance may not cover such thefts.

Ibi is also collating evidence, to help the police with their investigation, but also to compile a list of stolen saddles, to try to thwart the thieves’ attempts to sell them on.

“I don’t care who these people are, or how scary people think they are; you don’t steal,” Ibi told H&H. “Not from a 14-year-old child like my daughter, not from anyone. This has gone on too long.”

Ibi is looking into start lists and other evidence to find out if any of the same people were at all the shows affected recently, including Keysoe in November and Hickstead last summer. She has been sent certain names, some a number of times, and intends to pass all the evidence on to police once it is clear.

“I’ve also set up a Facebook group, where we can list all the tack that’s been stolen, so people can keep an eye out if they’re offered it,” she said. “I’ve been on the phone to my Voltaire rep; they’ve been amazing and my tack is on the worldwide stolen list so will come up stolen on their system, but I want that to be available to everyone.

“I want people buying saddles to ask for the serial number beforehand, check with the Facebook group. Come on guys, we need to stick together on this, and if you’re being offered a Voltaire for £1,500, that’s probably not right. There’s a moral obligation to check.”

The Facebook group is Stolen Saddles UK

Ibi said by Tuesday (18 January) she had not yet read all the messages from people whose tack had been stolen at shows recently.

“It’s been an amazing response,” she said. “You feel so helpless because the police don’t really seem to know what they’re dealing with. This isn’t just opportunists, it’s organised crime; they know what they’re going for and I’m sure we were being watched as everything of ours that was taken was nearly new.”

Ibi added that no one can afford to lose their tack, but it is not just the money.

“It’s an 18-week lead time to replace these saddles; that’s half the season gone,” she said. “There’s a reason we buy these brands; they fit our horses and riders, and it’s expensive enough, and horses are stressful enough, without this hanging over your head at a show. Will it be horses next? These people know we’ll have had to get new tack so will we be targeted again? I say no. They need to be stopped.”

From conversations with people who have had tack stolen previously, Ibi wonders whether some of these saddles will be taken abroad and sold from lorries at shows in Europe. She is thinking of contacting foreign authorities to see what can be done, and has contacted the sport governing bodies to make suggestions.

“Anything we can do to make things more difficult for the thieves, we will,” she said.

“If we’re on to them, and they know it, and we’re not going to stop, it will hopefully prevent it happening so blatantly. I doubt we’ll get out tack back but if we can make it harder for the scumbags, it will almost be worth it — and there’s no way we’ll drop it.”

Ibi said one positive was the “overwhelming support” from many areas of the equestrian community.

“The showjumping world has really pulled together,” she said. “I’ve had someone who doesn’t even know me offer to lend her jump saddles as her horses are lame, another rider has offered me a saddle, others have offered me tack, and people were lending me saddles between their classes at the show so the girls could jump.

“I think there might be some twitchy bums around as [the thieves] have realised we’re not to be messed with, and we will make them pay however we can, within the law because we’re not scum. We’ll just keep going and going.

“We want people to be aware, and we’ve got to stick together. If we pull together as an equestrian unit and look out for each other at shows, it might help stop it for everyone.”

Owners of tack worth £30,000 stolen from locked horsebox locker hope to help prevent other thefts

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 18:13:21 +0000

Two riders who between them lost tack worth about £30,000 in one of a series of thefts at the same show centre say they want to do all they can to prevent others suffering the same fate.

Wayne Garrick and Ibi Whatley took six horses to Arena UK for a three-day British Showjumping show from 14-16 January. Their five saddles; two Voltaire Lexingtons, a Fairfax monoflap, a Stubben Phoenix and the only Aviar jump saddle in the country (pictured), were all taken, along with Voltaire, Stubben and Devocoux stud girths, a Fairfax girth and Freejump and Jin stirrups. This was one of a number of thefts of tack stolen from lorries at about the same time.

Wayne told H&H he and Ibi found out their tack had been stolen on Saturday morning after they saw a post from another rider at the show whose bridles had been stolen.

“I was tagged in this post, asking if I could help, so I asked Ibi to look in our bridle locker, and I just heard a shout,” he said. “They’d taken all our saddles; we just sat there, completely gobsmacked.”

Wayne said he initially assumed the tack had been stolen overnight, but that this did not make sense.

“Our neighbours on one side had been up and about at night as they’ve got a new baby and they heard nothing; I’m a light sleeper and sleep with the lorry window open and I heard nothing, and my dog didn’t react,” he said. “The straps to my tack locker are broken, so it would have given someone a clout or banged. I thought the only time I was away from the lorry was when I was watching the 1.20m and 1.30m classes.

“I think we’d had eyes on us, and that makes more sense than everyone sleeping through it, and of course, someone loading tack in a wheelbarrow while a class is going on doesn’t look dodgy, like it would if they did it in the middle of the night.”

Wayne thanked all those riders who offered to lend equipment, and Julie Masters of Custom Saddlery, who drove from Worcestershire to Lincolnshire to fit two saddles.

And he now wants to help prevent similar thefts by raising awareness of certain issues.

“We’ve learned so much from this,” he said. “I know the locker was locked because I’d been super careful, but I’ve found out many tack-locker keys are generic, which is a bit of a kick in the teeth — I’ve emailed some lorry companies since to say they need to put different locks on.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Wayne said he has been contacted by Josh Thompson of Classic Services Group to improve his lorry’s security, as he is now wary of staying away at shows.

“They’re going to kit it out with alarms and a CCTV system, and if anyone does open the locker, they’ll get the shock of their life,” he said. “There’s an app too and I’ll get a notification if anyone opens the locker; I can’t wait for that to be a thing.”

H&H reported that 14 saddles were stolen from lorries and lockers at the Keysoe Winter Classic show in November, including Equipe, Fairfax, Butet, Devoucoux, CWD and Amerigo. Tack was also stolen at Hickstead last summer.

Wayne thinks there are similarities between the thefts, and that the thieves had been watching, and knew what they wanted.

“They went shopping in one rider’s tack locker; they just took the expensive stuff,” he said. “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else; I don’t want anyone to have that realisation, or have to make the calls to their owners, when they open the door and realise all their stuff has gone.

“A lot of people have said thank you for speaking up, and it was like no one was talking about it. But I’m going to. It feels like this has happened at four or five shows, and we all need to sort it out. I can’t afford for this to happen again, and I don’t want it to happen to someone else who thought locking their tack locker was enough.

“Get your locks changed, by an independent locksmith, and get an alarm fitted that’s triggered when the locker’s opened.

“I’ve had to have a sense of humour through this as I’m not going to let them take my life away, but on that Saturday, I had nothing left.”

Wayne added: “If it’s fellow competitors doing this, what gets me is that they know about the seven-day weeks, the winter, how hard it is to do what we do. As a community, we need to make sure competitions are safe and secure. Thieves will thieve but we need to do what we can to deter them.”

Arena UK managing director Lauren Fogg told H&H the team at the centre was “as devastated as [the riders] are”.

“We treat every competitor who comes here as part of the Arena UK family and we’re gutted this happened,” she said. “Security is there, but we can’t be everywhere all the time, and we pride ourselves on the fact we’ve had nothing like this in probably two years.

“We are stepping up security measures as much as we can.”

A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police confirmed that stolen items also included boots and a hat.

“This has caused a great deal of upset amongst those attending the event,” the spokesman said. “Horse riding equipment is expensive and the thefts will affect people significantly.

“Alongside the thefts the owner has received threatening telephone calls. This is unacceptable and we have recorded an offence of harassment alongside the thefts.

“We appeal to anyone, who has information about the stolen equipment, to contact us. Please refer to incident 170 of 15 January.

“The equipment will be offered for sale somewhere and again, we appeal to anyone who may have any information on where this stolen equipment is being sold, to contact us.”

Tack-theft prevention measures considered as saddles stolen at major show

Becky Murray — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 17:58:56 +0000

THE pros and cons of different theft deterrents have been discussed following the thefts of a number of saddles from horseboxes at a high-profile show.

On the weekend of the Keysoe Winter Classic (4–7 November) thieves broke into multiple lorry tack lockers during the night and stole saddles, some of which had trackers fitted. An investigation by Bedfordshire Police is ongoing.

Ellen Lutener, whose son and daughter were competing at Keysoe, had four Devoucoux saddles, with stirrups attached, stolen from their tack locker while they slept.

“You hear of these things happening but you don’t think it’s going to happen to you. The saddles were personalised and had names stamped into them, which you would think would put people off. We have now bought an alarm for the tack lockers which runs off solar panels,” Ellen told H&H.

Theft prevention measures can include postcode stamping, trackers, microchipping and microdots. PCSO Shaun Taylor of West Yorkshire Police told H&H there are pros and cons to each.

“Trackers are beneficial, but like all security systems, there are people who will find a way around them and it is possible to block them,” he said. “Postcode stamping is still useful, but it’s important if you buy a secondhand saddle to make sure you know what postcode it has been marked with. It sounds obvious, but if you don’t know what the saddle has been marked with, it makes it much harder for the police to recover it.”

Bedfordshire Police’s PC Grant Hayes said numerous companies offer microdot technology, in which small dots are painted on to a saddle that can be registered and later identified by the police.

“Alternatively, saddles can be microchipped and registered with Farmkey or Datatag. Riders can also register their tack with the Police National Mobile Property Register,” he said, adding that riders should keep a tack inventory with photos and serial numbers to prove ownership in the event of lost or stolen tack being found by police.

“With regard to lorry security, if financially possible, consider installing alarms or cameras on the tack lockers and change the locks so that they are not generic. uWatch is a company that offers a security camera which has functions including motion sensors, GPS tracking, and temperature sensor.”

Livery yard owner and showjumper Shannon Wilson [who was not at Keysoe] told H&H she had her tack fitted with a microchip by Lincolnshire Police and was provided with signage to display warning the tack is microchipped.

“It might not ultimately stop my tack being stolen, but if someone tried to get rid of it at an auction and it was scanned, then there’s a chance of it being returned,” she said.

Thames Valley Horsewatch volunteer Belinda Davies carries out postcode stamping and engraving on bits and stirrups and believes having a physical mark is more effective than something that can be removed.

“If you have say a tracker and it relies on a battery, then it’s likely it’s going to be easily detachable for you to charge it so someone could just take it off and throw it away,” she said.

Top sport at Keysoe Winter Classic despite multiple tack thefts

Sarah Radford — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 12:53:35 +0000

MARK EDWARDS maintained his status as the man to beat when he headed both the large and small grands prix at Keysoe Winter Classic, Beds, as well as tallying more young horse success with a Blue Chip qualifier victory.

Mark set himself up with a fighting chance in the £1,500 grand prix after piloting two rides through to the 11-strong jump off – but his brilliant round from first draw on Montreuxs Tale was enough to seal the deal.

Although there were an eventual seven double clears round Ben Townley’s track, Montreuxs’ huge stride and ample scope proved insurmountable. A late challenge came from Adrian Speight and his reigning national champion Millfield Baloney but they remained 0.75sec adrift of the Welshman’s target time.

“I knew there were a few quick ones behind me so we had to give it a go,” Mark said. “Adrian wants to win as much as I do, so I knew he would be trying.

“Montreuxs’ big stride helped – we took one out to the water tray and he just ate up the ground.”

The 17.2hh home-bred is in his element in large outdoor rings, but has shown equal ability since coming indoors this season.

“It is easier with him outdoors, but because he’s always trying and is very rideable, you can turn him as well,” Mark said. “As we didn’t get to jump much in 2020, he hasn’t done as much indoors, so we’re building on his consistency.”

