National hunt for six stolen Shetland New Forest ponies
The diminutive ponies are all aged between two and three years and have the letters TP branded on their backsMs Merritt said she had received a "huge amount of information" from horse-owners around the country following her appeals on social media."The locals really do look out for the ponies when they are out walking or riding their ponies," she said."People love coming to see them, they'll be hugely missed, especially as its such a large number of them were stolen."She said it was suspected they were being held in a field somewhere outside the area, before being moved on.
The New Forest's National Park's free-roaming ponies, pigs, donkeys and cattle are owned by commoners - people who own or occupy land with ancient rights attached.The family that owns the stolen Shetlands are thought to have been turning ponies out on to the forest for more than 100 years.David Collings of Hampshire Horse Watch, which liaises between the local equine community and police, said the theft was "very disturbing" but admitted it had "no ideas" where the ponies might be."We're talking with other Horsewatch organisations around the county," he said."Horse theft is very rare, where it does happen it does have a great impact on the owners and other members of the community."
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