DARK clouds and a few showers did nothing to diminish the dazzling success of the North's first Festival of Horses, hosted by local horse whisperer Sarah Kreutzer.

Almost 1,000 people flocked to the celebration of the horse at Ilton, near Masham, to see Sarah's demonstrations of natural horsemanship and the acrobatic skills of stunt rider Guido Louis.

Sarah said: "It was a wonderful event and I was pleased to see so many families. There was something for everyone, no matter what their age.

"The festival was the culmination of many months of preparation and wouldn't have been possible without the vision and hard work of the Learning To Listen team.

"I would also like to thank them and our families so much for their support, not forgetting the Brompton on Swale scouts, who did a wonderful job of running the barbecue for the entire weekend."

Many visitors pitched their tents to stay over on Saturday night and catch that evening's live performance by cover band The Vers.Co.

"The entire event was fantastic," said Sarah's husband and co-organiser, Rob Middleton. "We are already planning the Festival of Horses 2005, though we hope we get a bit more sunshine next year".