PERMIT holder Philip Sharp is pursuing the Army for compensation over the loss of
Zimbabwe, his hurdler that disappeared without trace after getting loose and galloping onto a military firing-range in Kent in January.
Zimbabwe: missing since January 8
PICTURE:
Caroline Norris
Sharp is claiming £10,000, which includes the expense of his search for the ten-year-old gelding, and is hoping the matter is settled without resorting to legal action.
He has been encouraged by the tone of a letter received from an assistant to the Chief of the General Staff who wrote: "This certainly seems a distressing and unfortunate incident.
"The issuewill be looked into and you will be sent a full response in due course."
Sharp said: "I have no idea what happened to Zimbabwe, but the reality is the police were there within eleven minutes, but the Army people at Lydd wouldn't let them on the property although they could see the horse on cctv and knew where it was.
"Zimbabwe ran for me in a claimer for £5,000 so I can't ask more than that for him, and I am asking for another £5,000 for the time and effort that went into looking for him.
"I would then be able to pay people back for their helicopter donations and the efforts of a lot of folk who gave up their time helping me try to find the horse."