Four horses reported missing from Rochester

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office is asking the public's help in determining what happened to four horses that were reported missing Monday from a Rochester property.

The owner of the property on the 10000 block of 186th Avenue Southwest was reportedly out of town Sunday morning when the owner's son last fed the horses, Lt. Chris Mealy said.

The owner went to feed them Monday morning when he saw they were missing. The fencing around the property was not damaged, and the gates were latched.

Authorities have not received reports of loose horses in the area, Mealy said.

The four horses are described as follows:

• 16-year-old mare, 15 hands, an Arabian thoroughbred, worth $1,500

• 9-month-old foal, 13-and-a-half hands, an Arabian thoroughbred named 'Spirit,' worth $1,500

• 3-year-old mare, 16 hands, a thoroughbred named 'Princess,' worth $2,500

• 3-year-old gelding, 16 hands, a thoroughbred named 'Beo,' worth $2,500

A 'hand' is a unit of measurement that is equal to four inches. A horse is measured, on level ground, from the ground to the bump that joins the back and the neck (called the withers).

Anyone with information about the horses' whereabouts is asked to contact Thurston County Crime Stoppers at 360-493-2222.