A BELOVED horse described as a gentle giant is missing from Sherston and his owners suspect he may have been stolen.

Lottie Bostock said she had been looking after the horse named Josh and helping her husband learn to ride him.

He was last seen yesterday, on Lottie’s birthday, and has not been found despite a search using cars and quad bikes.

Josh is a 28-year-old gelding, has a distinctive Roman nose which has a convex shape and stands at 17.2 hands high, nearly six foot tall at the shoulder.

Lottie explained that Josh was a much loved horse in the village as he was extremely friendly and not as flighty as some of the others in the nearby fields.

She said: “It’s just a mystery, a horrible, horrible mystery. We have five horses out but two of them are good looking but flighty.

“This horse is a gentle giant. If you gave him a cuddle he would just think it was Christmas.”

Lottie’s family have kept horses in the village for several generations and they have never had a disappearance like this one.

She explained that Josh and several other horses were separated into two groups when she last saw them on Tuesday afternoon.

“They were whinnying to each other and I thought it was because they were separated but in hindsight there must have been something wrong,” she added “He’s so much loved and much missed.”

Police are investigating the suspected theft but Lottie is appealing to anyone who thinks they may have seen Josh to let police know and to help get Josh home as soon as possible.

If anyone has information they are asked to call police on 101 and or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.