Mark added another victory in the small grand prix with 10-year-old Flying Tinker II before rounding off a full complement of Blue Chip qualifications for his young horses when he headed the Blue Chip B&C qualifier with Royale Tale. The six-year-old daughter of Montreuxs Tale, from before he was cut as a four-year-old, was the first filly born at Mark’s farm for five or six years.

“We had a run of colts, which isn’t all that useful when you have a breeding programme!” Mark said. “We aren’t really into embryo transfer but we might breed from her when she’s a bit older as it’s nice to keep the bloodline going. She’s a real little winner who I think will be a really nice horse.”

Jessica Hewitt riding Hot Bluebird. (Image credit: Hoof Prints Equestrian Event Photos)

Reigning Hickstead winter B&C champions Jess Hewitt and Hot Bluebird have a shot at defending their title as they won the 72-strong qualifier, 2.47sec ahead of Adam Ellery on Helios B.

“She’s a machine,” Jess said. “She is like a 12.2hh against the clock. She can turn and she can gallop, so there is no track that doesn’t suit her.”

Megan Broadway’s nine-year-old mare is also being aimed at under-25 qualifiers this season.

“She has been really unlucky and has missed by one or two in each qualifier,” Jess said. “If they were still decided on points, I think we’d be topping the league!”

Competitive classes at Keysoe Winter Classic

BOOSTED prize money drew competitors to this show and classes were characterised by huge fields and hotly fought jump-offs, with the top places often decided by hundredths of a second.

Tallulah Randall took a 0.65sec win from 80-plus starters in the Blue Chip winter 1.25m qualifier, with her eight-year-old Crikey O’Reilly. The partnership just pipped reigning talent seekers champions Daniella Johnston and Elton John II, who were second.

Tallulah Randall and Crikey O’Reilly. (Image credit: Hoof Prints Equestrian Event Photos)

Tallulah bought the 17hh gelding from Goresbridge as a three-year-old and has produced him herself.

“He was a scrawny dinosaur of a horse but we got lucky!” she said. “He’s everything I could ever want. He is spooky at home but when he goes out, he jumps mega.”

There were just 0.19sec separating the top three in the 90-strong Blue Chip Karma qualifier. Thomas Dovkants took the top spot with the nine-year-old mare Idylle, whose clean technique in front makes her a handy horse for indoor arenas.

Thomas currently has the mare in to sell, having originally ridden her as a seven-year-old.

“She was sold two years ago but we got her back two months ago,” said Thomas, who hopes to step her up to grand prix later this season. “We’re trying to find an owner for her so she can stay long term, as that would be ideal. She is a lovely horse with plenty of ability, it is just getting her brain in action as sometimes she is too much of a thinker.”

Thomas Dovkants and Idylle. (Image credit: Hoof Prints Equestrian Event Photos)

Thomas also picked up a 1.20m win on Sunday with Vilenco I.

“She’s another one we have in to sell – it’s a shame when they go as I get on with her like a house on fire,” he said. “She’s a phenomenal 1.20m to 1.30m horse, who is super-careful and turns on a sixpence.”

“Powerhouse” horse impresses

ABI WALTERS collected a spring championships qualification in the 1.30m winter grade C with seven-year-old Jack Daniels Reuvekamps, whom she bought after seeing a video posted by Bosanko Sports Horses.

“I normally look at sales videos but don’t buy, but I saw his and liked him. I used to event but I was switching to horses with more jumping breeding, so I went to have a look,” she said.

The Mr Blue x Chacco Blue gelding lost an eye to equine recurrent uveitis in March 2020 but remains unfazed.

“He is still a very consistent horse and has been all the way through age classes,” said Abi. “He is a very easy horse, who makes things simple – he is a powerhouse with a great, rideable brain.”

Saturday’s 1.40m open went to Yazmin Davis and her 11-year-old Zanbowa Z, with Helen Tredwell in second on Sebastian.

“It was a nice flowing track and up-to-height as it was an A10. I watched a few go and there weren’t many clears until later in the class,” she said.

The SEIB winter novice went to Irishman Derek McCoppin and Fabian II, with runner-up Lorraine Lock claiming the second ticket with Billy Gobi.

Tack thefts at Keysoe Winter Classic

RIDERS were full of praise for the organisation at this show – but the event was marred by the theft of around 14 saddles from five lorries and one tack locker.

Riders including Rikki Gradley, Julie Grimwade, Holly Grimwade, Danielle Dickson and Angie Thompson were all targeted, with the stolen saddle brands including Equipe, Fairfax, Butet, Devoucoux, CWD and Amerigo.

“I had my three favourite Devoucoux show saddles taken. They are all moulded to you and your horses and you know exactly what fits what,” Angie said. “They are so personal; to have them stolen is absolutely gutting.”

Angie said that the thefts appeared to come in three waves, with some occurring in broad daylight. Lorries in one corner of the site that could be accessed via a separate gate seemed to have been targeted.

“They have security at Keysoe, which is more than a lot of shows have,” Angie said. “Nobody came in and out of the driveway, so we think they came in through the field. Security was right on it after it happened.”

Angie won a 1.35m open on the first day with Fremont VDL but had to borrow a saddle for the rest of the show. She finished third in Saturday’s 1.40m.

“Adam Ellery was stabled next to us and had an older Devoucoux similar to mine and then I borrowed some of Alex Bishop’s spray stuff so I felt stuck to it,” she said. “Everyone is so generous. So many people were offering saddles to borrow or to try.”

Angie added that Bicton and Arena UK had also been affected by saddle thefts and that “something would have to be done” to stop it.

“People were so worried, they were walking round with their saddles and wouldn’t leave them anywhere,” she said. “It’s happened too many times now and the way it’s happening is so brazen. We sleep in our lorries and it makes you feel quite vulnerable.”

This report will also be available in read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 11 November

Calls to include equines in new pet abduction law

Becky Murray — Sun, 19 Sep 2021 20:03:54 +0000

Pet abduction will be made a specific criminal offence to distinguish it clearly from other types of theft, the Government has announced, as calls are made to include equines in the new legislation.

In May the Government launched a pet theft taskforce, made up of officials from departments including Defra, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice, and the Crown Prosecution Service. The taskforce considered evidence from groups including academics, animal welfare organisations and enforcement agencies and this month released recommendations. One of these is the creation of a new pet abduction law. The Home Office also committed to ensuring pet abduction is recorded in a “consistent manner” across police forces, and officials from each department will be able to review the way data is collected.

“The new offence will prioritise the welfare of our pets as sentient beings and recognise the emotional Sdistress to the animal in addition to its owner,” said a spokesman for the taskforce.

The new law, which will be brought in in “due course”, is part of the Government’s action plan for animal welfare announced this year, and follows a parliament debate in October 2020 calling for an amendment to the Theft Act 1968 or for a new offence to be created under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (news, 29 October)

H&H asked Defra whether horses will be included under the new law and Defra said the details are “subject to further consideration”.

“The scope of the offence should include dogs, and the applicability to other types of animal will be explored during the development of the policy,” said a Defra spokesman.

A spokesman for welfare charity Horses and Ponies Protection Association (HAPPA) said the topic of pet theft was close to the charity’s heart following the suspected theft of Welsh mare HAPPA Lottie from her permanent loan home last year. Despite appeals, Lottie has not been found.

“We have been left wondering what has happened to Lottie for more than 12 months,” the spokesman said. “We grow concerned she has entered the welfare system once more, and could be anywhere not receiving the care, attention and love she got from her home. Her family have gone through all the motions many of us would feel at the loss of a pet, but with added angst that they don’t know what has happened to her.

“The impact of dog thefts is heavily documented in the report, but HAPPA would urge the Government to consider the theft of any companion animal. We would be pleased to see this report result in supportive legislation, but to include horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids.”

A Blue Cross spokesman told H&H the charity has been campaigning for years to encourage the Government and police forces to take pet theft more seriously and make it a crime in its own right. While the Blue Cross is “delighted” Defra has recognised changes to the law must be made, the charity hopes horses will be included too.

13-year-old rider takes senior Foxhunter ticket hours after all her saddles were stolen

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 11:28:33 +0000

A 13-year-old who added her place in the senior Foxhunter final to her ticket to the junior final — as well as six other rides at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) — did so on a borrowed saddle, as all hers had been stolen hours before.

Tabitha Kyle finished second in the Foxhunter second round on Sunday (27 June) at Hickstead, on Gordon and Sue Hall’s 13-year-old mare Desterly I.

She had already qualified for the pony Foxhunter final, which she won last year on Teagan Arla Rose, on Dazaro, and has three rides each in the 138cm and the 148cm final at HOYS.

But her senior Foxhunter place looked doubtful on Sunday morning, when it was found that all four of her Butet saddles, worth about £4,000 each, had been taken from her tack locker.

“The locker was bolted to the stables, and had a bolt on it, but they cut through and took ours, and five from the people opposite,” said Tabitha’s mother Tanya.

“They have security patrolling, but these people know what they’re doing and who to target.”

The saddles were insured, and thanks to Sederholm, which distributes Butet, Tabitha had something to ride in.

“They were amazing,” Tanya said, adding that if the tack had to be stolen somewhere, it was “fortuitous” it was somewhere with a Butet stand on site. “I rang them at 7am and got them out of bed, and they came out, opened up the stand and lent her some saddles.”

The borrowed tack did the job, and Tabitha finished second, behind Joss Williams, on Rachel Heald’s Fourfields Dark Maxim, and in front of a host of professional adults.

“We’re thrilled, because that’s a big deal for a 13-year-old,” Tanya said. “That’s the third Foxhunter second round she’s done, and got to the third round, which is a good 1.45m, so it’s not as if it’s a fluke; she’s been knocking on the door.”

Tanya said the Halls, who also owned Holly Smith’s championship ride Hearts Destiny, bought the mare last autumn.

“The Halls have been amazing,” she said.

(Image credit: Marine Delie / Poney As)

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(Image credit: Marine Delie / Poney As)

“We had to get her Foxhunter double clears; the first show we took her to, she jumped clear but it turned out she wasn’t registered so it didn’t count, and we had to start again after lockdown, but she got them quite quickly.”

Tabitha and Desterly have since found out they have been selected to represent Britain on the children-on-horses team at the youth European Championships this month (18-25 July).

“We’re thrilled about that too as it’s her last year in it,” Tanya said. “She was on the team when she was 11, and came fifth, so to be selected again is really exciting.”

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Urgent appeal to find missing Dales mare believed stolen

Alex Robinson — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 13:27:31 +0000

A native pony breeder is appealing to the public to help find his pure-bred Dales mare who is believed to have been stolen from her field in Cumbria.

Bert Morland of the Lunesdale and Moorlandsdale Studs was informed his home-bred mare, seven-year-old Moorlandsdale Perfection, was missing from her field on Saturday evening (20 February).

The field is next to Jubilee Park in Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria.

Perfection — who was in the field with the land owner’s traditional coloured gelding — was fed at around 11am before being discovered to be missing at 4pm the same day.

“The horses were fed in the morning and later in the day the other pony was seen to be going mental in the field,” explained Bert. “The man who owned the field went to have a look to see what was upsetting the pony, and he found that Perfection wasn’t there.”

The mare has been in the field with her companion for more than 12 months.

Fellow breeder John Potter took to social media in an attempt to trace the Dales and his post has been shared thousands of times.

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“These things always come as a shock,” added Bert. “Perfection is a very sensible, quiet mare. She is a very good pony and is one of my favourites. I hope she can be found soon.”

Perfection is all black with no white or visible markings. Her microchip number is 958000010208370.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Cumbria police on 101 and provide the incident number 82 from 21 February.

