‘Horse theft’ plagues riding stables

By Anesta Henry

A group of youngsters continue to wreak havoc at the Codrington Riding Stables, stealing and abusing horses, its owner complained on Wednesday.

Patrick Croney said he received a call around 1 a.m. last Saturday, informing him that three horses were stolen from the stables in Waterford, St Michael. The horses were found at Grazettes Industrial Park, in the same parish, about two and a half hours later.

On Monday morning, around 7 a.m., when Croney went to the stables, he saw a young man who previously volunteered at the stables as part of a disciplinary programme, running away from the location.

“He was with others,” he told Barbados TODAY. “I could have seen that they were riding at least one of the horses. This is the same young man who called me the Saturday morning to inform me that he saw these three fellas on my three horses, and he even called the names to the police.

“Someone broke into the saddle room, and the person who did it would have had to know how I had it secured. This is not the first time this has happened; my horses have been stolen already, and I am fed up. I even saw a video clip of some people riding horses in my paddock and I wasn’t there.

“And they are not only doing this to me; they are carrying away other people’s horses and riding them and mistreating them. I even know of one horse that was stolen, and when it was found the vet almost had to put it down because of the bad condition it was in because it was mistreated by these youngsters,” Croney added.

The riding stables owner said that while he has made numerous complaints to police, he was now fed up and felt as though he had nowhere else to turn for help.

He said he invested thousands of dollars in securing his property in recent years, but the thieves continued to break into the stables and take the horses away.

Croney is, therefore, calling on members of the public to assist in curbing horse thefts by contacting the nearest police station if they have evidence or suspect such is the case.

“And I also want the police to do something about it because this has been going on for years. Right now, most horse owners are tired and fed up with this situation, and they are not going to the police anymore because they are fed up with the situation. We even face challenges when making reports about these youngsters stealing horses,” he said.

“They even told me that they can’t just arrest these youngsters even though, in some instances, they are being given names. This is not fair to us; these horses are the main source of my bread and butter and I make sure I treat them properly. We need satisfaction from the police because this situation is getting out of hand, and we are fed up.”

Barbados TODAY reached out to the police for comment on the incidents but has so far not received a response.

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb