A right royal read...
This month, I’ve been unashamedly royalist. It’s something that affects the British horse
world every May – and it’s all down to a horse show.
It isn’t just any show, though. It’s Royal Windsor,
held in Her Majesty the Queen’s ‘back garden’ with Windsor Castle providing a
spectacular background. Even the most hardened competitors love it, because it
has a special atmosphere.
The national media is out in force, because the royal
family is there to watch the Queen’s show horses and native ponies competing.
My friend and co-author Katie Jerram produces and competes some of these horses
and though she never talks out of turn, it’s clear that Her Majesty is the most
understanding and knowledgeable owner Katie could wish for.
My favourite story doesn’t come from Katie, but I
really hope it’s true. Her Majesty is often criticised for wearing a headscarf
rather than a safety hat, but apparently the scarf is used to give her escort a
useful signal. If she ties another knot in it, that means it’s time to gallop;
these days, she may stick to riding her Fell ponies, but anyone who knows the breed
will appreciate that when they want to, Fells can shift.
When I worked with Katie to produce Katie Jerram on Showing for J A
Allen, we featured some of Her Majesty’s horses in the book: not because they
have such an illustrious owner, but because they are such great examples of
their type. And yes, we do have a very special and private picture of Her
Majesty flicking through a copy of the book.
Here’s a link to the book if you want to know more: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Katie-Jerram-Showing/dp/0851319890
People who don’t share a passion for horses sometimes
seem to think that if you own a horse, you must be wealthy and privileged. I’ll go with the privileged, but wealthy? You
must be joking. I might spend £65 every six weeks on my horse’s shoes, but I’m
the Queen of the charity shops when it comes to buying my own clothes.
One reason the Queen and other members of her family
love horses is, perhaps, that animals are great levellers. A horse won’t grovel or curtsey and a Fell
pony certainly won’t. When your life is dictated by affairs of state, an hour
spent with a hairy pony must be truly precious.
A cat may look at a King, but a horse must surely
enrich the life of a Queen.
When Will and Kate got married, everyone seemed to be going on about how it was an absolute dream come true for Kate to be a princess. All I could think was that she must really love him to give up so much of her privacy and freedom. Once one has become a famous royal, one cannot get up in the morning and ride one's horse in one's pyjamas ... and that's not a sacrifice that I would've been wiling to make! #mythoughtsontheroyals
ReplyDeleteKate, perhaps one could wear PJs with an embroidered crown on the pocket...
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