Horse Illustrated Magazine

A 16-year-old miniature horse named Treasure was stolen from his home with the Bowen family in Norco, Calif. over the weekend. Riley Bowen told KTLA 5 that her brother Wyatt went out to feed Treasure in the morning but instead discovered him missing.

Treasure has been a part of the Bowen family for 13 years and is a beloved family pet. But his diminutive size was likely part of the reason he was targeted for theft. The criminals didn’t take him away in a horse trailer; the tiny equine was carted off in a car, according to reports.

After taking to social media and alerting the police, the family got word that Treasure had been seen around the town.

“It’s not every day you see a Mini Horse in the back of someone’s car,” said Riley. “So when people notice, they’re gonna post about it.”

Police found the Mini the following afternoon and returned him to the Bowen family. Treasure had already been sold to another owner, and that owner returned the horse and was able to lead police to the alleged thieves, who were taken into custody.