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From an early age,Elizabeth II took a keen interest inhorses. Into her reign, this developed into one of her main leisure time activities with a particular emphasis on the breeding ofthoroughbreds forhorse racing.
As a child, Elizabeth was given her first horse, a Shetland pony named Peggy, aged 4; she was riding aged 6. The pony was a gift from her grandfatherGeorge V.[1] By age 18, she was an accomplished rider, and continued to ride for pleasure into her nineties.[2]
In her role as monarch, Elizabeth also rode in a ceremonial role. From her first appearance as princess in 1947 and throughout her reign as queen until 1986, she attended the annualTrooping the Colour ceremony on horseback. Initially, she rode a bay police horse named Tommy[3] in 1947. When her father,King George VI, was unwell, she rode in his place on his chestnut horse Winston, and she rode Winston after George VI's death.[3] Later she rode a chestnut horse named Imperial.[3] For eighteen consecutive years from 1969, her horse was a black mare namedBurmese, a gift from theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police.[3] After Burmese was retired in 1987, the Queen attended in a carriage. The RCMP presented five more horses to the Queen: PSH Centenial in 1973,[4] PSH Saint James in 1998, PSH Golden Jubilee in 2002,[5] PSH George in 2009,[6] and PSH Elizabeth in 2012.[6]
Elizabeth owned manythoroughbred horses for use in racing, having initially inherited the breeding and racing stock of her late father King George VI, in 1952. Until the late 1960s, she raced her own-bred stock as well as horses bred by the National Stud. Her registered racing colours (termed silks), as worn by the jockeys riding her race horses, are the same as those used by her father and great-grandfatherKing Edward VII: a purple and scarlet jacket with gold braiding, with black cap. As of 2013, horses owned by the Queen won more than 1,600 races, and excluding theEpsom Derby have won all theBritish Classic Races, some multiple times. She also won a French Classic, thePrix de Diane, in 1974. She was namedBritish flat racing Champion Owner in 1954 and 1957, the first reigning monarch ever to do so twice.
She had a 2nd place runner in the Derby,Aureole, in 1953, the year ofher coronation. Her horseDunfermline won two of the classics, the Epsom Oaks and St. Leger Stakes, in Elizabeth'sSilver Jubilee year of 1977. She never gambled and is instead said to have had more interest from the outcome of a successful breeding match, but she is said to have read theRacing Post over breakfast every morning.
Other notable horses owned by Elizabeth include:
Horse races named after Elizabeth II include:
Between 2007 and 2022, 41 horses that raced in the royal colours were gifted to Elizabeth.[1] Afterthe Queen's death, her horses were inherited by her heir and successor,Charles III; the new King had his first winner, Just Fine, atLeicester in October 2022.[8] It was announced later that month that the King was to sell fourteen of the late Queen's horses, including his first winner, Just Fine, and the Queen's last winner, Love Affairs.[9] Within a few weeks, Charles began selling 30 of the nearly 100 thoroughbred horses he had inherited from his mother.[1]The Guardian estimated that Charles had realised just over £2.25 million by selling some of the horses.[1] Since March 2023, King Charles III and his wife,Queen Camilla have been joint owners of the royal horses.[10]
Elizabeth took a keen interest in the breeding of her horses, and was the patron of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association. She made regular visits to observe and assess her animals firsthand from birth and beyond. Her horses were foaled at the Royal Stud in theSandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. As yearlings, they were raised at Polhampton Stud in Hampshire, before being passed on to the training facilities of any one of seven trainers (as of 2018 season). Once they finished racing, they remained in her care into retirement or were sold at various bloodstock sales. Her bloodstock and racing adviser was John Warren, who took over the role from his father-in-law,Henry Herbert, 7th Earl of Carnarvon, on his death in 2001. He had held the post since 1969.
As well as thoroughbreds, Elizabeth also bredShetland ponies at Balmoral in Scotland andFell ponies at Hampton Court. In 2007, she opened a full-timeHighland pony stud at Balmoral to enhance and preserve the breed.
Elizabeth II hosted theRoyal Windsor Horse Show every year in Windsor Park, part of the royal estate in Berkshire. In herDiamond Jubilee year, an evening horse themedDiamond Jubilee Pageant was combined with the daytime show.
Elizabeth II is depicted on horseback in statues in these places:
In 1974, Elizabeth II's interest in horses was the subject of a documentary,The Queen's Race Horses: a Private View, which she herself narrated. In 2013, as part of the 60th anniversary of the Coronation celebrations,Clare Balding presented the BBC documentaryThe Queen: a Passion for Horses.[11]
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