Celebrating The Queen’s love of horses on her 90th birthday

A commemorative publication celebrating The Queen’s love of everything equestrian is published today (21 April) to mark her 90^th birthday.

Horse & Hound has dug deep into its archives to chart Elizabeth II and her family’s equestrian influence with the 132-page The Queen and her horses.

With national celebration of Her Majesty as sovereign, this provides the opportunity to see her private side, embracing a life-long passion for horses.

H&H content director Sarah Jenkins said: “For 132 years, H&H has documented the Royal Family’s equestrian successes – from Olympic debuts to Royal Ascot winners and home-bred show champions.

“In this delightful publication, The Queen and her horses, we celebrate the enjoyment that horses and riding have brought to Her Majesty and her family over the past century – the same enjoyment they bring to anyone who sets foot in a stirrup.

“H&H’s archives are a treasure trove of images and stories that deserve to be retold, and which make this charming publication a must-have for horse-lovers and royalists alike.”

Moments documented include the heights of The Queen’s glory on the racecourse and from Princess Anne’s 1971 European Championship triumph to Zara Phillips’ performance in the Olympic spotlight.

It is also brought back down to earth with a smattering of Prince Philip’s enduring humour: “The trouble with horses is that by the time you’ve discovered all the problems and risks it’s too late to be of any practical use.”

H&H reported last year that nearly 1,000 horses will attend The Queen’s 90th birthday celebration next month.

Related articles:

• 16 of The Queen’s favourite horses
• Happy birthday Princess Anne! We dig into the archives to celebrate *PICTURES*
• Zara Phillips shares her eventing wisdom

The 90-minute spectacular will take place on 12-15 May 2016 in Home Park Private, Windsor Castle, with members of the Royal Family attending every night and The Queen herself at the final show.

The horses, along with 1,500 performers, will take spectators through a story covering major events in The Queen’s life, from her birth in 1926 through World War II, her coronation in 1953 and other landmarks in her long reign.

The Queen and her horses, priced £9.99, is on sale from Amazon, WH Smith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Martin’s, McColl’s and more.

Eleanor Jones

H&H news editor

Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.