Raid at Roleystone Horse Sanctuary, Wrose

A volunteer at Roleystone Sanctuary near Wrose, Shipley, found 12 saddles, 16 bridles and two harnesses, thought to be valued at between £12,000 and £15,000, missing when she arrived at the refuge early yesterday.

The intruders had removed the sanctuary gate from its hinges and pulled a padlock off the tack room door.

Diane French, who runs the refuge, said: “All the tack was donated to the sanctuary and we certainly won’t be able to replace it.

“We need the tack to train horses and to exercise them. Some of the horses need regular exercise for medical reasons.

“I think the intruders tried to cut through the lock on the gate but when this failed they took it off its hinges. It looks like they used a car to pull the padlock off the tack room door and there’s a big hole in it now.

“The saddles were worth about £800 to £900 each. One of the harnesses was used for a Father Christmas cart.

“The volunteers are frantically contacting their equestrian friends to see if there is anything they can borrow but it will take ages to get things together. Most of the stuff that was stolen was for the small horses and its really difficult to get hold of.

“We have had several attempted break-ins in the last couple of years but, until now, nobody had got inside.”

All the sanctuary’s 35 horses are currently being quarantined for strangles, a highly contagious respiratory infection, so fundraising events have had to be put on hold during the past few months.

The refuge is also home to a dog, two rabbits, three goats, one pig, seven cats and several chickens. None of the animals were harmed during the robbery.

A spokesman for Airedale and North Bradford Police said inquires were ongoing.

Donations can be made to the sanctuary by sending cheques, made payable to Roleystone Horse Sanctuary, to 21 Wrose Grove, Wrose, Shipley BD2 1PQ.

The account number required to make a donation in a bank is 20838098 and the sort code is 20-11-88.

e-mail: hannah.baker@telegraphandargus.co.uk