After reigning for 70 years, the late Queen Elizabeth II was intimately familiar with countless horses. The monarch's well-known fondness for the animals was matched by her pursuit of what she once called 'a simple philosophy': to breed 'a horse faster than other people's'.
An Intense Equine Operation
Queen Elizabeth ran a highly dedicated equine enterprise, reportedly taking an interest in horses from the earliest stages of their development. She would book matings and stallions months in advance, and CCTV cameras were installed in the boxes at her Sandringham stud farm to allow her to watch foals being born.
Her first horse, a Shetland pony, was a present for her fourth birthday from her grandfather, George V. She later inherited the racing and breeding stock of her father, George VI, after his death in 1952.
Distinctive Colours and Legacy
For 70 years, her stock were marked by the famous purple-bodied, red-sleeved, gold-embroidered jockey outfits established by her father. Grooms from the Royal Stud at Sandringham wore 'E II R' gilets and scarves. By the time of her death, the Queen's equine assets were worth an estimated £27 million, some of which King Charles has since begun to sell off.
Memorable Horses
In a 2020 interview, the Queen's stud groom and manager at Windsor Castle, Terry Pendry, chose special horses that Her Majesty and her family loved riding and watching. The monarch's bloodstock and racing advisor, John Warren, selected memorable racehorses from the Royal paddock.
- Burmese – The Queen rode Burmese in Trooping the Colour for 18 years before the mare retired in 1986. Burmese was a gift from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- Doublet – Princess Anne won the European Eventing Championships at Burghley on Doublet in 1971.
- Columbus – The Princess Royal first evented Columbus at novice and intermediate levels but said he was more of a 'man's ride' because of his strength. His stable name was The Monster.
- Emma – A Fell Pony who stood to watch as the Queen's coffin arrived at Windsor Castle in 2022. Emma was named 'horse of a lifetime' at the Horse and Hound awards later that year.
- Aureole – The chestnut stallion was bred by King George VI and won seven races, also finishing second in the Epsom Derby.
- Doutelle – The first top-class horse bred by the Queen in her own right, but his career as a stallion was cut short when he died at the age of eight.
- Highclere – The bay mare was a dual Classic winner and placed second in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Ascot, going on to become an 'outstanding' broodmare.
- Phantom Gold – The great-granddaughter of the Queen's broodmare Amicable was trained by the Earl of Huntingdon. Described as a 'remarkable mare', she produced daughters including Golden Stream, a Stakes winner.
- Estimate – An Ascot Gold Cup winner as a four-year-old, Estimate's triumph marked the first time a reigning monarch had won that race, which gave the late Queen 'great pleasure'.
These horses represent just a fraction of the Queen's deep connection to the equestrian world, a passion that defined her reign and left a lasting legacy.
