Queen’s beloved horse Emma bids farewell to late monarch at Windsor Castle

Meredith Clark
·3 min read

Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved horse, Carltonlima Emma, bid farewell to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch as the Queen’s coffin processed through Windsor Castle on Monday.

Many of the Queen’s four-legged friends, including her two corgis Sandy and Muick, made a special appearance at Windsor during the funeral procession. The black fell pony, nicknamed Emma, stood on the grounds as the Queen’s coffin made its way up the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel.

The horse was accompanied by Terry Pendry, the Queen’s head groom, who has held the position for the past 25 years. The Stud Groom bowed his head ast the State Hearse passed by, while Emma stood reverently by his side.

The fell pony showed off her luxurious black coat as she was dressed in a black riding blanket, adorned with the Queen’s cipher. Emma was commonly known for being the Queen’s favourite riding horse, according to Pendry, who said in 2020 that “Emma has been a wonderful servant to Her Majesty and is still going strong at the age of 24 as one of The Queen’s riding ponies”.

Queen Elizabeth has served as a patron of the Fell Pony Society since 1982. In honour of her 90th birthday in 2016, the Fell Pony Society surprised the Queen with a lineup of 120 fell ponies.

In 2020, Vanity Fair reported the Queen was “riding daily” at Windsor Castle while isolating with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “She is riding out every day and is making the most of this time,” a source said.

This past April, the Queen marked her 96th birthday by posing with two of her all-white fell ponies, Bybeck Nightingale and Bybeck Katie, for a new portrait. Photographer Henry Dallal snapped the new portrait of the Queen in March on the grounds of Windsor Castle, against a blooming magnolia tree.

Emma, the monarch’s fell pony, stands as the Ceremonial Procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Windsor Castle. (AP)
Emma, the monarch’s fell pony, stands as the Ceremonial Procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Windsor Castle. (AP)

Horse racing was also a big sporting fascination of the Queen, who rode her first horse at the age of three. The Queen is believed to have owned nearly 100 horses, from which she is estimated to have earned around £7m from prize money over the years.

Following her death on 8 September, there was much speculation over who would inherit the Queen’s troop of horses, considering the Queen herself inherited her father King George VI’s stock when she ascended the throne in 1952. But according to royal author Claudia Joseph, Princess Anne and her daughter, Zara Tindall, are expected to make the decision as to what happens next to the Queen’s horses.

Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest on Monday in a private burial service after her state funeral that took place in Westminster and Windsor came to an end.

The Queen’s coffin has been placed in the George VI memorial chapel in St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, alongside her husband Prince Philip and her parents – King George VI and the Queen Mother.