Here in the Magic Ponies Barn, we have been learning all about King Charles III and his love for horses. We are so excited to watch the Coronation, taking place on Saturday the 6th May 2023 and we will be sure to remember this momentous occasion for years to come! We are glad that we can share it with all our Magic Ponies fans and members – we hope you enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend too and please come and see us if for a pony experience as we will be busy having cuddles and giving rides!
King Charles III Coronation will be led by a beautiful Grey horse called Wilbur. His very important job on the day of the Coronation is to lead the procession and he is called a pointer (Leader of the Grey horses). We will be looking out for Wilbur and hope that he behaves himself as he will be watched by millions of people….if you see Wilbur, please let us know as we love sharing all our horsey information with you!
Just like King Charles III mum…Queen Elizabeth, a passion of race horses has been the legacy left through this Royal family. King Charles III and Queen Camilla own a vast array of beautiful thoroughbreds, with the most famous at the moment being Slipofthepen who just won a race at Kempton Park in April.
The Highlight of the Coronation Procession will be the famous Gold State Coach. The Coach is over 200 years old, made of solid wood and so large it can only go at walking pace. Leading that walking pace are eight Windsor Grey Horses, the only horses allowed to pull the Gold State Coach.
Windsor Greys are not a specific breed but are grey horses that the Royal Family chooses to live and train at the Royal Mews. Most of the Windsor Greys are Irish draughts. They got the name Windsor Grey because the horses were stabled at Windsor during Queen Victoria’s reign.
Windsor Greys only pull the carriages of the Royal Family. The ones in official service stand at least 16.1 hands (1.65m) high and are chosen for their appearance, steady temperament and stamina.
The newly crowned King Charles III and Queen Camilla will ride in the Gold State Coach to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey. On the way to the Coronation, Their Majesties will travel in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach. This coach is pulled by six Windsor Greys.
There will be well over a 100 horses taking part in the Coronation, and weeks and weeks of training has been involved. This will be the riders and horses most important job of their lives yet, and we hope that you all enjoy watching the procession and everything involved throughout the 6th May 2023.
We hope you enjoyed this blog, and we look forward to seeing you all very soon – we are off now to practice being as good as the King and Queen’s horses.
