Unstable Situation : Animals: Missing horse is presumed stolen from L.A. Equestrian Center, leaving owners worried about security.

Goliath, a tall, black horse, is missing.

The disappearance of the $20,000 Friesian stallion from the Los Angeles Equestrian Center has owners of several of the 500 horses boarded at the 72-acre facility concerned about security.

The presumed theft has been devastating for Goliath’s owner, Barbara Parkening, 51, of Burbank.

Parkening said Goliath, whom she inherited from a friend in May, suffers from a disease that, if not treated, can end in death.

Workers cleaning stalls discovered the horse was missing at 4:30 a.m. Thursday. The horse was in a locked stable, but the chain had been cut, Parkening said.

The equestrian center runs the stables on land it leases from the city of Los Angeles.

Terry Rosoff, a horse owner and friend of Parkening, said stealing Goliath was probably not difficult.

“A horse will go with anybody. All you have to do is put a halter on it,” Rosoff said.

Goliath suffers from white line disease in a hoof, a fungus that can cause it to rot. The condition requires daily treatment with an iodine lotion.

“It’s a lot of work. You’re picking up heavy feet,” Rosoff said.

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If the disease goes untreated, the horse could lose the hoof and have to be put to sleep, she said.

Parkening and Rosoff said many people had tried to buy Goliath.

“[The thieves] don’t realize they’re dealing with a big ‘ol stallion that can trample you in an instant,” Rosoff said. “There are so many things people not experienced with horses can do to ruin them.”

The theft of the horse illustrates a larger problem of lax security at the equestrian center, said horse owners. There is no security at the center during the day and only one security guard at night, said Rosoff.

“This is not a little backyard facility. There’s no excuse for this to happen,” said Angela Lang, 33, of Valley Village. “We pay a lot of money to board here.”

“We go home at night wondering if our horses are going to be OK,” Rosoff added.

Parkening said she pays $500 a month to board Goliath, who is not insured.

Los Angeles Police Department burglary detectives are investigating the suspected theft, which is considered a grand theft.

The center is in the northeastern corner of Griffith Park. It is operated by LAEC Inc.

Friesians originated in Holland and were bred as cart horses, said Rosoff.

The showy horses often appear in Hollywood films and were used in “Zorro” and the “Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

Goliath weighs about 1,300 pounds and stands at about 16 hands. (Each hand equals 4 inches.)

“He’s the gentle giant of the horse world. He’s very respectful, very easygoing,” said Rosoff, 52, of Valley Village. “He’d come over and talk to you. He’s very loquacious. He loved to talk to all the horses.”

Parkening said she inherited Goliath from a friend, who loved the horse very much.

“He totally trusted me to take care of his beloved horse,” she said. “I have such a moral obligation to this horse.

“Everybody here is devastated by it. All we really want is the horse returned.”