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Pets are not ‘replaceable and inanimate objects’: parliament debates pet theft

Becky Murray — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 10:12:54 +0000

Ipswich MP Tom Hunt, who led the debate, told H&H he had been involved in discussions around changing the sentencing guidelines to give judges the ability to sentence for the theft of pets, including horses, more harshly after the Government refused to create a specific offence for pet theft. H&H finds out more...

STOLEN pets are treated no differently to stolen mobile phones, which needs to change, an MP has pointed out, in discussions over changes to sentencing guidelines.

A parliament debate on 19 October followed two petitions calling for tougher sentencing for pet theft – which together received more than 260,000 signatures – and a letter from the House of Commons Petitions Committee to the Government urging for either the amendment of the Theft Act or for a new offence to be created under the Animal Welfare Act.

Ipswich MP Tom Hunt, who led the debate, said pet theft is not treated with the seriousness it deserves, and that reform is “urgently needed”.

“Those with pets can only imagine the sense of loss, anger and hopelessness they would feel if their pets were snatched away from them in such cruel circumstances. This must feel worse than when they simply pass away,” he said.

“In the vast majority of cases, our pets are treated no differently under the Theft Act than replaceable and inanimate objects, such as mobile phones.”

Mr Hunt said while the Government responded to the petitions by stating the maximum penalty for theft is seven years and reform is not needed, he challenges anyone to find a case where the maximum sentence has been imposed for stealing a pet – adding that changing the law “should be the goal”.

MP Victoria Prentis, on behalf of Defra, said that in 2016, the Sentencing Council updated guidelines for theft sentencing, which Defra fed into.

“The guidelines set out emotional distress and non-monetary value are factors to be taken into consideration when passing sentence, so the impact on the victim is now very much something a court can and should take into account,” she said.

“We do not currently think the creation of a specific offence, with a two-year custodial penalty, would really help much. We think the way to go is to continue discussions on sentencing guidelines. To that end, the Government is very willing to work with interested parties, including the police and animal welfare organisations.”

Becky Thwaites, head of public affairs at Blue Cross, said the charity is “incredibly disappointed” the Government has not committed to make pet theft a crime in its own right.

“We feel this is a huge missed opportunity to protect pets and reassure owners that theft is taken as a very serious crime,” she said. “We are however, encouraged that the Government has stated its willingness to engage in further discussion on the sentencing guidelines and we look forward to being involved.”

Mr Hunt told H&H he had been involved in discussions around changing the sentencing guidelines to give judges the ability to sentence for the theft of pets, including horses, more harshly when necessary and said he is “reasonably confident” there will be movement on this.

H&H 29 October 2020

‘No plans’ to make pet theft a specific offence despite owners’ ‘deep distress’

Becky Murray — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 15:12:05 +0000

The government has “no plans” to make pet theft a specific offence despite the “deep distress” caused to owners – but there is hope a debate on the topic will allow owners’ concerns to be heard.

On 17 June the House of Commons petitions committee wrote a letter urging the government to amend the Theft Act or the Animal Welfare Act to create a new offence of pet theft, with an appropriate sentencing range to reflect the impact it has on owners.

This followed a discussion between campaigners and committee member Tom Hunt MP about the petition Pet Theft Reform: Amend animal welfare law to make pet theft a specific offence, which was signed by more than 117,000 people, so is awaiting debate in parliament. It was hoped that a new law would recognise pets, including horses, as “more than an inanimate piece of property”.

Today (30 July), secretary of state for justice Robert Buckland QC MP responded to the letter and said the government “fully understands the deep distress” caused by the theft of a pet, but that stealing this is already a crime under the Theft Act, with a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment.

“Sentencing decisions are a matter for the courts, taking into account all the circumstances of the individual case. The Sentencing Council’s guidelines on theft specifically include the emotional distress, and therefore the harm, that the loss of valued pets (among other matters) can have on victims, and accordingly recommends higher penalties for such offences,” he said.

“I understand the strength of feeling among campaigners regarding this issue, but the government is satisfied the existing law already covers the criminal offence of pet theft. The government therefore has no plans to introduce a new specific offence to deal with the theft of pets.”

Petitions committee chair Catherine McKinnell MP said the government’s decision was “incredibly disappointing”.

“Petitioners have been pressing parliament and the government on this issue since 2018, with more than 250,000 signatures on petitions urging action to be taken,” she said.

Article continued below…

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Calls for theft of an animal to be made a specific offence

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Desperate appeal for help to find rescue pony missing for weeks

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“With significant cross-party consensus and public support on this issue, the petitions committee will continue to raise it with the government and look to ensure there is opportunity to challenge their response by scheduling a parliamentary debate to ensure the petitioners concerns continue to be heard.”

Mr Hunt said he was disappointed by the government’s response, adding pet theft is a cruel crime causing “untold harm” to the animals themselves.

“I’m firmly of the view the law doesn’t reflect where the public is on this issue, and I will be pushing for pet theft reform to get the debate in parliament it deserves after the [summer] recess,” he said.

Desperate appeal for help to find rescue pony missing for weeks

Becky Murray — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 15:24:03 +0000

A rescue pony, believed to be stolen, is still missing almost four weeks after disappearing from her field as a fresh appeal is made to help find her.

An urgent appeal was launched on 4 June after the Horse & Pony Protection Association’s (HAPPA) 12.2hh companion mare Lottie disappeared from her borrower’s home at Amberswood Common, Wigan, while grazing with two other ponies. Lottie had been seen by her borrower in the morning but on her return from work in the evening the mare was gone, and fencing appeared to have been cut. As of today (30 June) the mare has still not been found.

HAPPA welfare inspector Tracy Heaton told H&H Lottie’s disappearance had been “heartbreaking” for her borrower and for the charity.

“It’s incredibly distressing because we don’t know what’s happened to her – she has completely disappeared. It’s in my mind all of the time,” she said.

“Her borrower is tiring herself out searching every day. With the help of a colleague at World Horse Welfare we have walked miles searching fields and woodlands, putting notices up and doing everything we physically can – we’ve been everywhere. The area is so large and dense with shrubbery in parts, a pony could be kept tethered and you wouldn’t know it was there.”

Tracy said the charity has received a couple of calls from the public with possible sightings but they have turned out not to be Lottie, who is a bay Welsh with a distinctive snip on her nose.

“The police have been very good but there have been no concrete leads to follow up,” she said.

“We really need people to share Lottie’s details as much as possible with their horsey and non-horsey friends, and to bear in mind what she looks like in case they spot her. She could have even been put in a field with other horses and might be grazing somewhere but we just don’t know.”

Article continued below…

(Image credit: HAPPA)

Urgent appeal launched after rescue pony stolen

The mare was last seen in her field in Wigan on Thursday (4 June) morning

(Image credit: HAPPA)

Calls for theft of an animal to be made a specific offence

(Image credit: HAPPA)

Tracy said Lottie was in her permanent home with her borrower.

“The fact Lottie was a rescue pony, and then placed in a home where she was being looked after beautifully makes it even more upsetting that she’s now facing an uncertain future somewhere,” she said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact HAPPA on 07736 040 978 or contact the police on 101, reference CRI/06LL/0012989/20 log 2544/0406.

Calls for theft of an animal to be made a specific offence

Becky Murray — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 17:08:06 +0000

Currently an animal being stolen is treated the same in law as the theft of inanimate object, such as a bicycle, but campaigners hope this can be changed to make sentences more closely reflect the emotional impact of such a crime. H&H finds out more...

The law does not sufficiently consider the “devastating impact” the theft of an animal has on owners, campaigners believe, as fresh calls are made for tougher legislation.

The House of Commons’ petitions committee has written to secretary of state for justice Robert Buckland urging the government to amend the Theft Act or the Animal Welfare Act to create a specific new offence of pet theft, with an appropriate sentencing range that reflects the true impact.

This follows a discussion between campaigners and committee member Tom Hunt MP about the petition, Pet theft reform: amend animal welfare law to make pet theft a specific offence, which received more than 117,000 signatures and is awaiting debate in parliament. It is hoped that a new law would recognise pets, including horses, as “more than an inanimate piece of property”.

The letter of 17 June acknowledges there is already legislation to protect animals, including Finn’s Law which protects service animals, but adds that legislation on pet theft would be an important addition.

Stealing an animal currently falls under the Theft Act, which carries a maximum seven-year prison sentence, the same as for stealing a bicycle, but the petitions committee said it is not aware of the maximum sentence being used – and Sentencing Council guidance does not specifically reference animals.

Blue Cross borrower Ali Bluck’s Shetland pony Basil was stolen on 21 May and recovered 11 days later. She told H&H she feels “very strongly” that pet theft should be a specific offence.

“Having an animal stolen is different to having your tack room raided – they’re part of your family,” she said.

“It’s the not knowing what’s happening to them. When Basil was taken, it was unbearable – I cried every day and I couldn’t sleep while he was gone, it had a huge impact on me and my family.”

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H the charity would welcome more stringent punishment that acknowledges the emotional attachment of owners.

“If there were changes to the law, we would ask for horses to be included,” he said.

Petitions committee chairman Catherine McKinnell MP said the theft of a pet can have a “devastating impact” on owners, and Mr Hunt added current sentences do not reflect the serious nature of the crime.

A Defra spokesman said the Sentencing Council updated its guidelines in 2016 to take into account the emotional distress and harm that theft of “personal items”, such as a pet, can have and accordingly recommends higher penalties for such offences.

A spokesman for the petitions committee told H&H the committee is awaiting the government’s response to the letter.

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Urgent appeal launched after rescue pony stolen

Becky Murray — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 15:24:40 +0000

An urgent appeal has been launched after a companion pony belonging to the Horse & Pony Protection Association (HAPPA) was stolen from her field.

Lottie, a 12.2hh bay Welsh mare with a distinctive snip on her nose, was stolen from her borrower’s home at Amberswood Common, Wigan, on Thursday (4 June). The mare, who is microchipped, had been grazing with two other ponies, who were not taken.

Amanda Berry, head of equine operations at HAPPA, told H&H Lottie’s borrower last saw the mare when she left for work on Thursday morning and discovered her missing on her return around 5pm.

Lottie on the right (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“Her borrower is absolutely devastated – we all are,” Amanda said.

“She was in a secure field and the fencing appears to have been cut. If she’d escaped the others would have followed, a pony doesn’t just leave her friends.”

Amanda said a possible sighting was reported on Snapchat on Thursday lunchtime of a bay pony loose on land near Hemfield Road – a few minutes away from where she was taken – but there have been no further sightings.

“People have been searching for her day and night. There has been a drone looking for her and riders in the area have been helping too,” said Amanda.

“The worry is if she’s being hidden away somewhere. Lottie isn’t a suitable children’s pony and she can’t be ridden – we don’t want to think about what’s happening to her, we’re all frantic.”

Lottie was reported stolen to Greater Manchester Police and a post on HAPPA’s Facebook page has been shared more than 8,000 times.

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“We’ve been speaking with the Blue Cross after the pony, Basil, was stolen from his borrower in Gloucestershire and found 11 days later. They’ve told us to hang in there and keep making her too hot to handle,” said Amanda.

“We have alerted the National Equine Welfare Council, and their members such as World Horse Welfare and Redwings have been sharing Lottie’s information too. Everyone is pulling together and helping to get her picture out there. We just need her found and brought home safe.”

Anyone with information on Lottie is urged to contact HAPPA’s equine inspector Tracy Keaton on 07736 040978, or contact police on 101, reference 2544/0406.

Public urged to make stolen one-eyed pony ‘too hot to handle’

Becky Murray — Wed, 27 May 2020 16:39:02 +0000

The Blue Cross has urged the public to make a stolen one-eyed Shetland pony “too hot to handle”.

Basil, a 10hh piebald gelding who is missing his left eye, was stolen from his paddock at his borrower’s home in Gloucestershire at around 6.30pm last Thursday (21 May). He had been with the borrower’s own horse, who was not taken.

A spokesman for the Blue Cross told H&H there had been some reported sightings of the 12-year-old gelding but they had turned out not to be Basil, who has some distinctive markings, and is microchipped.

“We really want him back home safe and sound with his borrower, who is absolutely devastated, as you can imagine,” she said.

“We have had a lot of support online from people sharing the information, and from other charities, so we have a good network out there looking for him. Hopefully someone will recognise him and we can get him home, I imagine he is terrified. He was rehomed in February where he settled straight away and his borrower absolutely adores him.”

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The spokesman added that Basil can be nervous and asked anyone who sees him not to approach but to call the police.

Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call Gloucestershire Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 479.

The Blue Cross can also be contacted on 07827 897255.

Police investigating yard burglaries urge riders to be vigilant

Lucy Elder — Wed, 06 May 2020 05:53:19 +0000

Police are investigating whether tack thefts across Kent were linked after four yards were targeted in one weekend.

Officers from Kent Police’s rural task force are urging horse owners “to be vigilant” and invest in security if they can after burglars raided multiple equestrian properties.

“We are working with our colleagues around the county to investigate these incidents and see if any of them may be linked,” said Sergeant Darren Walshaw, from the rural task force.

“If anyone if offered cheap second-hand equestrian items, please be mindful that they may be stolen and contact the police if you have concerns.

“I would urge horse owners to be vigilant and review their security to ensure they are taking all of the measures available to them.

“If possible invest in CCTV, security lighting and join the local Horse Watch scheme.”

Grand prix dressage rider David Rumsey’s Faversham yard was burgled overnight between 7pm on Sunday, 3 May, and 7am the following morning.

He told H&H the burglars cut off a heavy padlock on iron gates to get into the yard, forced the locked tackroom door, broke into horsebox tack lockers and did it all without triggering the perimeter beam alarm.

They took distinctive saddles, rugs and bridles as well as other bits of equipment.

David Rumsey

BREAK IN PLEASE SHARE**** This is a picture of my ransacked tack room usually full of my beautiful tack. 4 x Stride Free saddles 1 x WOW saddle 1 x EQUIPE saddle 1 x Amerigo saddle 1 x…

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Tack worth thousands stolen in string of yard burglaries

Crooks targeted several yards across Kent over the weekend — anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101

A yard in Kettle Lane, East Farleigh, was burgled between 6pm on Friday, 1 May, and 8am on Saturday, 2 May. Two carriages, an aluminium trailer, horse shower, tools and tack were stolen.

Around £15,000 worth of tack and equipment was taken from a stables in Willow Lane, Paddock Wood, between 7.45pm on Saturday, 2 May, and 7.22am on Sunday, 3 May.

More equestrian items including painkillers, a headcollar and bridle were also stolen from a yard in Wierton Road, Boughton Monchelsea, between 9pm on Friday, 1 May and 8am on Saturday, 2 May.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kent Police on 01795 419119 quoting 46/75791/20, or Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org

Tack worth thousands stolen in string of yard burglaries

Lucy Elder — Tue, 05 May 2020 05:22:02 +0000

Thousands of pounds worth of tack was stolen in multiple yard burglaries across Kent this weekend.

Grand prix dressage rider David Rumsey’s Faversham yard was among those targeted; thieves cleared out the tackroom, stealing 13 saddles, dozens of bridles and a “lifetime’s supply” of other equipment.

His was one of at least three in the county burgled in recent days, with Willow Farm Stables in Paddock Wood and Saywell Farm Stables near Maidstone also hit.

H&H has contacted Kent Police to ask for further information and if police are treating the break-ins as linked and is awaiting a response.

“It’s so hard [to take in] because I think everybody is feeling a bit down and vulnerable at the moment,” David told H&H.

“But I’ve had so much support it is unbelievable — Anna Ross called to say she is going to send me some spare tack and so many people have dropped in. People I don’t even know have rung me to say they live nearby, offering tack and asking if I need anything.

“It shows you how much people care, which is so nice and it really does help, and my owners have been really supportive. I’ve had about 100 different offers and I will get back to everybody.”

David added he takes security at the yard very seriously, but whoever broke in used serious equipment and he believes they may have cased the yard sometime before the break-in.

The heavy padlock on the iron gates had been cut off and the crooks managed to avoid triggering the perimeter beam, which connects to an alarm, and forced the locked door to the tackroom. As well as clearing that out, they also pulled down the ramps on the horseboxes and forced their way into secured tack lockers.

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The alarm was raised this morning by one of David’s grooms and thankfully no people or horses were injured, but obviously the team are shaken.

“I went to the shop at lunchtime and bought us all loads of chocolate brownies and cake to try and make us all feel better!” he said. “The police have been fantastic. We called and they were here within the hour and were really lovely, and the forensic team have been down as well to take fingerprints.”

David added the stolen tack is very distinctive, including a specially made saddle for a para rider he trains, which he hopes will make it too hot to handle.

“I have no idea where people think they are going to be able to sell this stuff,” he said.

Anyone with information about any of the break-ins should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.

The full list of stolen tack from David’s yard can be found in the link below:

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‘Beyond belief’: adapted tack stolen from children’s charity

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 07:01:43 +0000

The actions of thieves who stole tack including adapted saddles from a children’s charity have been described as “beyond belief” by police.

Officers have appealed for information on the theft of tack and high-vis rugs from a group of people on a 500-mile trek around Yorkshire, raising money to support children with autism.

North Yorkshire Police said the thieves took the equipment from a car parked in Lonsdale Road, Scarborough, on Saturday evening (11 January).

They took two saddles adapted for children with special needs: one brown, with the name AKUA on one side, the other black. Two high-vis rugs, labelled Autism Angels, and two girths were also taken.

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“Unfortunately, thieves do target tack and horse riding equipment in general, as it is often very valuable,” said a North Yorkshire Police spokesman.

“However, whoever has taken these particular items would know immediately that they belonged to a charity – making their criminal actions quite frankly beyond belief.

“We are urging anyone with information about this callous theft to do the right thing, and contact us, or Crimestoppers anonymously, so we can get this equipment back to its rightful owners.”

Autism Angels UK said it was “heart-breaking” to realise the tack had gone.

“The real devastation of course is because we know how much this is going to affect the children we work with once we get home.

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“While we are still in shock from these events, we are also utterly warmed by the love and support out there. We’ve had countless messages from people all over the country offering love, equipment and support to us.”

Anyone with relevant information should call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask for the Scarborough neighbourhood policing team, or email ScarboroughSNA@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk. Anyone who wants to stay anonymous can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

North Yorkshire Police reference number 12200006408 should be quoted.

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Hovis’ star turn with Jonty Evans jeopardised after thieves steal tack

Becky Murray — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 18:39:17 +0000

Horse & Hound’s popular equine blogger and fundraiser for Bransby Horses, Hovis, was left without his essential personal wardrobe when thieves stole his tack from a vehicle on Saturday evening.

The 16-year-old part-bred Clydesdale had been due to make a special guest appearance as Jonty Evan’s “new event horse” at Your Horse Live on Sunday (10 November), but the theft put that in jeopardy.

Owner Karen Thompson told H&H the entire contents of husband, Brian’s, truck was stolen at the Premier Inn, Coventry at 8.20pm on Saturday (9 November).

“It happened within an hour and a half of us getting back to the hotel. It’s not what you need when you’re trying to do a charitable thing,” said Karen.

“Hovis has an extremely large bridle and his saddle that we spent months trying to fit is gone – they’ve taken the lot. His tack had been altered specially to fit him, they’re not going to readily fit another horse.”

Hovis’ bridle was an extra-full size made from dark havana leather with a Cheltenham gag bit and no strap on the flash noseband loop. The saddle, a Jeffries extra-wide dark havana leather with red Jeffries’ saddle cover, included Sprenger stirrups with a blue base.

Karen said people “rallied round” with offers of help to enable the display to go ahead, which instead took place in-hand.

“I can’t thank people enough and we tried valiantly to make things work but we couldn’t ask Jonty to get on a horse he’s never ridden, on tack that hasn’t been tried on that horse and ask them to go in a main arena from a safety perspective,” she said.

“Jonty carried on like a trooper, but it was devastating because it was a big surprise and we were all so excited to do it. Both Jonty and Hovis have had horrendous injuries and come back – it was going to be the meeting of two Irish gentlemen who have had one hell of a fight back.”

Karen said the theft has had an emotional impact on her.

“The saddle was hugely expensive, but he has had that bridle since he was young – it’s part of him. It wasn’t massively expensive but it was his and I’ve lost it. He wore the bridle when Mary King and Geoff Billington rode him – it’s got huge memories and someone has walked away with it,” she said.

“People have been massively supportive, we’ve had so many offers of help and his fans have shared the information far and wide trying to make the tack too hot to handle. People have been incredibly kind and generous.”

Article continued below…

(Image credit: Karen Thompson)

Bransby Horses in ‘crisis’ following life-changing floods

Director of equine welfare Emma Carter said the charity is facing “extreme times” and needs all the support it can

(Image credit: Karen Thompson)

Hovis’ Friday diary: operation ‘from feral to fabulous’ is well underway

Hovis is undergoing a makeover ahead of a public appearance

(Image credit: Karen Thompson)

Karen added the theft is being dealt with by West Midlands Police who have been provided with CCTV imagery from the hotel.

“Hovis goes into hospital next Monday for a foot operation so the display was going to be his last hurrah beforehand and the last time someone rode him for a little while,” she said.

“We still had a good weekend, it was about raising money and awareness for Bransby Horses. They’ve had a hell of a weekend because of the flooding, so when you put it into context the charity we do so much for is equally having a really awful time of it.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

‘It makes you feel sick’: thieves steal Shetland pony then dump him ‘hopping lame’

Becky Murray — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 10:03:26 +0000

The owner of a pony who was stolen and dumped “hopping lame” a few miles away said she feels “violated” and does not feel safe keeping her ponies at her yard.

Rachael Colton, from Glasgow, saw a post on Facebook around 8.30am on 22 September about a pony who had been found on nearby greenbelt land and realised it was her eight-year-old Shetland Woody.

“I did a double-take when I saw the post and realised it was Woody,” Rachael told H&H.

“He’s kept with our donkey, Buzz, and we had been at the yard at 7pm the night before and everything was fine. There’s no way they can get out because there’s two locked gates.”

Rachael rushed to collect Woody, who was around three miles from her yard.

“When I got there he was at the same spot he had been found but I couldn’t get him out because of two staggered pedestrian gates. The person who found him came out of their house and helped me move some fencing to get him out and I had to walk him home using a dog lead as a makeshift headcollar,” she said.

“He was hopping lame and exhausted. I think someone had been riding him around.”

Rachael said she believes the people who stole Woody, who is still recovering from the incident, also tried to steal Buzz.

“The chain was missing from the gate and it had been left open. I think Buzz had refused to move and go with them,” she said.

“I have four ponies in a field at the yard and I think someone had been in with them. We have a generator and tools at the yard but nothing was taken.”

Rachael reported the incident to the police and moved Woody, Buzz and her other four ponies to a friend’s yard.

Article continued below…

(Image credit: Rachael Colton)

‘We can’t rest until we find her’: owners’ heartbreak over stolen foal

‘If someone has her we ask they put her somewhere safe so we can find her. The longer it goes

(Image credit: Rachael Colton)

‘Potentially fatal’ equine drugs and £20,000 of tack stolen

‘The main concern is how dangerous the drugs are in the wrong hands’

(Image credit: Rachael Colton)

“The yard had been our happy place for almost 20 years but I don’t know what we’ll do with it now, it’s sitting there empty. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I’ve lost faith and I can’t keep the ponies there now that this has happened,” she said.

