Horse Trust staff 'devastated' by the death of Queen Elizabeth II
The chief executive of an equestrian charity that held close links to Queen Elizabeth II and the wider Royal Family has spoken about their special bond with Her Late Majesty.
At 136, the Horse Trust is the oldest equine charity in the world and looks after horses who have served in the likes of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and Royal Mews.
Staff at the exclusive equine retirement home care for 126 former working horses, including those who provided direct service to the late Queen.
While the Horse Trust's official Patron is HRH The Princess Royal, the late Queen was always keen to support the charity's work and was known for visiting the organisation in a private capacity, away from onlooking crowds or the glare of prying cameras.
Horse Trust Chief Executive Jeanette Allen shared how the staff have felt since the death of the monarch.
She said: "Obviously, everyone here at the Horse Trust is completely devastated at the Queen's loss – she was an amazing individual.
"I had the honour to meet her and talk to her about the horses here.
"She had an extraordinary memory, a wonderfully kind way about her and she just made everyone feel important – and she loved the horses."
One such horse is Marsa, an ex-Royal Mews horse who can boast an impressive CV which includes pulling the Queen's carriage on state occasions like Trooping The Colour.
While deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty, Jeanette is reassured to see that rest of the Royal Family still shares her love of horses.
She said: "Queen Camilla is passionate about horses and that's very reassuring for everyone involved in horses, especially on the state front, those who deal with police horses and the Army horses and the Royal Mews horses.
"And what's really lovely to see is the Prince of Wales' children, not that long ago, recently had pictures taken of them riding ponies and that gives us all hope that the family continue to support the equestrian world."
She hopes this means that the special bond between the monarchy and the equestrian community can go from strength to strength in the future.
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