Joy as stolen foal found 300 miles away after five-week ordeal for owner
A Shetland pony foal stolen from a farm in Cornwall has been safely returned to her ownersâmore than five weeks after she vanished.
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Lucy, a two-month-old chestnut skewbald foal, was taken in July, near Truro, sparking a widespread public appeal under the hashtag
The campaign reached over a million people on social media and attracted national media attention, capturing hearts across the UK.
Following a tip-off from a member of the public, Devon & Cornwall Policeâs Rural Affairs team coordinated with Hertfordshire Constabularyâs Rural Crime unit to carry out a search at a caravan park in Hertfordshire.
On Thursday 21 August, Lucy was located, seized from the property, and returned home the same night.
Owner Jean Curd expressed her relief at the reunion: âIâm just so pleased weâve got Lucy back.
âItâs just wonderful. I had given upâitâs been five weeksâI just never thought we were going to get her back.
âIt was only when she came back that it really sunk in.
âSheâs thin, but the vets checked her and heâs happy with her. Sheâs back where she belongs now.â

Weâre delighted to share that Lucy has been found!
PC Sam Wyatt of Devon & Cornwall Police described the moment Lucy was found: âIt was like winning the lottery.
âIt was so exciting. And then to speak to Jean afterwards and confirm that it was Lucy, that Hertfordshire had recovered, was just absolutely amazing.â
âOver the moonâ
Colleague PC Lee Skinner added: âIf Iâm honest, over the moon. I canât believe sheâs back. So many of these incidents sadly donât end with a positive result.
âItâs fantastic to see her back in her natural environment with her mum where she belongs. And I think from the victimâs point of view, sheâs over the moon.â

Weâre delighted to share that Lucy has been found!
Lucy was brought back to the farm near Truro the same day she was recovered but unfortunately her recovery will take a long time.
Because theyâve been apart for so long Lucyâs mother has run out of milk and because she hasnât been around Lucy, they are acting like complete strangers now.
They are in separate fields, but regularly talk to each other and itâs hoped that in a couple of weeks Lucy can start bonding with her mum and the rest of the miniature horses.
Police have not confirmed if any arrests have been made, but investigations are ongoing.
Authorities are continuing to urge anyone with further information to come forward.