The Future of the Queen’s Horses

Throughout her 70 years of reign, Queen Elizabeth II was known to have a strong relationship with animals. She was gifted her first corgi by her father when she was 18, a puppy named Susan, who would later be used to breed 15 generations of royal Pembrokeshire Welsh corgis which saw her all the way through her life. She even cared for an elephant, two jaguars and a sloth, which were given to her during her travels around the globe, although they were sent to London Zoo, so they could be looked after by experts.

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Alongside her precious pooches and exotic presents, the Queen had a very deep passion for horses. Owning hundreds of top-class racers, she was even named British flat racing’s champion owner in 1954 and 1957!

With lots of equines still under her name, what will happen to them now Charles is king?

Past horses

Queen Elizabeth has a rich past when it comes to equestrian sports. She rode horses herself, only giving up several years ago due to her declining health, and she also invested a lot of effort into breeding strong bloodlines.

Due to owning them from a young age, many of her prized horses have since deceased, but they are remembered well by members of the public. At five hands high, Betsy, a dark brown thoroughbred that was her riding companion back in the 1960s, was one of her favourite mares. Another notable character was Burmese, presented to Her Majesty in 1969 by The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who served her for 18 years in Trooping the Colour before being retired to Windsor.

The Queen first owned a pony at the age of eight, when she received one as a present from her family. It was a Shetland pony on which she was taught to ride. She continued to breed the line right up until her passing.

Current horses

When we lost the Queen in September 2022, it was evident that she still had many horses under her name. In June 2022, it was estimated that she owned over 100 racehorses, not to mention her own personal ponies. Thoroughbreds such as King’s Lynn and Reach for the Moon came out top on various prestigious stakes only months before, and her black fell pony, Emma, greeted the procession during her funeral.

What does the future hold for the Queen’s horses?

All the animals have now been transferred over to King Charles’s ownership, but he appears to have little interest in keeping the majority of them. He planned to sell 14 of the brood mares at auction at Tattersalls’ Horses in Training Sale due to his lack of interest in the sport that his mother invested so much time and effort into. Two of these were Love Affairs, a two-year-old filly, and Just Fine, a four-year-old gelding.

Horses who are carrying young are expected to deliver soon, and it’s believed that these will also be sold for a high price when they are old enough to be separated from their mothers.

However, even after her reign, we can appreciate how much love and care Her Majesty provided for her horses.