The Mystery of a Stolen Miniature Horse Named Charlie

The World
Charlie, the "world's smallest horse." (Photo: YouTube screengrab)

Charlie is his name, and he's just two feet tall. He disappeared a few days ago from a national horse show in the Umbria region of Central Italy.

That makes Umbria the answer to Tuesday's Geo Quiz.

Charlie's owner says he was abducted – possibly for ransom.

Charlie arrived on Thursday and that night, thieves cut the netting to the pony's enclosure and not clear how the thieves escaped.

"It's especially easy to steal Charlie, because Charlie's the size of a dog and easy to put in the back of a car," said Rosie Scammell of "The Local," an online news service.

News outlets had reported that members of the mafia might be involved but that's "just not true," said Scammell.

"Umbria isn't a region that's known for the mafia," she said. "So it may well have been a local thief."

No clues yet as to who took Charlie and no ransom has been mentioned, she said.

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