Queen Elizabeth is reportedly in agony following the death of her ponies in Balmoral. Her Majesty's stud manager, Sylvia Ormiston, revealed that five of the Queen's horses were killed because of an infectious disease.
According to reports, the horses contracted a disease called equine grass sickness that attacks the central nervous system, which leads to the paralysis of the horses' gut. Unfortunately, Ormiston said that more research is still needed to learn the causes of equine grass sickness.
The Queen's prized workhorses descended from a historic breed and were used by the staff at Balmoral to reach areas in the estate that might be inaccessible to vehicles. For hunting season, the Queen's staff relied on the horses for transporting carcasses or for hauling items in the estate.
Two of the horses that died were breeding stallions named Balmoral Lord and Balmoral Hercules. But, the first horse to succumb to the disease was Friendly, who was a sweet two-year-old horse. The pony's mother, Clunie, also died a day later while a three-year-old horse named Omar didn't recover from the disease.
Fortunately, the royal family has Balmoral Lord's DNA at a livestock gene bank in Britain. Queen Elizabeth has an efficient breeding program for her Fell horses in Balmoral for situations like a disease that seriously threatens her animals. Fell horses are classified as a vulnerable breed.
Queen Elizabeth's love for horses started at a very tender age. She learned to ride when she was four and she still rides today. During the coronavirus lockdown in April, Buckingham Palace released a photo of the Queen atop her 14-year-old horse, Fern, at the Windsor Gardens while she was isolating from the virus. Prince Philip also loves horses and was playing high-level polo during his younger years.
Her Majesty became interested in racing horses when she was in her teenage years. She owned several thoroughbreds that won at various derbies for decades. Royal experts said that Queen always looks forward to the Royal Ascot races every May. This year, however, the event was scaled down due to the pandemic and Queen wasn't able to watch it live.
The Queen would have been a serious horse racer and breeder if she didn't have a monarchy to rule. Royal experts said that this was the life she really wanted and was happiest around her animals.
It's been said that whenever the Queen visits her summer estate, she would always see to the care of her beloved horses. Sometimes, if she wasn't riding the horses, the stable staff would set them outside so she could see them from her window inside the castle.
