Where is Emma the Fell Pony? Royal family shares update about Queen Elizabeth's beloved animal
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Following Her Majesty's heartfelt tribute at the late Queen's funeral last month, the Royal Family has provided an update regarding the late Queen's beloved pony. The sight of Emma, the Fell Pony, standing next to a sea of flowers and bowing as the Queen's hearse passes, surrounded by Royal Guard troops, moved onlookers to tears.
A sweet gesture was made by stud groom Terry Pendry, who spread Emma's saddle with the Queen's Hermes headscarf, which she frequently used while riding. Pendry lowered his head as the coffin passed while wearing a bowler hat, a black jacket, and riding boots.
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Behind them stood grooms from Windsor's Royal Mews sporting black armbands as a sign of sadness. As the Queen's casket passed, Emma's ears twitched, she waved her tail, and she stomped the ground twice with one of her front hooves.
The Queen's cherished pony has a brand-new picture, which the Royal Family has just shared.
"For the past fifteen years, Queen Elizabeth regularly rode Emma for light exercise in the grounds around Windsor Castle," the Royal Family tweeted.
A new photograph of Queen Elizabeth’s fell pony, Emma.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 8, 2022
For the past fifteen years, Queen Elizabeth regularly rode Emma for light exercise in the grounds around Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/niTvw4p5rT
Another tweet from Royal Family said "Emma paid tribute to Her Majesty during the Ceremonial Procession in Windsor on Monday 19th September. She will continue to be much-loved and cared for at the Royal Mews, Windsor, and regularly exercised by its small, dedicated team."
Emma paid tribute to Her Majesty during the Ceremonial Procession in Windsor on Monday 19th September.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 8, 2022
She will continue to be much-loved and cared for at the Royal Mews, Windsor, and regularly exercised by its small, dedicated team. pic.twitter.com/8ygzPU4N2w
Emma, whose full name is Carltonlima Emma, was bred at the Cumbrian farm Murthwaite Stud by Thomas Capstick, who died in 2015. When the Queen first began riding her, she was only eight years old.
Emma, a horse purchased by the Queen in 2004, was formerly referred to by Pendry as "a wonderful servant to Her Majesty" and "one of her favorite ever horses." Over the past 15 years, the Queen has frequently ridden Emma for short rides around the grounds of Windsor Castle. Pendry, who was with the pony throughout Emma's appearance at the Queen's burial procession, indicated that Emma was aware, on some level, that she would never again ride with the Queen.
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."
When her grandfather King George V gifted her a Shetland pony named Peggy, the Queen's lifelong love for horses began. She gained experience as a horse rider, owner, and breeder, and her enthusiasm for them was clear at racing meets, including the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot.