LONDON - UK. 22nd Jan 2025.Her Majesty The Queen hosts a reception for the British Equestrian Federation at Clarence House in London.
Photo by Ian Jones. @ianjonesphotos
(Image credit: British Equestrian/Ian Jones Photography)
The achievements of Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic riders in Paris have been celebrated at a ceremony hosted by The Queen.
Yesterday evening (22 January) riders, owners, grooms, support staff, and British Equestrian (BEF) representatives attended a reception at Clarence House, London.
The Queen met the eventing team’s Ros Canter and travelling reserve Yas Ingham, dressage travelling reserve Andrew Gould and para dressage riders Natasha Baker, Mari Durward-Akhurt, Sophie Wells and Georgia Wilson. BEF chief executive Jim Eyre, performance director Helen Nicholls, dressage performance manager Caroline Griffith and para dressage performance manager Georgina Sharples were also in attendance.
The Queen spent time talking to owners and grooms, “acknowledging the vital roles they played in the teams’ successes”.
Mr Eyre thanked The Queen for her hospitality, “enduring support for the equestrian community” and continued patronage of the federation.
“He also took the opportunity to thank the athletes for their hard work and determination during their performances at the Games. He paid tribute to the owners, who are the backbone of our sport, and the grooms who dedicate their lives to the wellbeing of their equine charges,” said a BEF spokesperson.
“He ended by recognising the ‘team behind the team’ – the support staff, the performance managers and the practitioners, who all work tirelessly to ensure the athletes and horses can perform to their best on the world stage.”
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The Queen was presented with a commemorative book of photographs, which captured “key moments and the team spirit” from Paris.
“I’m so proud to be your patron and what you achieved in Paris made us all feel very proud to be British,” said The Queen.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, but I was watching every bit of it on television and it really did bring tears to the eyes. Thank you to the whole team for everything you do.”
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
