Police recover £15k of stolen riding kit following tack shop break-in
Riding equipment stolen from a tack shop has been recovered.
An estimated £15,000 worth of stock was stolen when Performance Equestrian’s base in Raunds, Northants, was broken into overnight on 30 June – 1 July.
Among the items the burglars took from the endurance specialists were the company’s own-brand airmesh chaps and gloves as well as Troxel Spirit, Sierra and Intrepid riding hats.
They also took a number of Ariat Tek grip, Insulated Tek grip and Terrai boots.
Dianne Beresford, who co-owns the company with her husband Steve, discovered what had happened when she arrived for work on 1 July.
Steve said a lot of stock was on the floor. The couple contacted the police, who arrived with a forensics team within 40 minutes.
“I was absolutely gutted,” he said.
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“We just thought that was it – that we wouldn’t get it back.”
Steve and Dianne have run the business since 2000 and much of their equipment is made themselves.
They specialise in endurance kit and also run a stand at events.
After the break-in, they took an inventorary to work out what was missing and also put a message on their Facebook page asking for people to look out for the stolen items.
The following day, the couple had a phone call from the police telling them that it looked like they may have found a van used in the burglary.
“We thought ‘it is not going to have our stuff in it’,” added Steve.
The van – found abandoned in a nearby village – had all their stolen goods inside.
The vehicle has also been returned to its owner.
Steve praised the police and also thanked those who shared the Facebook message about the burglary.
“The people that went on social media and spread it around were absolutely brilliant,” he said.
“We never thought it would ever come back.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.