The Queen with horses in pictures: celebrating special moments in her life

Queen Elizabeth II may have be the most famous, admired and garlanded person on the planet, but nothing brought out her widest smile quite like the simple pleasure she took in spending time with horses. Whether breeding elite thoroughbreds for the racetrack, visiting the ceremonial horses in the Royal Mews, or enjoying the range of breeds in which she was so invested, horses of all shapes and sizes was her passion.

During this time of quiet reflection, here is a selection of just some of the moments throughout The Queen’s special life with horses, in 25 pictures:

Birthday girl: Princess Elizabeth photographed with a pony in Windsor Great Park to mark her 13th birthday, on 21 April 1939

A family hack: The Queen (second from right) rides out with two of her children, Princess Anne (far left) and Prince Charles (foreground), in 1956

The two sisters: Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth with a pony and cart at Windsor in 1944, when the future Queen was 18

The future Queen, aged 20, cuts an elegant figure on one of her riding horses – she continued to ride for pleasure, and on ceremonial parade, throughout her lifetime

The Queen on her grey horse Surprise, followed by Lt-Col Dawnay leading members of her house party to the entrance of Ascot racecourse in 1961

Eight years later, in 1969, The Queen, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones with a group of others on their way to the racecourse at Ascot. The Queen used to hold a house party at Windsor during the Royal meeting, and her guests would ride along the racecourse before racing began in the afternoon

Support on the sidelines: The Queen and Prince Philip chat before a polo match at Windsor in 1956, accompanied by Prince Charles and Princess Anne

The Queen leads in her filly Carrozza, ridden by Lester Piggott, after she won The Oaks in 1957, the year The Queen became champion owner

And again on the racecourse before Royal Ascot, in 1956. One year, The Queen narrowly avoided a serious accident when she was galloping along the track. The starting tape was down, and she skilfully ducked just at the last minute to avert disaster

May 1971: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on horseback in Windsor Great Park, stopping for a chat. Their son Prince Edward is on the right

The Queen holds her husband’s polo pony during a break in a match for which he is acting as one of the mounted umpires. The Queen was a big supporter of Prince Philip’s polo career, breeding polo ponies – including one which ended up as Princess Anne’s premier event horse, Doublet

The Queen aboard Burmese in the Trooping of the Colour parade. Burmese was a mare gifted to The Queen by the Canadian mounted police, and she went on to enjoy riding her in parades for 18 consecutive years until 1986. Many years later, The Queen was given a replica rocking horse of Burmese, whom she listed as one of her favourite horses

The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Philip and Princess Anne with the children’s ponies. Princess Anne would go on to become European champion in eventing, while Charles played polo at a high level as well as riding in races as an amateur jockey

Princess Anne out for a hack with her mother The Queen on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, in 1979

The Queen enjoys a quiet moment out hacking out on the Balmoral estate in her signature headscarf, in 1982

From private ponies to major public moments, horses play their part: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip drive past Buckingham Palace in the state coach, during her Silver Jubilee, 1977

The Queen behind the camera: she enjoyed watching and capturing her horses in action as well as riding and being around them herself

A doting grandmother: The Queen with Prince William and Prince Harry watching a polo match in the Royal Box at Guards Polo Club, Smiths Lawn

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh set out from Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach for a ceremonial procession to St Paul’s Cathedral as part of the celebrations marking The Queen’s Golden Jubilee in June 2002

A slice of history: the moment The Queen won the Ascot Gold Cup with Estimate in 2013, the first time a reigning monarch had landed this prestigious race

The Queen showing her delight in watching her Highland pony Balmoral Gemini compete at Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2014

The Queen patting her Highland pony Balmoral Melody at Royal Windsor in 2007 in Windsor. Balmoral Melody was the overall in-hand champion and went on to produce this year’s supreme in-hand champion Balmoral Leia

The Queen paid a visit in 2011 to St John’s Wood Barracks (the final royal visit before the King’s Troop moved to Woolwich), to meet Harlequin, the horse she gave to the King’s Troop

Queen with horses: The Queen riding out in 2006

The Queen riding out in Windsor Great Park. Since her 80s she chose to ride ponies over horses – “closer to the ground”, according to stud groom Terry Pendry. However, she continued riding well into her 90s

The Queen with two of her favourite horses — LONDON, ENGLAND - UNDATED: NOTE TO EDITORS: MANDATORY CREDIT REQUIRED: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. This photograph is solely for news editorial use only; no charge should be made for the supply, release or publication of the photograph; no commercial use whatsoever of the photograph (including any use in merchandising, advertising or any other non-editorial use); not for use after Tuesday 31st May 2022 without prior permission from Royal Windsor Horse Show. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published. Handout photo provided by The Royal Windsor Horse Show and released on April 20, 2022 This new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II released by The Royal Windsor Horse Show to mark the occasion of her 96th birthday. Queen Elizabeth II holds her Fell ponies, Bybeck Nightingale (right) and Bybeck Katie. (Photo by henrydallalphotography.com via Getty Images)

The Queen pictured at Windsor in 2022 with two of her favourites – Fell ponies Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale. This photo was released to mark The Queen’s 96th birthday

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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.