Photo de stock - ELST - The horse trade in the Netherlands is definitely out of recession. At the horse market of the Dutch city Elst (province Gelderland), 1223 horses and ponies were delivered on Monday 4-9-2017, 338 more than last year. The year 2016 with 885 horses and ponies was the absolute nadir of the oldest horse market in the Netherlands. The Elster horse market was held for the 757th time, and is put on the list of cultural-material heritage. According to market president Johan Huitink, there was not only a lot more supply than last year, but there was a lot of trade as well. In the morning at 3.15 am the first animals got a new owner. Remarkable is also the renewed interest of traders from Germany and Italy. Because horse markets are only held in the Netherlands, they massively went to Elst. By placing barriers and spreading straw and hay, the market in Elst is assessed by the NVWA, the Dutch agricultural inspection, as human and animal friendly. Water and feed are well-stocked and veterinarians checked the health of both horses and ponies. In the Netherlands there are about 600,000 horses. Foto: VidiPhoto dpa - NETHERLANDS OUT - NO WIRE SERVICE - Photo: VidiPhoto/dpa. - Elst/Gelderland/Netherlands