Human and equine members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment were reunited with former comrades today (2 September) for the first time since March.
As children head back to school, and many workers to their offices, a team of troopers and their chargers, who had been at their posts at The Queen’s Life Guard in Whitehall throughout lockdown, went to meet cavalry veterans for a ‘working breakfast”.
“The finely turned-out troopers and military horses made a detour from their usual daily exercise route to pay a visit to cavalry veterans at the Royal Hospital Chelsea for the first time since March,” said a spokesman for the regiment.
“Before lockdown, troopers and veterans got together regularly either in Chelsea or at the cavalry barracks in Knightsbridge, and both had missed the camaraderie lost by so many months apart.”
While keeping at an appropriate social distance for safety reasons, troopers and the Chelsea Pensioners tucked in to bacon rolls and cups of tea in the early morning September sunshine.
“The horses were treated to a small handful of Polo mints, and were given lots of attention from the veterans, who had missed their equine friends,” the spokesman said.
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(Image credit: MOD Crown Copyright 2020/Sgt Donald Todd)
“The soldiers young and old shared tales of service life today and in the past with lots of smiles and increasing laughter.
“As people return steadily to offices and students go back to school, this morning’s morale-boosting visit by the troopers and horses of The Queen’s Life Guard to the Royal Hospital Chelsea signals an important start of a return to a safe normality.
“While working from home in virtual teams has proved its worth across elements of defence as well as the wider workplace during lockdown, the joy of coming together physically to share ideas and work alongside comrades once more cannot be underestimated.
“Hopefully it won’t be long before we can all be reunited.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
