TV advert blamed for theft of Shetland ponies from Tomar Owl Sanctuary in Mersham
Thieves are thought to
have been inspired by a scene from the 3 Mobile advert, in
which a Shetland pony dances in the style of Michael Jackson
by Samantha Williams
The hit new 3 Mobile TV ad with a moonwalking Shetland pony has
been blamed for the theft of two of the pint-size horses from a
sanctuary near Ashford.
The comedy commercial - also a YouTube sensation - features
a Shetland pony dancing Michael Jackson-style to Fleetwood Mac's
"Everywhere", but stopping when a farmer walks by.
Angry Tom Tyrell said teenagers took his ponies Ellie, eight,
and Patch, 14, from his Tomar Owl Sanctuary, in Cheesemans
Green Lane, Mersham, and tried to get them to moonwalk.
A neighbour phoned 73-year-old Mr Tyrell (pictured right)
to say she had seen a gang with the horses in a nearby village.
Another caller then revealed where the two ponies were being
kept and today they have been returned to Mr Tyrell
and wife Margaret.
Mr Tyrell said: "I reckon this has something to do with the
dancing pony advert on TV at the moment.
"Patch looks exactly like the pony in the advert and them going
missing could have something to do with that.
"People see something on TV or in the news and they want feel
like they want one."
Mrs Tyrell, 66, said: "We're just so happy to have them back.
The grandchildren love riding them.
"We think they were taken by teenagers who wanted to make them
moonwalk and dance.
"It's mad because we've never seen them dance. They don't even
know who Michael Jackson is.
"The main thing is they are OK. They're just back to being
ponies in a field - and we're getting them some new
padlocks."
Shetland pony Ellie that
disappeared from Tom Tyrell's field in Mersham
Mr and Mrs Tyrell, who have run their sanctuary for 23 years,
noticed the ponies had disappeared on Monday morning.
The couple rescued Patch, who is dark brown and white, 10 years
ago when her owner no longer wanted her after she suffered a leg
injury.
They adopted Ellie, who is brown, eight years ago.
14/03/13
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