Fears for stolen horses as government forces regain control of Libyan stud

Libya's largest stud, seized by militia in an armed raid in January, is now back under the control of UN-backed government forces, who found six surviving yearlings.

Now Al Shaab Stud's manager is waiting to hear the fate of stallions and mares kidnapped in the raid, the cost of which has been estimated at LD 75 million (£42.7 million).

Among the missing stallions is Raise A Grand, who won the 1998 Solario Stakes for the late Pip Payne, ridden by Gary Carter. The others are Eavesdropper, a Kingmambo half-brother to A.P. Indy and Summer Squall; Australian-bred Churchill Downs, who placed in the Golden Slipper in Australia; Brut Force, the top sire in Libya; Metternich, by Seeking The Gold; and Backdraft.

Libya's conflict is between the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Libyan National Army (LNA) and in January the latter seized control of the stud.

Since GNA forces recovered the area surrounding the stud it is now part of a military zone used for GNA operations as the government plans to storm the nearby town of Tarhuna, where the kidnapped horses are believed to be, in the coming days.

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Dr Amad Eshaab, manager of Al Shaab Stud, said: "We are still waiting for the GNA forces to enter the middle of Tarhuna and the liberation of stallions and mares, and we are concerned about their safety during the storming into the city of Tarhuna. We hope that the city will be recovered with minimal damage.

"The current situation is that we're waiting for the release of the kidnapped horses. In order for us to take care of the retrieved horses we need to resume the maintenance work of the stable and the clinic.

"We lost work from April 4 [2019], which is the date of the beginning of the war on Tripoli, from the militia of Haftar [LNA leader]. We lost the stable on January 4. This is something we could not replace, but we will continue and I'll never leave my profession – I love the horses.

"We lost this sabotage of our heritage when a large number of manuscripts that talked about horses was lost, it was over 200 years old. There is also the bloodline that we worked on for 20 years."

The estimated cost of the raid comprises the value of the horses, equipment stolen and the cost of remedial work to the facility.

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