"We sympathise with Bartolo Messina, a great equestrian artist who loves and lives by his horses, and had trained the victim with extraordinary kindness."

A show pony, advertised as the world’s smallest, has been kidnapped – and police suspect the Mafia is involved.

Charlie, less than 25 inches tall (approximately 63 cm), was snatched overnight at a horse show in Italy and officers believe thieves could be holding him forransom. They say raiders cut the wire fence surrounding the fairground and made off through a tobacco field at Citta di Castello in Umbria, where a car was waiting to speed them away.

The pint-sized pony was set to be one of the major attractions at the 47th edition of the National Horse Fair, along with his owner, equestrian artist Bartolo Messina. However the performer was forced to alert police when he found Charlie’s stall empty.

A spokesman for the Carabinieri in Citta di Castello said: "Investigations are continuing. We are not excluding any possibilities including that the perpetrators are part of a criminal organisation."

The president of the National Horse Show, Angelo Capecci, called the theft "a shameful act".

He said: "We were victims of a serious crime that offends and humiliates the equine world. The security measures that for years have ensured the safety of the participants and that have always prevented the occurrence of similar incidents were apparently undermined by a shameful act that does not reflect the horse world and its values. We sympathise with Bartolo Messina, a great equestrian artist who loves and lives by his horses, and had trained the victim of this sad episode with extraordinary kindness and ability."

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to sympathise with – együtt érezni valakivel
equestrian – lovas
victim – áldoazt
extraordinary – különleges
kindness – kedvesség
to be advertised as – valamiként reklámozva/hirdetve lenni     
to be kidnapped  – elrabolva lenni  
to be involved – valamibe belekeveredve lenni
approximately – nagyjából
to be snatched  – elragadva lenni
overnight – éjszaka, éj leple alatt
ransom – váltságdíj
raider – támadó, fosztogató
wire fence – drótkerítés
to surround – körülvenni
fairground – vásártér
tobacco filed – dohánymező/ültetvény
attraction – látványosság
performer – előadó
to be forced to – valamire kényszerítve lenni
to alert police – értesíteni a rendőrséget
stall – istálló
investigation – nyomozás
to exclude – kizárni valamit
perpetrator – elkövető
criminal organisation – bűnszervezet
shameful – szégyenteljes  
to offend – megsérteni
to humiliate – megalázni
equine world – lovas világ
to ensure – biztosítani
participant – résztvevő
to prevent – megelőzni
occurrence – előfordulás, eset
incident – incidens, eset
to be undermined – aláaknázva lenni (átvitt)
apparently – látszólag
to reflect – tükrözni, visszatükrözni