Thief rides off with iconic Feed Barn horse ‘Trigger’

This isn’t the first time that someone rode “Trigger” the horse off into the sunset.

For what store owners are saying is probably the fourth or fifth time, the iconic fiberglass horse in front of the Feed Barn in Costa Mesa — nicknamed “Trigger” by customers — has been stolen.

The 6-foot-tall, 8-foot-long Palomino-colored steed was secured in concrete with rebar in his hooves, fastening him to the parking lot foundation in front of the pet food store at 2300 Newport Blvd., said Manager Jenni Engelstad.

“If it was a group of 16- and 17-year-olds, I wouldn’t care as long as I get it back,” Engelstad said. “A high school prank is all in good fun.”

Engelstad and police are hoping that’s exactly what it is. Of the last few times that Trigger has been stolen — all which took place more than 10 years ago — it would reappear at a local school, Engelstad said.

The horse was stolen sometime between 12:30 a.m. Friday, when the owner left, and 8 a.m., when the first employee arrived, she said.

From the beginning of the day Friday, things were amiss at the Feed Barn. The landscaper who arrived first told Engelstad that the lock to the gate blocking the parking lot had been sawed off, along with the chain. Engelstad checked the inside of the store and said nothing was missing.

It wasn’t until the first customer of the day, who was already parked there when Engelstad arrived, was on their way out of the store that they mentioned the missing horse.

“I was like ‘Holy cow.’ I can’t believe the mystery of the broken lock, that’s what it led to,” she said. “I was dumbfounded.”

Engelstad said the horse would cost between $2,000 and $3,000 to replace.

Police are investigating.