The Queen said she “hopes Badminton Horse Trials goes on for ever” as she visited today (8 May) in her role as patron of Ebony Horse Club.
Ebony is Mars Badminton’s charity of the year; riders from the stables based in Brixton, London, put on a display for Her Majesty in the main arena today.
The Queen first became aware of Ebony, which enables young riders from disadvantaged backgrounds to be with horses and potentially train for careers, some years ago at a meeting in Brixton when the club did not have premises.
“I was so moved and humbled by the whole thing, I felt now was the time to get it going with a riding school,” she said. “I can hardly believe now that there it is. I remember it as a patch of ground with nothing on it, and now all these ponies, these wonderful riders doing a fantastic job.
“Huge thanks to all the volunteers who come in and help because it wouldn’t happen otherwise, and it’s given all these children the most fantastic chance to get on in life. I’m so thrilled to be a patron.”
Linda Mars representing MARS, Badminton’s title sponsor, presented a year’s supply of horse feed to Ebony.
The club’s chief executive Sid Holdsworth said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our brilliantly talented young people, who were so excited to ride for The Queen. Thanks to our fantastic group of volunteers, the team at Badminton and The Queen, we have all had a fantastic day.”
Theo Dorton, one of the four riders who performed the demo, said all of them were “beyond thrilled”.
“To have taken part in this, something so big, I never thought I would be part of,” he said.
“Thank you to Ebony for having me and giving me the opportunity to perform at Badminton. It has been amazing and I just can’t wait to do more.”
The Queen, who arrived at Badminton Horse Trials just as defending champions Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo were performing the test that took them into the lead, said she has been going to the event for years.
“Always on my feet, but I never cease to be impressed by all the wonderful riders here,” she said. “It’s such fun, and I just hope it can go on for ever.”
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