Thanks From An Equestrian in the Second Elizabethan Age

Today is a day of thankfulness and reflection. This is a personal remembrance for a Queen who has shaped the nation I am proud to live in and love. The Queen was patron to The British Horse Society, an organisation that has played a key part in my education and identity as a horsewoman. 
To me the Queen represented our heritage, our sense of duty to the horses that called to us, the Queen was a link to my Grandparents that is hard to articulate. I suppose it’s that sense of continuity. To live in the present, remember the past and honour the future. I’m typing this listening to the Church bell ringing and it’s both a warm rich sound and a solemn note that resonates with my emotions. I did not met the Queen personally yet I feel she is family in some inexplicable way. I don’t think it’s to do with horses though her deep love for horses has always impressed me. The Queen is responsible for my view of Monarchy and more. The Queen has been called a remarkable women and the sense of family I think is in part due to her being a role model for the Nation. As we say Goodbye to Our Queen I thought I would share the tribute from The British Horse Society and The FEI below along with my thanks to Her Majesty, May She Rest In Peace. 

British Horse Society Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

“The British Horse Society are immensely saddened, not merely at our profound sense of loss of our Sovereign and Society Patron, but also at the loss of a true equestrian. The exemplary dedication to duty that defined Her Majesty’s reign, and her seven decades of faithful service to her country, have been an inspiration to so many people in all walks of life.

Her Majesty had a lifelong passion for horses, and the BHS wish to pay especial tribute to her absolute devotion to equestrianism. Her Majesty’s deep love of equines of all breeds, and her boundless enjoyment and support of all disciplines, shone through right from her earliest childhood to the last year of her life. Many will have particularly fond memories of her relaxed and radiant smiles at the equestrian events she loved. The heartfelt connection she demonstrated for her horses clearly communicated to the rest of the world what those of us in equestrianism are lucky enough to already understand: just how remarkable horses truly are.

Her Majesty graciously agreed to become Patron of The British Horse Society in 1952, the same year she became Queen, and she continued to honour the Society with her patronage throughout her life. This seventy-year relationship has been a constant source of pride for us all at the BHS. A key part of our mission is to encourage horses and people to enjoy life together. Her Majesty’s decades-long demonstration of how rewarding horses are, on any level, was instrumental in supporting us to achieve that goal.

Her Majesty’s long reign has shaped our country in immeasurable ways, and she has also gifted all those of us who love horses with a truly admirable legacy: her lifelong example of true equestrianism and fine horsemanship has not only benefitted her fellow equestrians - most importantly, it has boosted the welfare and wellbeing of horses themselves.

We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to His Majesty, King Charles III, our Vice-Patron Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and all members of the Royal Family at this deeply saddening time.”

FEI Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

“Queen Elizabeth, the longest-serving monarch in British history, having reigned from February 1952 until the day of her death, was a passionate lover of horses throughout her life. She was a successful owner of many high-profile thoroughbred winners, a keen rider and each year played host to the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Of course, she was also the wife and mother of two former FEI presidents – Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne – and the grandmother of 2006 World champion Zara Tindall.

The late Queen’s standing in equestrianism was highlighted by her becoming, in 2014, the first recipient of the FEI Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her leading role as supporter of equestrian sport throughout her reign as monarch of the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth.” 

"Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a true horsewoman and a fervent advocate of equestrian sports throughout her life and reign," said the FEI's President, Ingmar De Vos.

"Her passion and Her understanding of horses was remarkable, and alongside Her late husband, former FEI President Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh and their children and grandchildren, She promoted the values of horsemanship widely. It was an honour for the FEI to present The Queen with the first Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2014 for Her devotion and immeasurable contribution to the equestrian landscape.

"The FEI extends its deepest sympathy to the British Royal Family and joins the equestrian community in mourning the loss of this remarkable lady."

Horses featured in the late Queen’s life from a very young age and throughout her seven decades as monarch. She had her first riding lesson in the private riding school at Buckingham Palace Mews in January 1930, when she was just three years old and was given her first pony, the Shetland mare Peggy, by her grandfather King George V on her fourth birthday. As well as riding for pleasure, the Queen took to the saddle for her ceremonial duties, such as the Trooping the Colour ceremony, which celebrates the sovereign’s birthday. 

One of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite horses was the mare Burmese, a present from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1969 when they came to perform at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The Queen rode Burmese side-saddle at the Trooping the Colour for 18 years.

 Queen Elizabeth also bred Shetland, Highland and Fell ponies to ensure the traditional bloodlines in these native breeds were preserved and enhanced. She was patron of the British Horse Society, the Fell Pony Society, the Highland Pony Society, the Shire Horse Society, the Welsh Pony and Cob Society and the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association.

 “As a young woman, Queen Elizabeth became an avid breeder of thoroughbreds from the stud at Sandringham, and horses under her ownership won more than 1,800 races and four of the five flat-racing Classics. As long ago as 1957, her horses’ success made her the leading owner in Britain that year. When Estimate triumphed in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2013, she became the first reigning monarch to own the winner of that race in more than 200 years.”