A mother is appealing for the return of three of her disabled son's horses that were stolen from a field.

Sheila Hocking, of New Road in Shoreham, was heartbroken when thieves set her 13 horses free at 6pm on Tuesday.

She stayed out until midnight rounding up ten of the animals in the Arundel area but could not find the other three.

A six-month-old foal called TJ has been pining for its mother, a mare called Oprah, since the theft.

A high security padlock on a gate leading to the field was broken.

Mrs Hocking said the horses were important to her 26-year-old son Richard, who suffered brain damage after he was run over at an accident blackspot on the A27 near Boundstone School in Lancing when he was 12.

She said: "Richard bought the horses with the £10,000 compensation he got from his accident and he needs them for his therapy.

"They are all irreplaceable and I'm desperate to get them back.

"TJ has been very upset. He keeps going up to the other mares but they don't like it and keep kicking him out of the way. It's horrible to see.

"The others were exhausted when I got them back into the field.

"One of them, Dolly a 35-year-old mare, looked really unwell.

"I thought we were going to lose her because she's about 130 years old in horse years."

She said one of the stolen horses, 12-year-old Lady, suffered from the foot disease laminitus and could die if she was not fed properly.

The missing horses are Sebastian, a 16.1 hand seven-year-old stud with lemon and white colouring, Lady, a 16.2 hand dark bay mare, and Oprah, a 12-year-old 15.2 hand dunn-coloured horse with scars on her belly and side from a car accident.

Mrs Hocking said: "I am worried about all three of them and my son is worried sick. I'm only sleeping for an hour and a half at night and he's only getting 30 minutes."

She said her daughter Rosetta, 22, who is partially sighted, also rode the horses regularly and was anxious to get the missing three back.

She said: "If whoever took them could just call the police or the RSPCA and let us know where they are it would be such a relief."

The ten animals found were in a field in Clay Lane, Crossbush, near Arundel.

A police spokeswoman said: "This theft has had a devastating effect on the family.

"We are anxious to hear from anybody who knows anything about the crime or the whereabouts of the horses."

Call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999.