SCULPTOR Sally Arnup is still tackling big projects at the age of 84, as her latest work shows.

This life-size sculpture of a horse called Boysal is now on display at her studio in Panman Lane, in the village of Holtby.

Mrs Arnup, a leading animalier sculptor who works in bronze, said: “It was done originally as a commission for a neighbour’s wife. Her husband wanted it for a birthday present.

“He came round when it was halfway through and said it was far bigger than he expected.

“I said ‘Don’t worry, I will do this one for me and a smaller one for your wife’.”

She added: “The difficulty was that we had to get the horse into the studio without anybody seeing. I could only work when she was on holiday.”

After finishing the smaller sculpture of Boysal for the present, Mrs Arnup returned to the life-size one.

“It’s really amazing to think that you can get a creature this size,” she said.

“The horse is over 17 hands and he is a hunter. He is 28 years old and still capable of following hounds.”

Visitors can view Boysal during the York Open Studios weekends on April 18-19 and April 25-26.

“They can see the clay now, but the bronze will be ready for an exhibition in Harrogate in June,” said Mrs Arnup.