After seeking help from the community in finding a 14-year-old Halflinger mare that went missing from a property along Meridian Road in late July, Penn Township Police announced Tuesday that the horse has been located.

A Facebook post by the department said the horse was located, and thanked residents for sharing the original post asking for information. The post did not confirm that the horse was stolen or simply missing.

However, police believed the horse — which was named grand champion at last year’s Butler Farm Show — was stolen because there was no damage to the property’s fence, and the horse was still in the process of caring for her 2-month-old filly.

“These horses won’t leave their babies unless they’re dead,” said Brian Gratzer, owner of the horse, in a previous report.

Gratzer said despite being slightly past her prime, Val still has many years left, and he does not believe she would have left her baby on her own, even if it were to die.

“She was totally healthy and in good shape,” he said. “There’s no way she left voluntarily.”

Gratzer said he had last seen Val, the horse, July 29 in his pasture and checked all 12 acres of the space in the days since her disappearance.

Gratzer said one identifying feature setting her apart from other chestnut brown Halflings is a white strip in the shape of a half-moon on her snout.

Gratzer said Val had produced other excellent horses for him, and he believes if someone stole her, that person would likely try to sell the animal quickly. He said he had monitored auctions and sales in the region to try to track whether Val had been sold.

Gratzer said he has heard others in the county complain about disappearing horses, including a Clydesdale that went missing from Sarver.