Stolen fibreglass horse turns up in West Kelowna orchard

Harry the life-size fibreglass horse is back where he belongs, three weeks after being stolen from a saddlery store in Kelowna, B.C., by two people in a U-Haul truck. 

The brown equine replica had been standing in front of the Diamond H Tack Shop for nearly 30 years when it was stolen June 20. 

Heather Robson, co-owner of the tack shop, said Harry was something of a landmark in the Okanagan city, prompting a significant public response when the horse was stolen. 

"They were used to seeing him here for a long time," Robson said on CBC's Radio West.

Robson had almost given up on Harry's return when she received a surprising call Monday morning from a loyal customer living in West Kelowna.

"She said, 'You really want to hear from me today — I have good news.' I just kind of knew in my heart that it was probably about Harry," Robson said. 

"She said, 'My neighbour found Harry.' I was like, 'Oh, my gosh!' We were so excited."

'Holy crap! There's this horse'

Lise Guyot, the woman who discovered Harry, said she had noticed a tarp about a week earlier in an abandoned orchard off Bear Creek Road during her bike ride home. Initially, she thought the tarp was covering up a piece of unwanted furniture. 

After several days of passing the tarp, however, her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to take a peek. 

"I lifted up the tarp and I said, 'Holy crap! There's this horse," she said. 

She immediately knew it was Harry because she'd shopped at Diamond H Tack and had followed the news about the theft. 

Once word reached Robson that Harry had been found, she called the RCMP, who provided a police escort as she drove the horse back to her store on a flat-deck truck. 

No serious damage

Robson says she's grateful Harry had only a few scratches on his body and no serious damage. 

In an effort to thwart any future thefts of Harry, Robson has decided to bolt him to the ground.