Horses trot to show their best at Libya auction

Bidders watched Arabian and English thoroughbreds elegantly stride to show off their best qualities at an auction in Libya's Misrata city.

One after the other, the horses were paraded before the crowd at the three-day auction which started on Thursday and concluded on Saturday.

The event brought together horse owners and enthusiasts from several Libyan cities.

Saddam al-Kurdi, one of the organizers, said he was not expecting such a large number of people to turn up.

Horses of all ages, including ponies under two years old and stallions that can compete in races, went on display at the auction.

The biggest sale was that of a purebred that was traded for 36,000 Libyan dinars ($26,000).

Others animals were sold for prices ranging from 5,000 dinars ($3,600) to 20,000 dinars ($14,000).

Horse breeding is a source of pride in Libya where breeds include the purebred Arabian, English hybrid and Libyan hybrid.

Despite the disruption of some aspects of life due to the years of turmoil in Libya, horse races and auctions are often held without interruption in both the east and west ends of the country.

The auction was held based on the initiative of the Libyan Equestrian Federation and was organized by the the Alam Dar stables in Misrata.