The Royal Family have posted an update on Queen Elizbaeth II's pony. Emma the fell pony paid an emotional tribute to Her Majesty during the monarch's funeral procession last month.
Viewers were left moved when Emma was spotted alongside a sea of floral tributes. She bowed her head as the Queen's hearse travelled flanked by the soldiers from the Queen's Guard.
As reported by The Mirror, stud groom Terry Pendry laid out the Queen's Hermes headscarf across Emma's saddle. Mr Pendry, in his bowler hat, black jacket and riding boots, bowed his head as the coffin passed.
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Behind them were grooms from the Royal Mews at Windsor wearing black armbands. Emma's ears twitched as she swished her tail, stomping on the ground twice with one of her front hooves as the Queen's coffin moved past. The Royal Family have now released a new photo of the Queen's beloved pony. They tweeted: "For the past 15 years, Queen Elizabeth regularly rode Emma for light exercise in the grounds around Windsor Castle.
"Emma paid tribute to Her Majesty during the Ceremonial Procession in Windsor. She will continue to be much-loved and cared for at the Royal Mews, Windsor, and regularly exercised by its small, dedicated team."
Emma - full name Carltonlima Emma - was bred at the Murthwaite Stud farm in Cumbria by Thomas Capstick, who died in 2015. She was just eight when the Queen first started riding her.
Mr Pendry once described Emma, who was bought by the Queen in 2004, as "a wonderful servant to Her Majesty" and one of her favourite-ever horses. The Queen regularly rode Emma for light exercise in the grounds around Windsor Castle over the last 15 years.
Following her attendance at the Queen's funeral procession, Mr Pendry claimed Emma was aware on some level that she will never ride with the Queen again. He said: "The Queen adored Emma and rode her for more than 20 years so it was only right she should have been there, and she behaved impeccably. I think she probably had some sort of sixth sense that Her Majesty wouldn't be riding her anymore and she did her proud by standing there so respectfully."
The Queen was known for her life-long love of horses which began when her grandfather King George V gave her a Shetland Pony called Peggy. She became knowledgeable as a rider, owner and breeder of horses and her passion for them was evident at race meetings, which included the Derby at Epsom and Royal Ascot.
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