Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle, her estate in the Scottish Highlands. With her death, her son became the new monarch, King Charles III. After 10 days of mourning, the Queen’s funeral would be held on September 19. She celebrated 70 years of her reign back in February this year.
The Queen was an inspiring leader who had deep love and devotion for her country. Her love was not only limited to people. She was both a nature lover and also an animal lover. Her love for horses and dogs began at a very young age. Her father George VI, was the one who ignited the Queen’s love for these four-legged animals. So with the death of the matriarch, what would happen to her horses?
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Queen Elizabeth’s Love For Horses
The last royal had much love for horses and horse races. “(King George VI) has always been anxious that Princess Elizabeth shall be a good horse-woman. On her third birthday, she was given a little Shetland pony, Daisy, with whom she had made friends in Scotland”, noted The Sydney Morning Harold in an article published in 1937. And true to his words, Elizabeth loved all types of horses- race horses, show horses, and military equine. On her last birthday, the Queen posed for a portrait along with her two white Fell ponies.
The Queen’s royal residences have stables with hundreds of horses. So with her demise what will happen to these beings? “It is likely that the queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, and her daughter, Zara Tindall who were both Olympic equestrians and well-known horse lovers, are likely to be involved in what happens next to the queen’s animals“, the royal biographer Claudia Joseph told The New York Post. Thus the steeds will remain within the family.
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Queen Elizabeth: Journey With The Steed
The Queen had her first riding classes at the age of 3, at the private riding school in Buckingham Palace Mews. At the age of 4, her grandfather George V gave her a Shetland pony called Peggy. The number went on to rise as the years went by. Her love for the steed led her to horse racing events like Royal Ascot, the Epsom Derby, and the Grand National. She became the first reigning British monarch to win the Royal Ascot Gold Cup with her horse Estimate in the year 2013. She has won about $9 million in prize money by participating in horse races.
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