A photograph of The Queen with two of her Fell ponies has been released to mark Her Majesty’s 96th birthday.
The organisers of Royal Windsor Horse Show released the picture, of The Queen with Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale. Taken last month in the grounds of Windsor Castle, it is the fourth in a series released by the show, following pictures taken in celebration of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002, her 90th birthday in 2016 and the Platinum Jubilee this year.
A spokesman for the Royal Family said Her Majesty has attended every Royal Windsor Horse Show since its first running in 1943.
A spokesman for the event, which takes place from 12 to 15 May in the grounds of Windsor Castle, said: “Her Majesty has a record number of entries at the 2022 show, with 41 horses entered to take part.
“The 2022 edition of Royal Windsor Horse Show will also celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with ‘A Gallop through History’, taking place each evening of the show and featuring more than 500 horses and 1,000 performers.”
Fell ponies, a breed close to The Queen’s heart, will also feature in a parade at the show, led by the late Duke of Edinburgh’s granddaughter Lady Louise Windsor. More than 30 ponies, in hand and ridden, will take part in the parade in the main ring following the Horse & Hound-supported mountain and moorland in-hand championship.
The Queen became patron of the Fell Pony Society, which is celebrating its centenary this year, in 1982, and the Duke of Edinburgh competed his Fell ponies for many years at national level in the four-in-hand pony teams class.
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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.
