Horses Endangered When Released By Intruder

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29715, 8 January 1962, Page 6

Horses Endangered When Released By Intruder

Van Rebeck, winner of the Railway Handicap ai the Greymouth Trotting Chib’s meeting on Saturday, was lucky to be at the races. For an unknown length of time on Friday night he was wandering loose in the rain and when discovered on Saturday morning he had become straddled across a fence. An unknown intruder in the club’s stables at Victoria Park an Friday night released Van Rebeck and another horse. Sea Chase, from their loose boxes. The horses were bedded down for the night In their boxes earlier in the evening and the doors were securely latched. The intruder apparently released the latches and drove the horses out. It is not known how long the horses wandered loose in the wind and heavy rain, but when discovered by chance at 2 a.m., Van Rebeck was suffering acute discomfort. Sea Chase was not discovered until later in the morning and it is believed he spent some time in another horse's stall. Inquiries ar* being made.

but there were no clues to the identity of the intruders except for the discovery of a trinket in one of the boxes. Van Rebeck was discovered only by chance when some ■ employees of a trotting stable, on their way back to 1 their accommodation from 1 a dance, decided to stop at 1 the course to ensure that their horses were comfort- 1 able. If the horse had not 1 been discovered he could i have suffered seriously from 1 exposure. - Van Rebeck is a five-year- 1 old black horse by Van 1 Dieman from Guardian Hah. ' owned by Mr S. J. Cochrane < and trained for him at 1 Templeton by W. R. Butt. < Sea Chase, a five-year-old bay horse by Fallacy from ’ Taliua, is owned by Messrs ’ G. Beal and R. G. Morris ! and trained by Morris at i West Melton. 1 "A man may write on I Love and Art and Peace and t whatnot, but he will write to < little purpose unless he has 1 back of it all a natural fer- i ocity.” Charles Horton I Cooley. 1