Rescue horse retires from King’s Troop
A rescue horse who served the King’s Troop for 12 years has been retired to World Horse Welfare’s Penny Farm in Lancashire.
Penny was severely emaciated and infested with lice and worms when she was rescued by the charity as a four-year-old in 2001.
Captain Owen Beynon Brown of the King’s Troop handed the Irish draught mare back to World Horse Welfare.
“Penny has been a superb military working horse,” said Captain Brown.
“She has had to adapt to all sorts of things that she wouldn’t have been used to, such as the different uniformed tack and a sword slung on her side.”
Penny’s job was as part of the gun team, pulling one of the six WW1 guns owned by the regiment.
“Since being with us, Penny has been involved in a whole host of parades, the first being the Queen Mother’s funeral,” added Captain Brown.
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“Thereafter she was involved in every parade we have done such as the Queen’s birthday, the Queen’s succession to the throne, jubilee celebrations and Prince Charles and the Duke’s birthdays.
“More recently, she was part of the gun team that pulled one of the guns that fired the salute to mark the birth of Prince George.”
At the open day on 7 September Penny was dismounted and her saddle and bridle were given back to the troop. Her World Horse Welfare head collar was then put back on and she was lead back to her stables as Penny, not Hallmark, as she is known in the troop.
“Penny will now have some down time and we will turn her out in the field with the other ponies,” said Fran Williamson of World Horse Welfare.
“She will then be assessed by our physiotherapist and vet in order to decide what her future will be. We are hopeful that she will be rehomed as a ridden horse.”
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.