Police force offers saddle marking after £20,000 theft

A police force has offered to help horse owners mark their saddles to deter thieves after thousands of pounds worth of saddles were stolen.

Surrey Police is offering a free saddle marking service where they will stamp a serial number into the leather to help with tracking the equipment if it is stolen.

The serial numbers can then be used to return the saddles to their owners.

The force is making the push after £20,000 worth of saddles were stolen from a locked container in a stable in Tandridge last year, it said.

A spokesperson for the force said: "We have marked the saddles at a number of locations throughout Tandridge over the last few years, but we believe there are still a number of livery stables who have not taken advantage of the service we offer or who have new clients who have not had their saddles marked."

As part of the process leather saddles are stamped with a circular logo containing they words "Surrey Police" and a serial number.

Details of the owner are then registered in a database and they can be tracked down if the saddle is stolen and recovered by police.

Surrey Police said it would travel to a stable or farm as long as there are more than six saddles to mark.

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