Royal Wedding horse retires to Speen (From Bucks Free Press)
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Royal Wedding horse retires to Speen
2:10pm Sunday 5th August 2012 in News By Rebecca Cain
Zulu, Union, Commando, Lochnagar, Remus and Trooper Speaight, 2nd Lt. Holliday, Jeanette Allen (CEO, The Horse Trust), Lt. Col. Richard Pope in the centre
A MILITARY horse which served at The Royal Wedding and both the Golden and Diamond Jubilee parades has retired to Speen.
Commando was one of five military horses which were welcomed to The Horse Trust in Speen on Friday, making it one of the busiest ceremonial seasons of recent years.
Along with Zulu and Union, Commando came from the Blues and Royals Squadron of the Household Cavalry Regiment.
The 15 year old Commando has served at every high profile parade since 2002. Remus, one of the oldest serving horses in the army at 26, and Lochnagar from the Defence Animal Centre (DAC) also retired.
CEO of The Horse Trust, Jeanette Allen said: “We are delighted to be offering a tranquil retirement to such long serving and hardworking horses.
“The Horse Trust has been taking in retiring army horses since the First World War and we are immensely proud of our long relationship with the armed forces.”
The charity has been caring for the needs of working horses for 126 years.
Capt. Simon Lukas describes Commando as having, “a particularly good stable disposition and apart from his dislike of horse boxes, he was an easy horse to work with. Very much liked by the members of 1 Troop, The Blues and Royals, overall he was a perfect Cavalry Black and will be missed.”
Remus started his military service originally as a Troop horse in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, and latterly as an officer’s charger of the Household Division.
‘Lochy’ comes with an illustrious show jumping career under his belt having, with his rider, former Riding Master Capt. Mark Avison, won the Services Cup at the London International Horse Show, Olympia three years in a row; most recently in 2011 where The Horse Trust were charity of the year.
18 year old Zulu joined the Household Cavalry at the age of four and Union is a 23 year old, who served for 18 years and became a Squadron favourite, nick-named 'Onion' by the boys.
Adjutant of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Capt Roly Spiller, said, “After one of the busiest ceremonial seasons of recent years, the Regiment wishes Zulu, Union and Commando a long and happy retirement at The Horse Trust”.
