The monarch was given her first horse (a Shetland pony) when she was just 4 years old
Age is just a number for Queen Elizabeth.
The monarch may have recently celebrated her 94th birthday, but she’s not showing any signs of giving up her love of riding horses.
This November, the Queen was spotted enjoying a horseback ride around the grounds of Windsor Castle. She wore a long navy coat, headscarf and sunglasses for the outing, where she was accompanied by Head Groom Terry Pendry.
And days after son Prince Andrew announced that he was «stepping back from public duties» amid his interview regarding his relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the mother-son duo were seen riding with two escorts around the Windsor Castle estate. Both were bundled up in long coats, with the monarch covering up her head with a hood, while Andrew sported a helmet.
Throughout her life, the Queen has always had a love of horses. She was given her first horse (a Shetland pony) when she was just 4 years old and was seen riding back in April 2018, just after the birth of her great-grandson Prince Louis. The monarch also attends the Windsor Horse Show annually and is known to get rather spirited when watching horse races like Royal Ascot.
Her love for the animals was passed onto the next generations of royals as well. The Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, became the first royal to compete in the Olympics when she rode in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Games in Montreal. Anne’s daughter, Zara, followed in her mother’s footsteps and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics as a member of the Great Britain Eventing Team.
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Late journalist and diarist Kenneth Rose chronicled the Queen’s love of animals in Who Loses, Who Wins: The Journals of Kenneth Rose, Vol II 1979-2014. In March 1997, Prince Charles told Rose of a time when the head of Wimbledon pondered if the Queen would come open a new tennis court.
“I doubt it,” Prince Philip reportedly replied, “unless there are dogs and horses.”
