CHINO — The Hobby Horse Clothing Co. warehouse in Chino, Calif., was burglarized just after midnight on May 23. According to company president Suzanne Vlietstra, thieves made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of chaps and show tops.

“We had just received a large shipment of chaps from our customs broker, and believe that the thieves were after those items in particular. We still have plenty of inventory, and are working with local law enforcement trying to recover what was stolen,” Vlietstra said.

She said the response from the horse community has been heartening. “Most thieves are never caught, but Hobby Horse chaps and show apparel is such distinctive apparel to try to fence, we may have a chance of possibly recovering some of our inventory,” Vlietstra added. “All the items were marked with Hobby Horse labels and tags.

“My loyal employees, who are as upset about this as I am, are watching craigslist, ebay, and other online sale sites, as well as notifying stores and other horse-related gatherings. We are looking for large quantities of multiple items being offered by unknown sellers. Individual items, or Hobby Horse products being sold by our Authorized Dealers, are not related to the burglary,” she said.

Updates about the incident may be found on the company’s Web site at . Anyone with information about the burglary is encouraged to contact Hobby Horse Clothing Co. President Suzanne Vlietstra by calling 1-800-569-5885 Ext. 16 or e-mail: suzi@hobbyhorseinc.com