Horse thieves robbed us all of a magnificent sight

Reward doubled to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest

In the Wild, Wild West, which Yolo County has always been a part of, people didn't take kindly to horse thieves.

Dan Dowling, a Davis businessman, doesn't like horse thieves either, though the horse that was stolen from the stables he co-owns just north of town is a bit different than the ones you'll see running in the Kentucky Derby or the Belmont Stakes.

Dowling's missing horse, you see, is made entirely of bronze. 100 percent bronze. As such, he figures it's likely worth a few thousand dollars when melted down and configured into something other than a horse. Like a thief, maybe.

The missing horse was a stunning sight for passing motorists on the eastern edge of Highway 113 near Road 29 outside his Willow Creek Horse Park.

The stolen statue used to face Highway 113 near Road 29

"It was on a berm, near the freeway, next to the sign for Willow Creek," Dowling explained.

"It was made in Loveland, Colorado, and delivered here 15 years ago. It offends me so much that someone would take something that people loved to look at as they were driving by."

Dowling said the sculpture cost $21,500 when he commissioned it, but could run to as much as $60,000 to be replaced today, something he does not plan to do.

"It's not the monetary loss," he noted. "It's that it was a beautiful piece of art that's been taken from public view. It's upsetting that someone would do this."

The statue was was chopped off at the ankles by dark of night and no security camera was able to catch the dirty deed or exactly how the heist was carried out.

"It could be miles from here by now and probably not a statue anymore, but I'm offering a reward so someone will come forward and whoever did this can be apprehended."

As such, Dowling originally offered a reward of $5,000 for information about which person, or persons, were involved, since this does not appear to be a one-man job.

The statue, you see, stands - or rather stood - 10 feet tall and weighs upwards of 4,000 pounds.

A pickup truck was likely involved. Or maybe this band of horse thieves thought it was real and towed it away in a horse trailer to avoid detection.

Frustrated that no leads of any kind have developed, Dowling has now raised the reward to $10,000. I am now actively involved in the search.

If he raises the reward to $25,000, the thief will probably turn himself in, exchanging liquid copper for cold, hard cash.

We'll see what the Yolo County District Attorney has to say about that arrangement.

You can reach me directly at bobdunning@thewaryone.com.