TWO long-lost brothers who had never met did so for the first time in West Devon recently. But these were brothers with a difference . . . they were horses. Cornish horses Minstrel, 8, and Charlie, 7, are full brothers, having been born on a small stud near Saltash which was disbanded shortly after Minstrel was sold. He was taken by his new owner, Helen Taylor, to live in the Wye Valley. Helen had no idea Minstrel?s mother had another foal by the same stallion ? an unusual occurrence in the equestrian world. Both horses are part-bred Arab Palaminos, and their grandfather, Pioneerstud Golden Chieftain, was three times National Palomino Champion. The Palamino Journal gave Helen the clue to the existence of a brother ? she saw the name Lorrivale Electrum under the ownership transfer section. From his sire and dam she realised he was the brother of her own Lorrivale Moonsong Minstrel. Helen said: ?When I read Lorrivale Electrum my heart skipped a beat. ?When I was picking up Minstrel I had casually said to the stud owner that if I had been naming a palamino from scratch I might have used the name Electrum, it being an alloy of gold and silver. ?I was amazed to find that Minstrel had a brother. He left the stud just before it shut down and I had no idea his mum was carrying another foal.? Helen got in touch with the then owner of Electrum ? known as Charlie ? who passed on her details to his new owner, Graham Saberton from North Petherwin, near Launceston. Helen said: ?We have exchanged Christmas cards and photographs for several years now, but I thought it was about time the two boys met. ?Graham was just as keen to meet Minstrel as I was to meet Charlie, so I arranged to come to Devon for a horse holiday.? Graham said he had wanted to buy Charlie when he was a foal, but did not succeed in getting him then. Some time later he saw in a local paper he was for sale and succeeded in buying him. Charlie and Minstrel were the only foals sired by Moonlight Cameo. Charlie is a rising Endurance horse and Minstrel enjoys TREC, which involves orienteering, control of paces, and cross country. Helen stayed with Minstrel at Little Bidlake, Bridestowe, where the two finally met. Graham said: ?Considering they had never met, it was amazing. There was no squealing as is usual with geldings. ?They just went up to one another and started nuzzling one another?s necks. ?They acted as if they already knew one another.? Within ten minutes they were both loaded into one horse trailer to go to Dartmoor for a gallop ? the first of several together over the three days of the visit. It all went so well a reunion is planned for early September. Little Bidlake, run by Jo and Phil Down, provides holiday accommodation. It also has stabling for people who want to bring their horse to enjoy riding on Dartmoor. For more information visit the website http://www.dartmoor-holiday-accommodation.co.uk">www.dartmoor-holiday-accommodation.co.uk