The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Family devastated after ponies stolen in broad daylight
Two ponies have been stolen from Fife just 10 minutes after their owners left the steading where they live.
The award-winning ponies were taken from a smallholding at Radernie, between Cupar and Crail, in broad daylight.
Someone working on the land even saw them being led into a trailer, but believed this had been arranged by the owners.
Owner Jemma Christie said her father had only set off for the Highland Show in Edinburgh minutes before the theft on Friday afternoon.
The 27-year-old said: “This is devastating for us. We can’t believe it has happened.”
The ponies are both Welsh section A breeds, standing at 12 hands.
One is a 10-year-old grey mare and the other a 12-year-old dun mare with four white legs.
It looks like someone has been watching the yard and knew our movements
When last seen they were being loaded into a silver 57 plate Ford Ranger with trailer.
Jemma believes someone was waiting for an opportunity to take her beloved ponies.
She said: “My dad had just left to go to the Highland Show.
“Around 10 minutes later two people went into the paddock and put head collars on the two ponies before leading them through the yard.
“Someone was there to look after things for us but that person thought we knew the ponies were to be moved.”
Jemma has had the ponies for around seven years and they are worth around £3,000 each.
“It looks to us like someone has been watching the yard and knew our movements,” she said.
“How else would they know to go in so soon after my dad left?
“It also looks like they know how to handle ponies because they would have had to catch them and put their head collars on before then leading them through the yard.
“Both ponies are goodnatured so wouldn’t have made life difficult for these two people.
“It’s unbelievable that someone would then brazenly lead the ponies through the yard in broad daylight in front of someone there.”
Family members have been scouring the countryside looking for the ponies, without success.
Jemma said: “If they are still in the area they are definitely not being kept outside.
“They would have to be being kept in a shed or stables or else they have already been moved out of the area.”
Jemma said that without their horse passports, it will be almost impossible for anyone to sell them.
She said: “We want to get the word out there and basically make the ponies too hot to handle.
“We would appeal to anyone in the horse world to keep an eye out for our ponies.”
Police Scotland did not respond to a request for comment.