In Europe, there is an old saying that "those who can ride horses are not necessarily nobles, but nobles will definitely ride horses", which shows that equestrianism has always been the most enthusiastic sport of the royal family and nobles, and its elegance, nature and nobility can reflect the aristocratic temperament. Today is Mother's Day, we feel the impact of equestrianism on the British royal family and the world through the story of the three "horse mothers" of the Queen of England.
This is a very classic photo, the Queen of England, Princess Anne and Princess Zara are all riding on horseback, and the royal style is fully displayed!
The Queen of England has been in love with horses for more than 90 years
It has contributed greatly to the preservation and continuation of the Shetland Pony breed
The Queen probably started riding horses earlier than most people in the world today, and in January 1930 (when the Queen was more than 3 years old) she rode on horseback for the first time in buckingham Palace stables. On her fourth birthday, her grandfather, George V, gave her a Pettyland pony named Peggy, and the Queen's love for horses has never been contained since then, until the age of 95.
The Queen's thoroughbred horses have won more than 1,600 racehorses. She also allowed the pedigree and breeding of native British Shetland ponies to be better preserved and enhanced. Horse racing and equestrianism are the Queen's eternal hobbies, and the Queen and her family have also made many contributions to equestrianism.
Riding photos of the Queen in her youth. Image from the official British Royal Family Twitter
There is no doubt that the Queen is also a fashionista. When it comes to the Queen's dressing style, it is dignified with a bit of restraint. When the queen was a child, she wore a small skirt and carried a small handbag, dressed as a lady. Looking back over the century, the Queen's clothes have never been outdated, nor too fashionable, but as elegant as ever.
Every time you attend a horse-related event, the queen will carefully match, handbags, skirts, top hats are many, and the collocations are very elegant and temperamental, romantic, girly, and exotic, although the queen is more than 90 years old, but every time she appears on the field is still a beautiful scenery.
Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Philip riding a horse to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the "Platinum Wedding" in 2017
The so-called love to the extreme, that is, the state of the queen. The British aristocracy's love of equestrianism has continued from the medieval knighthood to the present, and excellent equestrian riders and horse jockeys have emerged in an endless stream. The Queen's love of horses is undoubtedly the icing on the cake for this industry.
Princess Anne, who was elected BBC Sporting Person of the Year
He contributed greatly during his presidency of the International Equestrian Federation
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and the Queen of England's two grandsons, William and Prince Harry, are playing polo. The Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, was the winner of the 1971 European Championships, and it can be said that the long history of the British royal family is closely related to horses.
On 1 January 1971, Princess Anne competed in the European Equestrian All-Around in Germany, winning the gold medal and being named the BBC Sport of the Year (AFP)
Princess Anne's love of horses far exceeded all her hobbies. Princess Anne, the eldest lady of the British royal family, hoped to rely on horses to earn money as a teenager. After graduating from high school, Princess Anne decided not to go to college to concentrate on equestrianism.
Photo: At the Natural History Museum in London, In June 2016, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne was awarded the prestigious "Lady Longines Award"
As an excellent rider, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne has represented the British team in international equestrian events on many occasions. In 1971 she won the European Equestrian Championship and in the same year she was nominated for "Female Athlete of the Year" by the Sports Columnists Association, the Daily Express and The World Sport, and was subsequently named "Sporting Person of the Year" by the BBC. She has won three European Championship medals: a team bronze medal in 1973 and a silver medal in individual and team in 1975. The following year, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne also represented Britain at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
With her outstanding achievements in equestrian sports, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne served as President of the International Equestrian Federation for two terms from 1986 to 1994. In 1983, she became President of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee. At the same time, she also played an important role in London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and subsequently became a member of the London Olympic Organizing Committee.
Princess Zara, who won the Olympic silver medal
Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Phillips, born in 1981, is the daughter of Princess Anne and her ex-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and perhaps the equestrian sports gene that flows through her bones. From an early age, Zara loved sports as much as her parents, especially equestrianism. Although you are a princess, Zara is unequivocal when training, there is no "little public lift" squeamishness, she has to train seven or eight hours a day, sometimes even 14 hours a day. "She is very self-conscious and dedicated, and her spirit of hardship comes from his parents." Horseman Owens said.
Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
In September 2005, the 24-year-old Princess Zara participated in the European Equestrian Triathlon Championships as a substitute, due to the accidental injury of her teammate's foal one minute before the start, Zara was in danger, and her partner "Toy City" successfully completed the match, including both individual and team gold medals, and became famous for a while. At the World Equestrian Championships in Aachen, Germany, held in August 2006, Zara won an individual gold medal with impeccable performances and helped the British team win the team silver medal. With a gold and silver record, Zara was elected BBC Sporting Person of the Year 2006.
However, Princess Zara's Olympic road is quite bumpy, in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Zara was included in the British Olympic Committee's List of British Equestrian Olympic Teams, and her love foal "Toy City" was injured twice before the Olympic Games, which also made her miss two olympic games in a row. It wasn't until the London 2012 Olympics that Zara made her first Olympic debut and won a team silver medal in the equestrian triathlon. Her mother, Princess Anne, personally presented the award to her beloved daughter, and Zara became the first Olympian to present the award from her mother.
In 2020, Princess Zara welcomed her third child. Everyone is curious, with the Queen of England, Princess Anne, Princess Zara and other three "horse mothers", can Zara's children continue the royal family's horseback legend?
This brings us to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Princess Kate, the daughter of Princess Kate, the Duke!
But when Princess Charlotte rode on horseback with the support of her mother Kate in 17 months, it still made people feel that the British royal family's love for horses was really passed down from generation to generation! Princess Charlotte is clearly seen as the new member of Queen Elizabeth's family to take over the reins, and the British bookmaker even predicted that there are too many sports genes in this family, and we believe that Princess Charlotte has a 1 in 10 chance to represent the British team in equestrian competitions in the future, and 100% can win the championship!
The comparison between the childhood photos of the Queen of England and Charlotte's little princess is still very similar!
Nowadays, behind the vigorous development of domestic equestrianism is the emergence of a large number of young riders. Today is Mother's Day, I wish all the mothers of the little riders, and all the mothers of the horse lovers, Happy Mother's Day!