A FARMER with a passion for horses has sold one of his animals to an unusual buyer.

Keith Metcalf, 74, who has farmed at Bolam village, County Durham all his life, has been breeding, selling and showing Dales Ponies for nearly 40 years.

A lifelong hobby, he presented his prize animals at Brough show on Friday, before taking them to Reeth on Bank Holiday Monday and Stanhope, Egglestone and Bowes later in the season.

The ponies, descended from those that once hauled iron ore in Weardale, live mostly in the UK but have been exported to Canada, North America and now Germany.

Mr Metcalf’s latest export is a seven year-old brood mare called Charmane and her foal, Bolam Lily, who he sold to German buyer, Bernadette Baur, from Schonenberg-Kubelburg, in the south west of the country.

He said: “The lady came to a spring show I was in and she wanted to buy a four year-old. Then she came back to the summer show and asked if she could come and see the rest of my horses.

“I told her that we didn’t have any four year-olds but we had a seven year-old mare and her foal. She had a look at the pony and took a look around my farm then went away to think about it.

“When she came back, she bought the seven year-old mare and her foal.”

Mr Metcalf also says he is delighted with how his grandson, Owen Wallbanks, will be carrying on the family tradition.

Owen, 15, like his grandfather, has taken a keen interest in breeding, showing and competing horses at agricultural shows from a young age.

“I have got a lot of pleasure out of seeing Owen do well at shows, particularly in the riding and driving competitions.”

He added: “Last year he was named the most improved junior out of the whole area and that’s in a category of up to 35 year-olds.”