Stolen fibreglass horse turns up in West Kelowna orchard

Stolen fibreglass horse turns up in West Kelowna orchard (msn.com)

Stolen fibreglass horse turns up in West Kelowna orchard

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Stolen fibreglass horse turns up in West Kelowna orchard

Winston Szeto, Sarah Penton - Yesterday 10:31 p.m.

Harry the life-size fibreglass horse is back where he belongs, three weeks after being stolen from a saddlery store in Kelowna, B.C., by two people in a U-Haul truck. 

 

© Diamond H Tack/InstagramHarry the life-size fibreglass horse was bolted to the ground on Monday, shortly after he was recovered from an abandoned orchard in West Kelowna.

 

The brown equestrian replica had been standing in front of the Diamond H Tack Shop for nearly 30 years when it was stolen June 20. 

 

Heather Robson, co-owner of the tack shop, said Harry was something of a landmark in the Okanagan city, prompting a significant public response when the horse was stolen. 

 

"They were used to seeing him here for a long time," Robson said on CBC's Radio West.

Robson had almost given up on Harry's return when she received a surprising call Monday morning from a loyal customer living in West Kelowna.

 

"She said, 'You really want to hear from me today — I have good news.' I just kind of knew in my heart that it was probably about Harry," Robson said. 

"She said, 'My neighbour found Harry.' I was like, 'Oh, my gosh!' We were so excited."

 

'Holy crap! There's this horse'

Lise Guyot, the woman who discovered Harry, said she had noticed a tarp about a week earlier in an abandoned orchard off Bear Creek Road during her bike ride home. Initially, she thought the tarp was covering up a piece of unwanted furniture. 

 

After several days of passing the tarp, however, her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to take a peek. 

 

"I lifted up the tarp and I said, 'Holy crap! There's this horse," she said. 

She immediately knew it was Harry because she'd shopped at Diamond H Tack and had followed the news about the theft. 

 

Once word reached Robson that Harry had been found, she called the RCMP, who provided a police escort as she drove the horse back to her store on a flat-deck truck. 

 

No serious damage

Robson says she's grateful Harry had only a few scratches on his body and no serious damage. 

In an effort to thwart any future thefts of Harry, Robson has decided to bolt him to the ground.