SHIRE horses and coloured cobs from the well-known Milnerfield Stables of farmer Keith Downs and his wife Pam went under the hammer at a dispersal sale at Skipton Auction Mart on Saturday.

The sale, which brought down the curtain on 36 years as a leading shire horse breeder and showman for Mr Downs, of Milner Field Farm, Bingley, created tremendous interest, attracting 1,500 people.

It was the first sale of its kind ever staged at the mart, which had adapted the livestock pens to house the horses, comprising 20 mares and foals, in-foal mares, yearling fillies and a three-year-old cob.

Some had already excelled on the show circuit, while others were said to have major show potential. They were put through their paces in Craven College’s on-site equestrian facility prior to going under the hammer.

Show mares sold to 3,500 g for the three-year-old Milnerfield Katie, which was sold in foal to Caerberllan Real Enterprise.

The pick of the mares with foals at foot was the four-year-old Milnerfield Gold Gift and her foal, which sold for 3,400 guineas.

A yearling filly, Milnerfield Dawn, sold for 2,400gns and of the coloured horses, the best seller at 1,800gns was the mare Milnerfield Tilly and her filly foal.

It proved a day of mixed emotions for all concerned with Milnerfield Stables, first established in 1978. Over the years, the stable has produced many champions at local, regional and national shows, and has also exported home-bred horses to many parts of the world.

Mr Downs, a long-standing member of the Shire Horse Society, will now concentrate on his core farming interests. He said he would like to thank all who had attended the sale, some of whom had travelled long distances.