Retired drum horse Constantine dies at The Horse Trust
Retired drum horse Constantine has died at The Horse Trust, his home for the past three years.
Constantine, who was known as Eric, had been a part of the Household Cavalry for 20 years before retiring to The Horse Trust in 2007.
The 17.1hh blue roan gelding (pictured centre right), had been based at the Hyde Park Barracks and took part in the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony and other high-profile state occasions, such as The Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations and the State Opening of Parliament.
A spokesman for the Household Cavalry said: “He was everything you could have asked for from a drum horse — he was always reliable and up to the mark. If you wanted to understand the prototype for a drum horse, he was it.”
Constantine died of natural causes on Boxing Day 2009, aged 25.
Charlotte Pardon, head groom at The Horse Trust, said he would be greatly missed by staff and visitors to The Horse Trust.
“Eric was like a big cuddly bear — he was gentle, obliging and well behaved. Everyone will really miss him,” said Ms Pardon.
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His death follows that of another drum horse — Janus (pictured left above), who died in September 2009.
There is now only one drum horse left at the sanctuary — Leonidas or Leo (pictured right above).
“Leo had shared his barn with Eric and doesn’t like to be on his own, so we have moved another horse — an ex-police horse called Dombey — into his stable,” said Ms Pardon.
“Leo seems to have adjusted to the change and is getting on well with Dombey — they groom each other and share hay,” she added.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.