THEFTS were carried out at two riding establishments in West Devon during the weekend.
Stables were broken into at the Lydford House Hotel on Sunday. Yard manager Miss Hayley Searle said one wall of the tack room had been kicked down and six saddles removed.
'One was left at the top of the drive and one in the car park. The four best ones were taken. They were worth about £2,000,' she said.
Miss Searle said the stables had been burgled once before — prior to the present owners taking over in 1999 — when tack worth £10,000 was taken.
'Who ever did the latest burglary probably had a ride to suss out where everything is.' She said the premises were secure with new padlocks and floodlighting.
'We had 13 dogs at the hotel that night. A walking party brought 12 and there was our own.' She said they were all barking and would not have noticed any unusual noise. Several rides had to be cancelled because of the loss of equipment.
The second burglary over the weekend took place at a stables in the Petrockstowe area. The previous week items were taken from a riding stables at Belstone.
l Two men were arrested on suspicion of theft following the burglaries after police stopped and searched a car travelling north along the M5.