Brothers Julián and Martín Ezenarro, from the Osintxu neighborhood, are still in disbelief about what happened. Their twelve mares, valued at 40,000 euros, were almost stolen. Martín received a disturbing call last Thursday from someone identifying as a forest ranger from Tolosa, complaining about the damage allegedly caused by the mares on his land.

The phone conversation escalated, with Martín warning him not to dare touch his animals. The next day, around 10:30 PM, the Municipal Police called Martín from the Azkarate pass, asking if he had authorized loading horses onto a truck. At that moment, Martín was unaware of what was happening, but soon learned it was an attempted theft of his mares.

Upon arriving at the Azkarate pass, they found patrols from different police forces. The individuals involved in the attempted theft, from Estella and Alsasua, were identified and released. According to the Ertzaintza, among those involved was a small landowner who had promoted the theft of the mares through applications like WhatsApp and Wallapop, claiming the animals were “loose.”

Julián explained that this incident must be understood in the context of mountain management, where some landowners do not fence their plots to prevent animals from entering. Shouts and neighs heard from the Otsurte farmhouse in Azkarate, along with the appearance of a van, triggered all alarms. Neighbors stopped the thieves with their cars, allowing police forces to intervene and thwart the theft.