Horse owners in Pembrokeshire are being warned to be vigilant after three horses worth more than £18,000 were stolen from a field.

The mare and two geldings were reported missing from a field behind their owner's house at Cwmduad, Carmarthen, on Wednesday morning.

It is feared the thief might strike again and horse owners in Pembrokeshire are being put on alert.

Although one of the horses has a freeze-branding mark and all three have passports, the success record for solving thefts of this kind nationally is not high.

PC Max Bevan, community safety officer for south Pembrokeshire, said owners should be on their guard.

"We are asking people to report any suspicious activity and to keep a regular check on their horses,'' said PC Bevan.

Although horse theft is a problem in parts of rural England there have been few incidents in west Wales.

In this recent theft, the thieves got away with a grey Arab gelding worth £10,000. It has the freeze mark "d8x1" underneath its mane.

Also stolen was a bay Welsh cob gelding valued at £8,000 and a very old mare.

PC Bevan said visible markings such as freeze brands were a deterrent. Micro-chipping also provided a means of identification.

Although the horses have a high value there is a fear that whoever may have taken them could have done so to supply the meat market.

"Sadly, there are unscrupulous individuals who only see the meat value in a horse in the same way as they would only see the scrap value in a farm implement,'' said PC Bevan.

It is believed there is only one remaining abattoir in Britain which holds a licence to slaughter horses.