All the King's Horses

 

King Charles III's coronation was a momentous occasion involving plenty of ceremony, elaborate decoration and age-old traditions. Equine enthusiasts were glad to know that many of these time-honoured practices also involved the palace horses, which have been an integral part of the British monarchy for centuries. The royal family is known for their enduring love of horses. 

 

The Windsor Greys

The elegant Coronation horses are entrusted with an important role in one of the day's most magical moments

The job of training the royal steeds for their moment in the spotlight falls to the Royal Mews, which arranges road travel arrangements for the King and the Royal Family. Its staff and horses play a particularly important role on occasions when horse-and-carriage are needed, such as coronations, the State Opening of Parliament and visits by heads of state.

The stables at Buckingham Palace are one of the finest working stables still in existence and are known as the Royal Mews. Here, the palace horses are trained, exercised, and looked after ready to perform royal duties.

One such occasion was the coronation of King Charles III when eight horses were tasked with pulling the iconic Gold State Coach. This coach was built in 1762 and has been used for every coronation in the British Monarchy since 1821. It has also been used for jubilees and to transport brides during royal weddings, but as it weighs four tonnes, it must always be pulled by horses at a walking pace.

As an institution, the Royal Mews goes back as far as the late 14th century under Richard II, and as a result they haven't always been in Buckingham Palace. In fact, for approximately 100 years, the King's Mews were located at Charing Cross, which is the current site of London's National Gallery. It was in 1825 that the stables were built into the gardens of the palace and became the equine institution we see today.

Caring for palace horses

The royal family have two home breeds at the palace stables, namely the 30 Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays who pull the state coaches and carriages. According to one of the Royal Mews' liveried helpers, their day starts at around 5:30am with mucking out and tacking up the horses ready for the morning's activities (The Royal Family). This tends to include two sessions of exercise to keep them fit, healthy, and well-trained, and is followed by a thorough grooming of their coat and cleaning of their tack.

Liveried helpers also get the opportunity to ride out for official occasions like collecting new ambassadors to present their credentials, Royal Ascot processions, and the Trooping of the Colour, and must help the horses look their absolute best. This requires plenty of grooming, such as trimming and braiding their mane and tail, as well as making sure all their tack, such as the bridle, reins and blinkers are all sparkling clean. After all, these are some of the most photographed horses in the world!

Royal training starts once the horses are between four and five years old, and entails a combination of harness training, driving and riding sessions. Once they meet the standards of the coachmen, they're ready to participate in occasions like state visits or more large-scale events like jubilees or coronations. The trainers even introduce the horses to music and background noise over speakers to help them get accustomed to the crowds and loud environments they will soon be working within.

 

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