“We’ve always had chains and padlocks and warning signs around the yard for security. I feel violated knowing someone has been on our property – it makes you feel sick. Someone must know something and if it was kids I wonder if anyone has seen anything on social media. There’s some bad people out there and people need to be aware and vigilant.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland: “Officers have to date pursued all possible lines of enquiry but would welcome any further information that would help find those responsible. Anyone who can help should call 101, quoting incident 1477 of 22 September.”

‘We can’t rest until we find her’: owners’ heartbreak over stolen foal

Becky Murray — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 14:58:41 +0000

The owners of a weeks-old foal stolen from her dam say they will not rest until they find out what happened to her.

Charlotte Turner’s boyfriend Adam noticed seven-week-old filly Titch was missing from a field in Pilsworth, Greater Manchester, at around 9am on Saturday (7 September).

Charlotte’s mum Jeanette told H&H the foal was last seen the previous afternoon with her dam, part-bred Shetland Bella.

“Adam rang me to say Titch was gone and I went to the field to look for her. We noticed tyre tracks leading to the gate which we think must have been a 4X4,” she said.

“We reported her missing to the police and we’ve gone to the field every day to search for her since. It’s like she’s disappeared off the face of the earth.”

Jeannete said Bella is distressed without her foal.

“Bella is with four other horses but there’s nothing we can do for her. If Titch had escaped we would have heard them calling to each other, or if she had died we would have found her,” she said.

“Charlotte is very upset, it’s heartbreaking. We can’t rest until we find her – it would almost be better if we found her dead because at least we would have closure. It’s frightening as if someone inexperienced has her she’ll die if she isn’t being cared for and she isn’t getting her mum’s milk.”

Article continued below…

(Image credit: Charlotte Turner)

Rare Suffolk mare in foal thanks to innovative ‘sexed semen’ technology

‘Hopefully this may be a way to stop these breeds from disappearing’

(Image credit: Charlotte Turner)

‘He should still be with his mother’: abandoned foal with blue eye rescued

‘It’s lucky he was found relatively quickly as had he been left for much longer, it’s unlikely he would have

(Image credit: Charlotte Turner)

Jeanette has spoken to local radio and newspapers and Charlotte has posted about Titch on social media.

“It’s been all over the news and our Facebook post has been shared more than 40,000 times. Someone must know something,” said Jeanette.

“If someone has her we ask they put her somewhere safe so we can find her. The longer it goes on we’re losing hope.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the case was closed due to no lines of enquiries.

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‘Potentially fatal’ equine drugs and £20,000 of tack stolen

Becky Murray — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 15:48:26 +0000

Staff at an equestrian centre and equine vet practice have been left “on edge” and liveries “devastated” after “potentially fatal” drugs and £20,000 of tack was stolen.

Lower House Equine Clinic, based at Radfords Equestrian Centre in Llanymynech, Shropshire, was broken into during the early hours of Saturday morning (3 August). Drugs including ketamine and morphine were among those stolen from the practice’s pharmacy while tack including 20 saddles, bridles, bits and numnahs were taken from the equestrian centre’s tack room.

Lower House Equine Clinic partner Cassie Woods told H&H she believes it was a targeted attack.

“The owner of the farm, Jonathan Redford, caught three men trying to steal his flat-bed trailer around 5am and they ran off across a field. Our take is it was a group of individuals specifically targeting equine-related items that they can sell easily,” said Ms Woods.

“The main concern is how dangerous the drugs are in the wrong hands.”

Ms Woods said the staff at the practice have been left feeling “on edge” and going forward they will work in pairs.

“Sometimes we have to do late night checks and often that might just be one person checking hay and water, but now there must be two people at all times. We are a small team and that’s going to mean extra working hours to make sure our staff are safe,” she said.

“It’s also really affected the girls who have horses at the yard – most of them are normal working girls and their saddles are significant to them. It’s left them devastated and unable to ride their horses.”

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said: “Among the items taken were vials of ketamine (brand name of Ketamador), diazepam, morphine, somulose, atropine and adrenaline.”

Article continued below…

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Plaiting is not a marker for theft: police force dispel ‘urban myth’

‘There is a lot of inaccuracy on social media about the number of horse thefts there are – it’s much

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Rider left lying in the road by driver who spooked her horse

‘It’s not the accident that scares me, it’s the fact the driver saw but didn’t stop to check I was

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Inspector Nigel Morgan added: “We are urging members of the public to be vigilant following the burglary this morning. The items that were taken are intended for livestock only and could potentially be fatal if consumed by humans.

“Our local safer neighbourhood team will be patrolling in the area, but we would advise anyone who comes across the vials or any boxes of medication to hand them in to their local police station immediately where they can safely be destroyed.”

The police have asked anyone with information to contact 101 quoting incident 158S of 3 August.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

£10,000 of showjumps stolen from Pony Club branch

Becky Murray — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 17:23:54 +0000

A branch of the Pony Club has issued an urgent appeal for information after a trailer holding £10,000 of showjumps was stolen.

The showjumps and bespoke trailer belonging to the VWH Hunt branch of the Pony Club were discovered missing from a yard at Draycot Foliat, Wiltshire, on Saturday morning (23 February).

Sarah Gray, a committee member, told H&H: “The jumps were kept in a barn with secure steel door. A lot of damage has been caused – someone prised open the door and once inside a big roller door was opened.

“The jumps are kept on the trailer which is big and would have needed something chunky to tow it – it weighs around three tonne and is 15 feet long. Someone just hooked it up and went.”

The full set of showjumps included 19 pairs of wings, 36 poles, fillers, gates, and cups.

(Image credit: JSW 4 Jumps Ltd)

“It was our posh set of showjumps which we use for our annual show on 27 May. If the jumps are not found we’ll need to look at hiring but the income from the show will be massively affected – the show is supposed to be a fundraiser and we’ll obviously be raising a lot less if we need to hire jumps,” said Sarah.

“We’re really cross. The jumps were bought with money from donations, which makes it even worse; that people gave money for them and now they’ve been pinched.”

“Some of the personalised fillers with the VWH Hunt logo were found by the police near the yard along with a sign from the trailer. The people obviously intend to sell them on – the trailer is now unmarked and anything identifiable has been dumped.”

(Image credit: VWH Hunt Pony Club)

Eventer feels ‘violated’ after theft of 16 saddles worth £18,000

(Image credit: VWH Hunt Pony Club)

Thieves target charity four times in eight months

(Image credit: VWH Hunt Pony Club)

Joint district commissioner Georgie Davies said: “The VWH is devastated by this theft, not least because the loss of the jumps jeopardies Kemble Show, our largest fun event for the local riding community and the highlight of our year. The show has taken place on May bank holiday Monday for over 20 years and been loved by generations of Pony Club families. Also at risk are the three summer camps which we run for all members, aged from under five to over 20. This pre-meditated act has deprived the children and shocked us all”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said the burglary occurred between 2pm on February 21 and 9.30am on February 23.

“Anyone with any information about suspicious activity in the area between these dates should call 101 and quote crime reference number 54190018360,” he said.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Eventer feels ‘violated’ after theft of 16 saddles worth £18,000

Becky Murray — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 16:23:52 +0000

An eventer said she feels “violated” after thieves broke into her yard and stole 16 saddles worth nearly £18,000.

Charlotte Clewlow arrived at the yard she rents in Malpas, Cheshire at 8am on Wednesday (13 February) to discover the tackroom lock had been broken and all the saddles had been taken.

Charlotte told H&H she owned three of the saddles and the other 13 belonged to clients.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“It’s a nightmare; we’ve got 23 horses here and absolutely no saddles,” she said. “Many of the saddles were fitted to the horses individually, we spend a lot of money getting their backs done every two to three months. On some of the horses we can’t just put any saddle on.”

Charlotte estimates the value of the saddles at £15,000 to £18,000.

“It’s all good quality stuff and it doesn’t just affect me – owners work to buy nice things for their horses and someone has just taken them,” said Charlotte.

“The main concern is we have to replace the saddles as quickly as we can. Next week I was planning to go to the gallops and go for lessons, all that sort of stuff – if it’s not sorted, I won’t event the horses in saddles that don’t fit them.”

Charlotte plans to increase security on the yard.

“We’ll be putting CCTV up and we are looking at alarm systems. The police think it was done by professionals – they knew exactly what they were looking for, and the likelihood is they had been on the yard previously to know where to go so they’ve scoped the yard out,” said Charlotte.

“It makes me feel sick to think if someone has been here who I trust, or someone has been here without me knowing snooping round. It’s the worst feeling that people could have been near the horses.

“Yesterday I was shocked and felt violated and today I just thought, what am I going to do? With horses you don’t earn much money and saddles cost a fortune. I haven’t got the money to be buying loads of new saddles as nice as the ones that have been taken – and neither do the owners, they’ve paid out for these beautiful saddles that fit their horses perfectly only to be told they’ve got to pay all over again.

“We’re meant to be competing this weekend but whether we’ll get there I don’t know. People have been very kind and generous lending us saddles – it’s amazing, even people I don’t know have been dropping saddles off, people couldn’t be nicer.”

Lyndsay Beresford, a livery and client of Charlotte, said she wants others in the area to be alert.

“I’d rather people know, I heard it happened to a friend in the area recently and I didn’t take it on board fully, thinking we’d be ok. Before long this has happened and it might be a matter of time before it happens to someone else,” said Lyndsay.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Thieves target charity four times in eight months

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Riding school staff heartbroken after 33 saddles stolen

The break-in happened between 6.30pm on Wednesday (9 January) and 8am on Thursday.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“My horse, Basil, had several back issues and fitting issues with saddles so I had to go for a particular saddle. I’m an amateur rider who works full time, mainly to pay for my horse, and unfortunately when I needed this saddle I had to take a loan out to pay for it. I only finished paying for it last year. I’m angry and upset – it’s scuppered a lot of plans for spring and summer as I will need to save up for a new saddle.”

The saddles stolen:

Amerigo Vega jump in brown serial 17N28190415

Amerigo Vega jump in brown serial 17N10620318

Black synthetic GP 17

Black synthetic dressage

Brown dressage 17.5

Brown pony GP 15

Equipe Synergy brown single flap jump 17.5

Equipe Olympia dressage in brown 17 medium

Equipe Olympia dressage in brown serial 18N44530714

Equipe Expression jump serial 17N17010316

Equipe Emporio dressage in black 18 medium

Martin Guliver bespoke GP in black 18

Pessoa in brown 17 medium

Prestige Paris single flap brown 17 medium

Voltaire custom jump saddle serial 3774.18

North West Wales Police are investigating. Anyone with information should contact 101, and quote reference X020281.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Owner fighting for justice after stolen pony found tied to tree, dead

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 17:25:11 +0000

The owner of a pony who was stolen on Sunday and found dead, tied to a tree in a town centre, the next morning is fighting to bring those responsible to justice.

Lea Drakefield said her 11.2hh Welsh section A Phoenix, who had been on loan to a nine-year-old girl, was “loved by everyone”.

Lea told H&H the 10-year-old gelding was stolen from his yard in Standish, Wigan, on Sunday night and walked five miles into Wigan town centre in the dark.

“A woman on a bike found him on Monday morning, tied to a tree, dead,” Lea said.

“They’d tied him in such a way that the more he panicked and pulled, the tighter the rope got, so he strangled himself.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“He wasn’t a pony who would have been scared or silly; I don’t know if they taunted him or scared him to make him react, and I don’t know what they’ve done to him.

