Let’s take a moment and admire Her Majesty getting off the train, beautiful as always, getting beautiful tiny flowers from those kids, and heading to Manor Farm Stables to meet and feed the horses with carrots. This is such a clear image of a peaceful and kind relationship between an animal and a person.
The Queen is said to have had her first riding lesson at the age of three, so it is fair to say the Queen’s love for horses started at a very young age. Even now, at the age of 94, the Queen still regularly rides and was even pictured doing so around the grounds of Windsor Castle during the UK lockdown last year.
Every year the Queen’s favorite event is said to be Royal Ascot. The Queen’s own horses have competed in many races over the years and, on 71 occasions, have even won the event. Choir Boy was the first of the Queen’s horses to win Royal Ascot in 1953, ridden by Doug Smith.
Over the years, the Queen has owned several horses, but it is unknown exactly how many she currently owns. One of the Queen’s favorite horses was Burmese, and the horse played a special role as the monarch’s horse during Trooping the Colour celebrations for 18 years. When Burmese retired in 1987, the Queen has since attended Trooping the Colour in a carriage.
Another of the Queen’s favorite horses for many years was Sanction, and in the 1960s, it was Betsy – a black-brown mare – which won the monarch’s heart. Touchingly named in honor of the Queen’s beloved Scottish residence, two Highland ponies named Balmoral Jingle and Balmoral Curlew were also named as some of the Queen’s favorite horses due to their success in the show ring.
The Queen’s love of horseback riding has also been passed on to the next generations of royals as well. Her daughter, Princess Anne, became the first royal to compete in the Olympics when she rode in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Games in Montreal.