HORSE owners are being invited to a series of events to help fight equestrian-related crime.

Free tack marking sessions have been arranged across North Yorkshire to help people protect their tack from criminals.

Using sophisticated property marking technology, leather items of tack can be marked with a unique number, deterring would-be thieves and making it much easier to reunite stolen property and secure convictions.

As part of North Yorkshire Police’s Horsewatch scheme, in the coming months officers will be at venues at Sutton-on-the-Forest, Selby, Malton, Easingwold, Helmsley and Gate Helmsley offering the free service.

PC Hannah McPeake, of the force’s Rural Taskforce, said: “North Yorkshire is a very safe place, and thankfully levels of equestrian crime are very low. However, you can never be too careful, particularly when it comes to high-value tack.

“Alongside securing yards and outbuildings, marking items of property is one of the most effective ways of deterring criminals. Our property marking service is fast and free, so please make a note of the date of your nearest event and come along on the day.”

The tack marking events will take place as follows:

• Thursday August 11, between 6pm and 7.30pm, Ride-Away, Stillington Road, Sutton-on-the-Forest, York, YO61 1EH

• Sunday August 14, between 11am and 2pm at R&R Country, Hull Road, Selby, YO8 6QJ

• Saturday August 27, between 11am and 2.30pm, BATA Robinsons Equestrian, Norton Road, Malton, YO17 9RU

• Saturday September 10, between 11am and 2.30pm, BATA Country Store & Garden Centre, Raskelf Road, Easingwold, York, YO61 3LA

• Saturday October 1, between 11am and 2.30pm, BATA Country Store, Bondgate, Helmsley, York, YO62 5EZ

• Sunday October 2, between 11am and 2.30pm, BATA Country & Equestrian Store, Gate Helmlsey, Stamford Bridge, York, YO41 1NF

People are asked to bring along any leather items of tack, and they will be marked with a unique number using a dot peen property marking machine. (Synthetic tack or padded bridles cannot be marked using dot peen).

Dot peen marking involves using a tungsten carbide-tipped pin to indent an object with dots to create a visible, permanent number. The unique number will be entered onto the national Immobilise property register database, vastly increasing the chances that it will be reunited with its owner if it is lost or stolen.