Household Cavalry horses enjoy a trip to the seaside [PICS]

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Photographer: Sergeant Steve Blake RLC (Phot) The Knightsbridge based Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) has temporarily moved 145 horses and 275 men to Bodney Camp in Norfolk, their home for the next four weeks, while they conduct their annual Regimental Training Camp. The prospect of a month in the country away from the rigours of ceremonial duty is the highlight of the Cavalry year. But this is no holiday. It may look and feel like fun but the Norfolk Regimental Training Camp is an exacting regime of equestrian and military skills, building bonds between horse and rider, and improving the prowess of professional fighting soldiers. Bodney Camp and the North Norfolk coast provide the open space to enable a wide range of training to take place which would be impossible to deliver in central London. The Cavalrymen will undergo advanced riding techniques, weapons handling, farriery training, crowd training, military fitness tests, participate in tent pegging, sword, lance and pistol drill, cross country riding and show jumping. The unit will also be practising Royal Protection drills which is their main function, underlined by their daily mounting of the Queen's Life Guard when they are in London. But the highlight for everyone are the Beach Rides at Holkham where the normally immaculate icons of Britain get to be salt soaked sea horses for the day. For the first days of Camp this year they were joined by officers from HQ London District The Household Division and within hours riders and horses were frolicking in the waves and rolling in the sand. Captain Jack Campbell said: "Some of the horses may never have seen the sea before, and for them this is a test of bravery and trust between horse and rider. The sea is also a great environment for them to exercise in as it works muscles in the same way as pool pilates and is a lot of fun into the bargain! "A good horse for us needs to be cool, calm, collected and obviously look good. Bringing them here e
(Image credit: Sergeant Steve Blake RLC)

As sun lovers around the country soak up the rays on the beach — the Household Cavalry horses are doing the same.

145 horses from the Knightsbridge-based regiment are spending four weeks in Norfolk as part of their annual Regimental Training Camp.

Amy Mathieson
Amy Mathieson
Former news editor

A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.