A DRYBROOK horse-owner believes he has had two of his animals 'marked out' for theft by having their manes plaited – thought to be a travellers' sign for desirable stock.

In an incident which has been reported to police, John Hammond's sister-in-law saw a girl close to his three trotting horses kept in a roadside Drybrook paddock.

When asked what she was doing the girl walked away to where two men were waiting in a car, a large blue five-door hatchback believed to be a Peugeot 507 or similar model. They drove off, but two of the horses were found to have plaited manes, while the third was left untouched.

"Maybe they didn't think that one was worth stealing," said Mr Hammond, who said he wanted to let other horse-owners know that horse thieves were probably active in the area.

"I just want people to keep a look-out for this sort of activity and report it to the police," he said.

"It is not the first time there has been suspicious activity around horses in this area and owners should be aware."

He added a harness had been stolen from the same paddock not long ago.

A friend of Mr Hammond who also owned horses in the Drybrook area but did not want to be named said she had heard of many incidents of people taking great interest in animals left in roadside paddocks and it looked as if a gang was operating in the area.

"Like John, I would urge horse owners to keep a watchful eye on their animals and report any suspicious activities to the police."

The phenomenon of mane-plaiting has been widely reported in Britain and it is generally thought to be linked to illegal horse trading, although there are more fanciful explantions such as links to fairy activity. Police forces, particularly in the west

country, in the main regard it as a suspicious event and urge vigilance by horse-owners.