A rare horse has finally returned to the farm he was raised in as a foal. As reported by People, it had been eight years since he was stolen.
Polo the cremello albino stallion, was happily being raised on his Morayshire, Scotland farm, by his owner, equestrian Zoe Urquhart. But then, the farm was raided by thieves - and, in the fallout, he was nowhere to be found.
Urquhart was devastated. She said that she would "get the odd message from people who have looked out for him and thought they'd seen him." But, unfortunately, there'd been no confirmed sightings.
At least, that was the case up until this week, where she "got a phone call completely out of the blue." For her, it was a total shock. She had "given up on the idea that he would ever be located a number of years ago".
West Yorkshire Police's Wildlife and Rural Crime Team had found the now 13-year-old stallion 400 miles away from his home farm, in Shipley, England. They said "community intelligence" was the driving force behind Polo finally coming home.
For Urquhart, it was an "instant decision". "He was uplifted within three hours, and en route".
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The Rare Horse Was in "Really Poor" Condition Prior to Getting Home
Per the BBC, he was taken for his rare coat color. But, the thieves likely ended up leaving him somewhere. He ended up being found "running with mares" in the field.
According to Urquhart, "If they had several foals a year from him, they'd have made tens of hundreds of pounds, but neglected his health."
And she explained he was in "really poor" condition. "He has quite a large sarcoid which is a form of tumor that will need to be removed by the bow." She estimates the cost of the procedures will "span into thousands of pounds."
However, she doesn't care about the cost. She loves her horse - who wouldn't? She has vowed to give him "the best of care", adding that "we'll get him back to the way he should be."
We hope he can live the rest of his days happy and content!