“There was a big football field, they could have left him in there but they tied him to a tree; it’s like they set out intentionally to hurt him.”

Lea said the pony’s loaners had been told of people looking around the yard on Saturday (9 February).

She has since been told that a number of members of the public saw teenage boys leading Phoenix into Wigan the following evening.

“They’d taken a lead rope with them – they’d gone to take a horse – and they wrapped it round his head and took him, still in his stable rug, which he was wearing when he was found,” Lea said.

“He went willingly with them – that shows you what a lovely, trusting pony he was; they led him five miles into town with just a rope round his head. He was the sweetest pony on God’s earth and he didn’t deserve this.

“He taught so many children to ride, and if it’s heartbreaking for me, it’s even harder for the girl who had him on loan because he was her world. She had him one day and he was taken away the next.”

Police have been investigating and Lea said evidence including footage from CCTV and mobile phones is being gathered, which she hopes will lead to those responsible.

“If these kids are capable of doing this now, to a pony, what are they going to do next?” she asked. “If they get away with this, they’ll keep stepping it up.

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(Image credit: Future)

“That’s why I’m calling for anyone and everyone who might have seen them to come forward.

“He was the best pony ever and he deserves justice. He was loved unconditionally by everyone, and it would be doing the wrong thing, not fighting for justice.

“If it happened again, I’d be devastated, and if they can do it once, they can do it again.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Greater Manchester Police on 101, quoting crime reference 350 of 11/02/2019.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Thieves target charity four times in eight months

Sarah Radford — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 07:01:05 +0000

The Northern Racing College, a registered charity, has been targeted by thieves for the fourth time in eight months.

Maintenance equipment was stolen from the centre near Rossington, Yorks, during a break-in on 20 January.

“It started off with small items being taken and damage to security equipment but this time they have stolen strimmers and tools,” the college’s fundraising manager Philippa Bonham said.

“We’re not like a normal college, we have students on-site 365 days a year, as well as 41 ex-racehorses and 12 to 13 other horses. It slows things down and has an impact if maintenance can’t be carried out.”

The public have stepped in to try and support the college, with offers of cash donations as well as security firms offering cut-price services going forward.

“It’s difficult to find extra money in our budget as we’re a charity but we are looking at stepping up security,” Philippa added.

“It’s a worry knowing horses are in the building next door to the maintenance shed and we also have students in on-site accommodation, although they haven’t been affected.”

She said that police were investigating the break-in and that the college had provided them with CCTV images.

The college is one of only two in Britain that offer training specifically for the racing industry.

Their 12-week foundation course for 16 to 18-year-olds provides all the necessary skills for entry level and they also offer pony racing courses for 11 to 16-year-olds as well as one-day-a-week courses for 14 to 16-year-olds still in school.

People already in the industry can also pick up further qualifications at the Rossington Hall campus, which it shares with Doncaster Equine College, and alumni include jockey Adrian Nicholls.

As well as dealing with the spate of break-ins, the college is also currently fundraising for a new racing simulator.

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(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Thieves rip out barn wall to steal bedding from equine charity

‘Any loss like this has a direct impact on being able to help people’

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Budding jockey learns to ride and loses five stone to ride in charity race

Tom Connors has spent six months learning to ride and losing weight in order to ride in the HEROS charity

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Anyone with information about the break-ins can contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Anyone offering equipment, materials or financial donations can contact Philippa Bonham, fundraising manager, at philippa.bonham@northernracingcollege.co.uk

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Riding school staff heartbroken after 33 saddles stolen

Becky Murray — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 18:13:28 +0000

Staff at a riding school which holds Riding for the Disabled (RDA) sessions say it felt like a “cold hand around the heart” to find 33 saddles and other tack had been stolen.

Brook Cottage Farm in Furneux Pelham was broken into some time between 6.30pm on Wednesday (9 January) and 8am on Thursday.

Yard manager and RDA coach Caroline Yarrien told H&H: “Staff arrived on Thursday morning to find the gate open which is usually padlocked shut and found a saddle on the driveway. They could see the lights were on and the doors of the tack rooms and office were open.

“The thieves made a mess. They broke into two tackrooms and our office and rummaged through everything. They went through locked filing cabinets, things were in a total disarray.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

CCTV wires were cut and 33 saddles, two driving harnesses and cash was stolen but no horses were harmed.

“The saddles belonged to liveries as well as the riding school – it’s devastating. We are a commercial riding school and run RDA sessions on a Thursday for children and adults. We’re becoming a driving centre but now the harnesses have been stolen,” said Caroline.

“We believe it was pre-meditated because we think they must have taken a truck to take away that amount of tack.

“The horse community has been absolutely brilliant and we have had people coming with donations of saddles,” said Caroline.

RDA coach Hester Tingey told H&H: “Everyone is so upset that it happened. Everything we do here is for children and adults that need help, they need to come here and enjoy it and for someone to come and take all of those things was just awful.

“It felt like a cold hand was around our heart but incredibly overnight the local paper set up a Go Fund Me page and over £2,000 has already been raised. It’s an incredible response, the horse community is a very kind community and we feel a lot better.”

(Image credit: Brook Cottage Farm Riding School)

Owner’s desperate appeal after horse and pony stolen

Barney and Toby are believed to have been stolen from their field on 19 November

(Image credit: Brook Cottage Farm Riding School)

Trailer thefts prevent charity from rescuing more horses

The blue trailer has been recovered but the green trailer remains missing

(Image credit: Brook Cottage Farm Riding School)

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Constabulary said: “Police were called at 10.42am Thursday (10 January) to reports of a burglary at a riding school.

“The victim believes the offender(s) attempted to steal diggers and dumper trucks, and some trucks had windows broken.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Hertfordshire Constabulary on 101 quoting crime reference 41/2883/19.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Owner’s desperate appeal after horse and pony stolen

Becky Murray — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 19:03:51 +0000

An urgent appeal has been made after a horse and pony have been stolen from a field.

Barney, a 15.2hh piebald cob and Toby, a 14hh black cob went missing from a field in The Lakes, New Road in Bishop’s Waltham, on 19 November.

Kathryn Golightly, who leases the land with Barney and Toby’s owner Natalie Inkpin, discovered they were gone at 2.30pm.

Kathryn told H&H: “I have been caring for Barney and Toby for the past two years. My own horses are on a track system which surrounds Barney and Toby’s paddock but they were the only ones taken. Someone has had to walk through my horses to get to them.

“We found electric fence handles on the floor but we can’t see any wire that has been cut and no fencing has been broken. The gates have a combination padlock and only Natalie and her husband, and my partner and I know the combination. It’s like they have vanished.”

Kathryn said Barney suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and has to be fed haylage as he cannot have hay.

“Barney is on a really strict diet. He struggles with his weight and sweats a lot, we are supposed to be getting him tested for PPID and equine metabolic syndrome,” she said.

“If someone feeds him the wrong diet he could die. Even putting a lightweight rug on him would cause him to sweat up.

Kathryn has been distributing posters in the hope someone has information.

“In the posters we’ve put information about Barney’s condition. I just hope if someone has them and sees the posters they give him the correct care,” said Kathryn.

“I’ve never been through something like this in my life – I’ve not been sleeping since it happened. I love Barney and Toby like they’re my own. I’m terrified of being at the yard alone in case someone comes back and my daughter is frightened her pony will be taken.”

A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: “We are appealing for witnesses or information relating to the theft of two horses stolen from a paddock in Bishop’s Waltham. The theft is believed to have occurred from a field in The Lakes, New Road between 11.30am and 3pm on November 19.

The spokesman said a separate incident of an attempted theft of a horse from a paddock in Hill Rise, Meonstroke has also been reported.

“The owner reported that someone had broken into the paddock overnight by causing damage to electric fencing. She had attended to the 14-year-old piebald cob horse at 5.30pm on November 21.

(Image credit: Kathryn Golightly)

Trailer thefts prevent charity from rescuing more horses

The blue trailer has been recovered but the green trailer remains missing

(Image credit: Kathryn Golightly)

Riding club issues urgent appeal for information on stolen showjumps

The tractor and trailer holding the showjumps was stolen between 1am and 5am yesterday (11 September)

(Image credit: Kathryn Golightly)

“When she returned at 7am the following day, the horse was wearing a headcollar that had been placed on it since she had last seen the animal. The collar had been stored in a shelter in the field.

“The owner believes the suspect(s) had damaged the fence with the intention of leading her horse away but potentially were distracted and made off empty handed.

The police are linking the two incidents.

Anyone with information should contact Hampshire Police on 101 quoting reference 44180434698.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Sanctuary’s desperate plea for safe return of stolen pony

Rachael Turner — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 13:17:06 +0000

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

A rescue centre in Ireland is desperately seeking a beloved resident

, who is believed to have been stolen on Monday (9 April).

Miniature Shetland Polly Pockets, who is allowed to roam freely at My Lovely Horse Rescue in Co. Kildare with the sanctuary’s other small ponies, failed to come in for her dinner on Monday night.

The team searched the premises, but there was no sign of the chestnut. The yard was securely locked and staff believe Polly Pockets was lifted out over a gate.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“We’re just gutted,” My Lovely Horse Rescue co-founder Martina Kenny told H&H. “We love each and every pony like they’re our family — it’s like a family member has been kidnapped.”

After searching local farms, and in ditches and rivers, the team contacted police, and even sent out a drone to see if they could locate the diminutive two-year-old.

But the search proved fruitless and the rescue centre team is now hoping sharing news of Polly Pockets’ disappearance far and wide will help her be traced.

Polly Pockets has a distinctive moon-shaped marking on her face, which Ms Kenny hopes will help identify her. She is also microchipped.

The youngster came to My Lovely Horse Rescue at three months old when she was found in a poor state. Her mother had died and she was struggling to maintain weight.

The centre nursed her back to health but her weight still has to be monitored carefully.

Someone knows where Polly Pockets is.Please contact us if even you think it could be her. She’s younger in this video but the marking on her head is very distinctive.Please share… Polly is microchipped and passported to MLHR.#BringPollyPocketsHomeMy Lovely Horse Rescue are her family…please help us find out little Polly PocketsPosted by My Lovely Horse Rescue on Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Ms Kenny said she was a “very friendly” pony and they miss her.

“She’s like a little dog so wouldn’t have been hard to take,” she said.

“Hopefully her distinctive facial marking will help, we said it made her look like a little Harry Potter.

“We’re so attached to her, someone out there has to find her.”

Continued below…

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Rescue filly abandoned with ‘horrific’ burns wins at Equifest

Yearling Elsa was found abandoned in January with wounds “enormous and so severe that even her muscles were exposed”

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Anyone with information of her whereabouts is urged to call or text 087 9361570 or 087 6655128.

A spokesman for Gardaí police in Carbury, Co. Kildare, confirmed that the force is investigating the theft of Polly Pockets.

“Investigations are onoing,” he said.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Family ‘absolutely devastated’ after beloved rescue pony stolen

Rachael Turner — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 14:38:21 +0000

A family is desperately seeking the return of their rescue pony, who was snatched from his field at the weekend.

Black Welsh section C Ebony was discovered missing on Saturday morning (2 December) when his owner Lucy Cant went to check on him.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

She found his two field mates in their paddock in Five Roads, Llanelli, in Carmarthenshire, Wales, but there was no sign of Ebony.

Lucy believed the 13hh pony could be elsewhere in the large paddock so searched the perimeter.

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When she had no luck, she contacted the land owner who looked in the surrounding fields in a tractor.

He also failed to find Ebony and suggested Lucy call the police.

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“I was quite numb when I called them,” Lucy told H&H. “I sat there thinking what on earth am I going to tell Tallulah, my youngest daughter.”

