One Galway seller, who did not wish to be named, handed over a Pacino filly foal and a three-year-old filly by Hector Van D’Abdijhoeve to the man but was never paid for his animals. The Tuam native was among a number of Irishmen who travelled to Wales earlier this week to try and track down their stolen horses. Although the men succeeded in identifying two horses stolen in Ireland, they were prevented from taking the horses back to Ireland by authorities there.

The latest development comes after Louth woman Noeleen Kiernan notified Gardai in Ardee in early March that her 17.1hh chesnut Vechta gelding had been stolen by a man posing as a legitimate buyer of sport horses.

Kiernan is still trying to track down her homebred gelding and has received several reports of possible sightings of the horse since she went public.

The Galway man is one of several horse sellers that have since made contact with Kiernan to tell how they were also taken in by the con man.

“This fellow is such a smooth talker, he would really convince you,” said the Tuam man. “He acted like he was a vet and over in Ireland flushing embryos from cows near Athlone. He said his wife was a show jumper and they were looking for good horses.”

The Galway seller was taken in to such a degree that he allowed the Pacino foal and the older filly out of a Clover Hill/King of Diamonds mare to be collected before payment was made.

“I sold them to him for €6,500 but the money never came,” he told The Irish Field.

The Pacino filly foal is chesnut in colour, with three white socks and a white face. The three-year-old filly is roan grey in colour, well handled and about 15.3hh in height.

“I know I was 100% wrong [to hand over the horses without payment], but he was so good a con man that he had me taken in completely,” he remarked.

Other horse sellers in Carlow, Kerry and the midlands are also understood to have lost horses to the con man.