Mr Pendry wrote that the list of 13 ‘only scratches the surface’ of all the horses the Queen came to be fond of. He wrote: ‘She names all of her horses and ponies herself and can remember the parentage of every single one.’ Ever since the Queen was a little girl, she loved horses and this comprehensive list is a wonderful insight into her equestrian archive.
The Queen’s horses
Betsy
A black-brown mare that Her Majesty used to ride in the 1960s. ‘Betsy was full of character and spirit and much loved by The Queen,’ wrote head groom Terry Pendry.
Burmese
Burmese was presented to the Queen in 1969 by The Royal Canadian Mounted police, the Queen rode her in Trooping the Colour for 18 years – and is pictured riding out with the US President Ronald Reagan above.
Doublet
Bred as a polo pony, Doublet was passed on to Princess Anne and went on to be the horse with which she would win the European Eventing Championships at Burghley in 1971.
Columbus
As mentioned above, Columbus, sired by Winston Churchill’s stallion, went on to win Badminton in 1974 with Princess Anne’s ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips.
Sanction
‘Sanction was almost telepathic and had a very strong bond with Her Majesty […] Sanction was the last home-bred horse that Her Majesty rode before making the decision to start riding native ponies. A little closer to the ground, so to speak,’ Mr Pendry wrote in Horse & Hound.
Balmoral Jingle and Balmoral Curlew
Two Highland ponies that achieved great success in the show ring and went on to become broodmares at the Balmoral stud.
Emma
A fell pony that ‘has been a wonderful servant to Her Majesty and is still going strong at the age of 24,’ Mr Pendry wrote.
The Queen’s top five racehorses
Aureole
Bred by the Queen’s father, Aureole was a hugely successful horse. She won seven races including the Coronation Cup and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, and came second in the Derby.
Doutelle
This chestnut stallion was the first top-class horse owned by the Queen in her own right, going on to win many races.
Highclere
Won both the 1000 Guineas and the Prix de Diane in Paris before an ecstatic Parisian crowd who chanted ‘Vive La Reine’ John Warren wrote.
Phantom Gold
‘This remarkable mare will inevitably continue to be at the core of the Royal Studs’ broodmare band for future generations to enjoy and nurture,’ wrote Mr Warren. Phantom Gold is the great granddaughter of The Queen’s superb broodmare Amicable.
Estimate
The bay filly won the Ascot Gold Cup at the Royal meeting as a four-year-old. ‘No reigning monarch had won the Gold Cup and it gave Her Majesty great pleasure in achieving an ambition to breed such a great horse of true stamina and grit,’ John Warren wrote in Horse & Hound.