The now 10-year-old Ebony was rehomed by the family five years ago from Trallwm Farm rescue centre in south Wales.

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He was an early 10th birthday present for Lucy’s daughter Evie and since then he has been passed down to her two younger daughters.

The girls enjoy hacking with Ebony, who is “a really lovely pony” and easy to handle.

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“If you shook a bucket he would be first and is always looking in your pockets,” said Lucy.

“Ebony would do anything for a carrot or mint – he’s supposed to be on a diet as he’s quite chubby.”

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Lucy also discovered that her mare Miami’s rug had been taken off the same night Ebony was taken.

She thinks the thieves may have tried to take Miami, but she was less easy to catch than Ebony, as she was acting as “mummy” to youngster Alf, who was also kept in the field.

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Lucy said her daughters are “absolutely devastated”. Their cousin Darcie made a poster to help trace Ebony.

Today (6 December), a drone searched the area surrounding Ebony’s field.

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“It failed to find any sign of Ebony,” added Lucy.

“I’m absolutely gutted. It feels like it was the last chance that everyone was mistaken and he hadn’t been stolen.”

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Ebony is black with a black mane and tail and a white blaze and pink muzzle. He has two hind socks and a few white hairs on his off fore coronet.

A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police urged anyone with any information to contact the force by calling 101.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Rider thanks kindness of strangers after stolen dogs found

Lucy Elder — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 16:21:27 +0000

A rider has been reunited with her “beloved” dogs following a huge public campaign.

Deniqua Westwood appealed for information after two of her dogs were stolen along with clippers and grooming equipment.

A three-year-old blind St Bernard, called Betty (pictured, below), and a two-year-old bullmastiff named Walter (pictured, top) were taken overnight from a property in Cockerham, Lancs, on 25 November.

The burglary was reported to police, while Deniqua also launched her own search and social media appeal with a £20,000 reward, which went viral online.

Betty (Image credit: creditUnknown)

A member of the public contacted her after seeing the dogs and Deniqua found them in derelict “hell hole”.

She said she cried “tears of unimaginable happiness” after being reunited with the pair.

Deniqua told H&H she wants to thank the “wonderful” people who shared her appeal on social media and the “good people” who contacted her after sighting the dogs.

“The people who spotted the dogs won’t take a penny of the reward, they just said they love dogs,” she said.

“[When they were taken] I hoped somebody had stolen them because they wanted them and they were being cared for.

“To find them in squalor like that [was awful].”

She said she found the dogs in a tiny box room full of excrement with just a bucket of water, and there were marks on the door where the dogs had attempted to escape.

“The couple who notified me of the sighting of my dogs will forever be in my heart and I owe them a lifetime of gratitude,” she said on Facebook.

“The past few days [before the dogs were found] have been a total nightmare — I cried last night at the thought of having to wake up this morning. Broken hearts are the most painful of all and I wouldn’t wish this nightmare on anyone.”

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A spokesman for Lancashire Police said it was called shortly before 9.30am on 26 November and its investigation “remains ongoing”.

“We started an investigation which included a social media appeal,” the spokesman told H&H.

“We understand that the owner was contacted directly via social media shortly after to reports of a sighting of the dogs in the Appley Bridge area.

“This resulted in the owner being reunited with her beloved family pets.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Rugs stolen off horses’ backs: dealer urges all theft victims to call police

Sarah Radford — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 15:21:15 +0000

A Kent horse dealer is urging yard owners to report all small thefts and suspicious activities to police after thieves took the rugs from her horses’ backs.

Jodie Lee Stainer arrived at her yard to find the rugs had been removed from three stabled horses, as well as others turned out in the field.

“It was bitter and they were shivering — all the horses were freshly clipped,” she said. “The rugs were layered so we think around six or seven have gone.”

It was the third time in four years that Jodie has been the victim of theft, despite the fact she has moved premises.

“It seems to happen around the same time every year in December — it can’t be coincidence and it must have been planned as my yard is very secluded,” she added.

Jodie, who runs MJL Equestrian, believes the thieves were taking the rugs for their own horses and not to sell on — so marking the rugs with postcodes or similar would have been futile.

“They’ve scoured the size of the horses and they’ve taken the smaller rugs,” she said. “They’ve also gone into the grooming area and gone through the brushes and sprays. They’ve only taken a few things like pig oil, which makes me think they want it for cobs.”

Jodie warned that the thieves tended to “come for bits and bobs to start with” and a few weeks later tended to “come back for the tackroom fully equipped”.

In a previous burglary, 13 of the rider’s saddles were taken.

“I think people sometimes don’t report small thefts because they think the police won’t do anything but they do come out quite quickly when it’s urgent. They’ve been searching the area today [1 December] as well as investigating the crime scene,” she said. “If everyone tells them [about incidents] it can only help.”

Jodie said she is now left “very scared” for her horses and has been trying to take measures to protect them, but it is difficult as the raiders came in across neighbouring farmland, ramming a barrow through her mains electric fencing.

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“I’ve gone out and bought five extra padlocks and asked my landlord if he can put up extra cameras but there’s only so much you can do,” she said. “There’s nothing you can do to stop the rugs being snatched as you can’t cable-tie them on or barricade the horses in.

“I did say I was going to spray ‘these are stolen’ on them but I don’t think that would look good to my clients!”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

‘I haven’t slept since’: distraught rider offers £20,000 reward for return of stolen dogs

Rachael Turner — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 16:35:49 +0000

A distraught rider has offered a £20,000 reward for the safe return of her dogs.

Deniqua Westwood’s two pets were stolen overnight on 25 November (Saturday) along with a set of clippers, grooming equipment and a bridle.

Her horse’s tail was also cut off in the raid of Alan Berry Racing Stables in Cockerham, Lancaster.

Deniqua had been hunting on Saturday. When she returned to the yard she fed the dogs and put them to bed.

Betty (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Betty, a three-year-old St Bernard, and Walter, a two-year-old African mastiff, slept in a foaling box.

“The following morning I had a text from the groom asking if I’d taken the dogs home,” said Deniqua.

“I knew straight away they had been taken and contacted the police.

“The dogs hadn’t finished their dinner, so they must have been taken soon after I left.”

A large wheelbarrow was also missing, but was later found in a dyke beside the gallops.

Deniqua believes this was used to take the dogs away from the yard.

Walter (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“They were lovely dogs but they would have had a hard job taking them,” she said.

“They would have had to drug the mastiff to take him and keep him in the wheelbarrow.”

Deniqua is particularly concerned about Betty’s safety as she is blind and relies on Walter to help her move around safely.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“I haven’t slept since they were taken — it’s been the worst few days,” she said.

“When it’s your own dog it’s so difficult. It really hurts.”

Deniqua was also confused by the thieves’ behaviour.

“They weren’t interested in anything worth money,” she said. “The keys were in the ignition of the 3.5tonne truck and the saddles were left but thrown off walls. They took one bridle out of 15.”

Peter Pan (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Deniqua, who sells hunters and has 16 horses, believes the thieves targeted Peter Pan, a 15.2hh three-year-old by Escolar, because he was the smallest.

“The police were scratching their heads about his tail, they hadn’t known anything like it,” she said.

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“I’m not even bothered about that though, I just want the dogs back.

“It’s like they have disappeared off the face of the earth.”

A spokesman for Lancashire Police told H&H enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information should contact the force on 101.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

‘You can’t just replace this stuff’: Rider’s devastation as tack room stripped

Sarah Radford — Sat, 19 Aug 2017 06:04:38 +0000

A dressage rider is asking people to keep a look out for stolen saddles, bridles and boots after thieves emptied his tackroom weeks before the national championships.

Levi Hunt walked into a “nightmare” at his Cheltenham yard yesterday morning (August 18) when he found almost all his equipment had been taken.

“They took everything from my five pairs of made to measure boots, to saddles and bridles, right down to headcollars and paperwork stored under the sink.

“All they left was some gloves and bandages — they even took wheelbarrows and tools. We were mucking out 16 stables this morning with one rusty old wheelbarrow!” he said.

“On the bright side, they did leave the kettle and an emergency bottle of liqueur we keep for bad days. We put some of that in the coffee and it made things a little better!”

Levi said the break-in appeared to be a “professional” job, as the thieves broke into a factory unit nearby first to take heavy-duty tools required to get into the yard.

Although the tackroom “looks like Guantanamo Bay” with a steel-caged roof, windows and doors, the burglars got in by angle-grinding off the locks.

“We’ve got security lights, cameras and alarms but if they want to get in, it seems they get in,” Levi said. “We’ll be bumping up security now and trying to take every measure we can to learn from it.”

The haul included 16 made-to-measure bridles, of makes including Fairfax, Albion, Schockemohle and Passier, and 16 dressage saddles made by Fairfax, Sue Carson, Equipe and Devoucoux.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“I’ve worked 90-hour weeks to pay for those things, so to find them gone is gutting,” Levi said. “You can’t just walk into a tack shop and replace this stuff. A lot of the horses here are in rehab and we try our hardest to make everything fit so it is comfortable.

“I was just saying a couple of weeks ago how we’ve had a few tricky horses coming good, and a lot of it is down to the fact we just don’t stick any old saddle on. The material loss is annoying but it’s the function [the tack] serves to get the best from those horses which makes the loss pretty devastating.”

The equestrian community was quick to rally round, with neighbours lending lunge equipment so the horses could be exercised.

“I’ve already had an overwhelming amount of offers for tack and I will get back to every single person,” said Levi, who is preparing for his first nationals next month.

“For now it’s about getting the essentials back so we can keep horses ticking over. Everyone’s hopes are on the nationals and area festivals — two ladies who work for me are doing area festivals soon and their tack is gone.”

Levi said his one consolation was that the horses seemed unperturbed by the night’s drama.

“In fact we had to wake a few of them up!” he said. “The best thing was walking round the corner and seeing happy horses and thinking ‘it’s not that bad — at least they are happy and don’t know any different!’”

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A spokesman for Gloucestershire Constabulary said: “Unknown offenders gained entry between 9.30pm last night (17 August) and 7am this morning. Thousands of pounds worth of horse tack and clothing was stolen.

“Anyone who has been offered horse tack for sale in suspicious circumstances, or who has any information about this incident, should call police on 101 and quote incident 75 of 18/8. You can also email 101@gloucestershire.police.uk and quote the same number.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Four tiny basset hound puppies stolen from kennels

Polly Portwin — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 09:57:13 +0000

Four eight-week-old basset hound puppies have been stolen from their kennels in South Kilworth, Leics.

The two couple of hounds belonging to the Westerby Basset Hounds were taken by two youths seen running away from the kennels with the puppies in their arms on Tuesday evening (5 July).

“A man from the local butcher’s contacted our kennel-huntsman Mark Luxton to inform him that one of his employees had seen two scruffy young lads – aged around 12-13 years – running down the road away from the kennels with the puppies,” explained senior-master Teddy Cripps.

“Mark had not long left the kennels, which are by his house, and we think they must have been watching his movements,” she continued.

“As soon as Mark received the phone call he returned to the kennels and drove down the lane from Walcote in the direction these lads had gone and searched around the surrounding area. I telephoned a farmer at Swinford, who also got into his vehicle and had a drive around, but sadly we had no luck finding them.

“The tri-coloured puppies were out of our own bitch called Echo by East Lincs Voyager and were due to go to their puppy walkers very soon,” explained Teddy.

“They left just one bitch puppy from the same litter behind and this has caused a knock-on effect in the kennels, unsettling the other hounds.”

