between the queen and the horses, “it’s the passion of a lifetime”

It is in a cobbled, discreet alley that you have to stop, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace: in this small housing estate, where old boxes have been converted into housing, the inhabitants live to the rhythm of the horses and know the Queen’s passion for horses.

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Among them, Castie, who retains the spirit of the place with her “pony club”. She could write a book about the Queen and her personal horse. “His mare is called Emma, ​​in France you call them double ponies. She measures about 1m45 at the withers. He is a strong horse of the Fell breed, typically local because the Queen has always been there to promote British thoroughbred horses.“

Thus, Queen Elizabeth II appeared all smiles on Friday, May 13, at a prestigious equestrian competition in Windsor, about forty kilometers from London, after missing the opening of the new parliamentary session for health reasons. The 96-year-old sovereign was then photographed on her arrival at the “Royal Windsor Horse Show”, sitting in the front passenger seat of a Range Rover. Several of his horses competed including Balmoral Leia, a 5-year-old gray mare, who won and was later crowned supreme champion.

A love for galloping that commands respect, even if Elizabeth II will not attend the Epsom derby this Saturday, one of the most prestigious horse races in the world.

But Sarah, a resident of the neighborhood, remains well informed of the queen’s equestrian activities. “She was still riding last year, which is incredible at over 90 years old. It’s quite impressive but it’s the passion of a lifetime and I believe that she has this passion deep inside her…“

Her Majesty has enjoyed riding since childhood and is closely involved with the welfare of the horses she owns for breeding, riding and racing.

: Press Association pic.twitter.com/qKUYDuJViG

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 31, 2020

A passion triggered at an early age: Elizabeth II held the reins of her first horse from the moment she knew how to walk. And as a symbol, France, via the President of the Republic, offered… a horse to Elizabeth II for the seventy years of her reign. Fabuleu de Maucour, from the breeding of Beaufort-en-Argonne, in the Meuse, who grew up “with the cows”, left for the English court on Thursday June 2.