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This is not the first time that thefts have taken place at hunt kennels. Just two weeks ago two lurcher puppies were stolen from the Westerby Basset’s kennel-huntsman’s kennels, which have not yet been recovered, and on 1 June we reported that three beagle puppies had been stolen from their kennels in Oxfordshire.

The Westerby Basset Hounds keep 25 1/2 couple of hounds and are the only pack of English Basset hounds in the country. They cover an area between Lutterworth and Market Harborough, extending to parts of Rutland and Northamptonshire.

If anybody has any information regarding the whereabouts of the stolen basset hound puppies, please contact Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Thieves target RDA centre stealing £3,000 kit

Rachael Turner — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 07:37:40 +0000

Lessons at a Riding for the Disabled (RDA) centre have been cancelled after £3,000-worth of equipment was stolen.

Rossington Hall RDA centre on Great North Road, Doncaster, was targeted between 4.30pm on 22 March and 7.30am on 23 March.

The indoor arena was broken into and eight saddles, nine bridles and other equipment were taken from the tack room. A safe containing £800 was also stolen from the yard’s office.

“It’s dreadful, they’ve taken everything, just before the Easter holidays as well,” Rossington Hall volunteer Barbara Senior told H&H.

“We’ve had to cancel all our lessons. It’s just so sad, a lot of these children don’t understand why they can’t ride.”

The doors of the centre’s six-month-old indoor school were broken to gain entry to the tack room and office.

“They smashed through the doors of the school and all the tack has gone,” added Barbara. “They have completely wrecked the office.”

Barbara urged the public to keep a look out for the stolen equipment. The bridles have brightly coloured browbands and some of the saddles have purple RDA numnahs and stirrup cups.

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Police investigation

Police are carrying out enquiries following the burglary.

Anyone with information surrounding the break-in should call police on 101 or email enquiries@southyorks.pnn.police.uk quoting incident number 154 of 23 March 2016.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

Rider reunited with stolen trailer thanks to social media

Rachael Turner — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 12:09:58 +0000

A rider found her stolen trailer within 20 hours of it being taken thanks to an appeal on social media.

Bolton-based Davinia Johnson’s HB511 Ifor Williams trailer worth around £5,000 was taken from her parent’s farm at approximately 3pm on 7 March.

Two vehicles came onto the farm in Westhoughton while her mum was on the yard mucking out.

By the time she came out of the stables, the thieves were driving off with the trailer.

Her mum immediately called the police and Davinia set up an appeal to trace the trailer on Facebook.

“I kept updating the police with information of sightings of the trailer,” Davinia told H&H.

“The post had over 800 shares and lots of people rung me saying they had seen it. I spent all Monday night on Facebook.

“The next day my cousin rang to say a woman had got in touch to say she had seen a trailer and was pretty sure it was ours as she had recognised the stickers.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Davinia’s dad drove to the location, half an hour from their home, and saw the stolen trailer parked on a drive.

He informed police who returned the trailer to the Johnson’s farm.

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“I just shows social media can work — police said that’s just the thing you should do,” added Davinia, who enjoys showing with her Exmoor pony King (pictured, above).

She urged other trailer and horsebox owners to make their vehicles as identifiable as useful, so that they stand out.

Davinia’s own trailer had a number of unique stickers, which helped the public differentiate it from other trailers.

Free crime prevention advice for riding clubs

Caroline Bankes — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 11:55:30 +0000

Riding clubs are being offered free crime prevention advice guides and property marking pens though a new initiative launched by Warwickshire Horse Watch last week (10 December).

Set up in 2010, Warwickshire Horse Watch is a partnership between Warwickshire police and horse owners in the county.

Its 4,000 members receive advice and alerts from the police messaging system and social media links.

The new advice guides were launched with funds from the Police Property Act Fund (PPA).

This distributes money from the sale of unclaimed lost property or items seized during police raids to charities.

“When we found out that there was no information to help clubs, we wanted to put something together that would help them look at ways to protect their equipment,” said Carol Cotterill, chair of Warwickshire Horse Watch.

“We want to reach out to as many horse owners as we can to let them know that by doing a few simple things, you can deter thieves and help keep your property safe,” Carol told H&H.

The leaflet covers ways to mark equipment and gives guidance on how to protect jumps and keep fields secure.

Clubs are advised to put a physical barrier in a gateway if a field is only used in the summer.

“We are really grateful for the support we receive from Warwickshire police. It allows us to constantly look at ways to help horse owners including providing gate signs, free tack marking and crime prevention advice sheets,” she added.

Chief constable Martin Jelley said he was “very pleased to support this proactive group of volunteers, who give up their own time to look at ways to help horse owners and assist in the prevention of equine and rural crime”.

The scheme has been applauded by the British Horse Society (BHS) and British Riding Clubs.

“We are really pleased to support Warwickshire Horse Watch’s initiative to help riding clubs and centres to protect their property,” said the BHS’s Andrea Jackman.

“This is a fantastic idea,” said Laura Sanger, head of British Riding Clubs. “We are delighted that riding clubs will be able to benefit from this scheme.”

For a copy of the advice sheet clubs can either visit www.warwickshire-horsewatch.co.uk or email horsewatch@warwickshirepolice.uk and the leaflet, poster and UV permanent marker pen will be sent in the post free of charge. The pen has a UV marker on one end and a permanent marker on the other.

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‘I burst out crying’: happy tears as owner is reunited with pony stolen eight months ago

A poster with Maisey’s picture was shared thousands of times on social media but she was not found, until last week when Avon & Somerset Police received a call from a member of the public about a group of horses near the M5 in Avonmouth, Bristol.

The RSPCA attended the scene, and asked HorseWorld for assistance with “one particular pony in very poor condition”.

“We were asked if we could collect a severely underweight Shetland pony who had been abandoned,” said HorseWorld head of welfare Sarah Hollister.

“We were already at capacity, with other rescues having been taken in just a few days before, but we knew we had to help.”

A HorseWorld spokesman added that Maisey was in a “shocking state”.

“Her winter coat was very fluffy but with further inspection, it was clear the mare was severely malnourished and emaciated, covered in lice and could be pregnant,” he said.

When RSPCA inspector Dan Hatfield processed the data from Maisey’s microchip, it was discovered that she had been reported as stolen.

“Maisey has quite distinctive markings and as I was looking over photographs of the rescue, they triggered a memory of something I had seen on social media,” said HorseWorld chief executive Petra Ingram.

Maisey was reunited with Allison on Wednesday (6 March).

“It feels unreal to have Maisey home. When Dan phoned I just burst out crying; I didn’t say anything. I’ve had people in the village crying when I’ve told them,” she said.

“Holly, her fieldmate, will be over the moon. But without the microchip, and the amazing work of everyone involved, we would have never got her back.”

Mr Hatfield said it is “absolutely wonderful to be part of bringing Maisey back home so many months after she was stolen”.

“When we rescued her in such a sorry state last week, we had no idea that she would turn out to be a much-loved, missing pet,” he said.

“This is a fantastic example of how vital it is that we microchip our pets – without this, Maisey may never have found her way back home to her owners, and I am so happy to witness them being reunited today. It was a special moment for us all.”

PC Jess Swanborough of Chippenham Neighbourhood Policing Team was there when Maisey was returned to Allison.

“It was so lovely to see Maisey come home and her owner was absolutely delighted to have her back safely,” she said.

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Allison, who has owned 16-year-old Maisey for 13 years, told H&H that she believes someone may have taken her over a stone wall.

“There are scrabble marks and someone’s trainer footprints where they have skidded at the edge of the field by the wall,” she said.

“At the end of the lane we found tyre tracks. She’s only 31 inches tall and we think someone has put her in a van.”

Allison said Maisey has a history of laminitis and needs to be carefully managed.

“She’s on minimal grass, and this year she has been doing amazing. She’s probably not worth a lot of money, and she can’t be ridden, but whoever has taken her doesn’t know that,” she said.

“She’s part of our family. When we have animals we keep them for their lifetime, and I won’t give up until we find her. She wasn’t really in view, and it’s horrible thinking that someone has been checking us out.”

A poster of Maisey has received thousands of shares on social media.

“We just hope to get some good news, and that someone might leave her somewhere and we can collect her,” said Allison.

“We’ve done everything we can to make her too hot to handle.”

Wiltshire Police are appealing for witnesses. A police spokesman said if anyone recognises Maisey and can help locate her, to contact 101, quoting reference 54230073017.

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Two arrests made as police investigate theft of tiny foal

“We are beyond excited, ecstatic,” said Pamela Jessopp of Miller’s Ark at the time.

Hampshire Constabulary has since issued an update on its investigation into the theft of Moon.

“Officers from our Countrywatch team, assisted by the Thames Valley Police rural crime taskforce, made two arrests,” a spokesman for the force said.

“A 17-year-old male and a 38-year-old male from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, were arrested at 8pm on 1 June on suspicion of theft.

“Suspected stolen plant machinery was also recovered from the scene on Whitehouse Lane in High Wycombe.

“Both have been released under investigation while further enquiries continue by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Country Watch Team.”

A Miller’s Ark spokesman added last week: “We are beyond thrilled and Mum and foal are finally back together. Moon appears to be in good health, thank heaven, and we will make sure that Moon and her mum Astra get lots of love and care as they rediscover each other.”

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 44230191581.

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“We are beyond excited, ecstatic,” said Pamela Jessopp of Miller’s Ark. “You always hold out hope but as the time frame and the time window got larger you do wonder if she would be found or not.

“It is so much down to members of the public, our supporters that have got the word out there and spread it on social media. It’s been a heartfelt story that has caught people’s emotions.

“We are very grateful to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Surrey Police and Thames Valley Police for their support and investigation and for the speedy action last night.”

A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said the farm, which had been sent information about Moon, contacted the force last night.

“We immediately deployed officers to an address in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire,” the spokesman said.

“At around 8.15pm the stolen donkey was located, recovered and returned, to the delight of the owners.”

Police Sergeant Stuart Ross, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Countrywatch team, added: “This was a fantastic piece of joint working from Countrywatch and Thames Valley Police’s Rural Task Force team.

“Our appeals to find Moon attracted countless calls and online reports from members of the public with possible sightings and potential lines of enquiry and we want to thank everyone who shared these appeals and got in touch with us.

“We are absolutely delighted about this positive outcome.”

A Miller’s Ark spokesman added that the team liaised with Thames Valley Police and recovered Moon.

“We are beyond thrilled and mum and foal are finally back together,” she said. “Moon appears to be in good health, thank heaven, and we will make sure that Moon and her mum Astra get lots of love and care as they rediscover each other.

The Countrywatch team will continue its investigation into the theft of Moon. Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 44230191581.

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Woman arrested after£10,000haul including tack stolen

“We received reports of a theft from a vehicle between 8.30pm and midnight on Tuesday, 21 March from an address on Whitsbury Road in Fordingbridge,” a spokesman for the force told H&H.

“Following further police enquiries, New Forest’s high harm team and response and patrol officers searched three premises including a property on Alexandra Road in Bournemouth, a property on The Headlands in Salisbury, Wiltshire and a property on Salisbury Road in Ringwood.

“Property, including horse tack items valued at around £10,000 in total was recovered and seized as a result.”

The spokesman said a 23-year-old woman from Bournemouth was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. She has since been released under investigation while enquiries are ongoing.

A 33-year-old man from Ringwood is expected to voluntarily attend an interview under caution in a police custody suite.

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Calls for riders to keep reporting crime despite feelings of ‘waste of time’

“Rural communities have for a long time been resigned to the fact they will receive a poorer level of response from the police when they have a crime committed against them and this is just unacceptable,” said Sarah Lee, CA director of policy.

“However, it comes against a backdrop of increasing and competing pressures on rural police forces, who are themselves facing challenges around funding.”