Winston (1937–1957) was a chestnut

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

ridden by both

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

in 1947 and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in the

Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed every year in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of the British Army. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. Trooping the Colour has been a tradition of British infantry regi ...

ceremony from 1949 to 1956.

Biography

Winston, whose sire was Erehwemos, was foaled in Yorkshire in 1937. In 1944 he was sold to the Mounted Branch of the

Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

. Although named after

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, the letter "W" was used to name all police horses in 1944.http://www.equestmagazine.com/v3s8/article09-08-c6.php As a police horse, Winston often was present on duty at public events such as the

Changing of the Guard Guard mounting, changing the guard, or the changing of the guard, is a formal ceremony in which sentries performing ceremonial guard duties at important institutions are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The ceremonies are often elaborate a ...

before he was selected for Royal duties. In 1947, Winston carried King George VI during the first Trooping of the Colour to take place since 1939. Winston participated in various roles in other Royal ceremonial events when not working as a police horse. From 1949 to 1951, then Princess Elizabeth took her father's place at the ceremony, becoming the first British Queen since

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

to review her troops on horseback. Though other police horse were made available, the Queen always preferred Winston. The year of 1951 led to the future Queen first wearing her red Guards uniform; prior to this she wore a blue uniform. During the

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

procession, Winston was ridden by Sir

John Nott-Bower Sir John Reginald Hornby Nott-Bower (16 March 1892 – 3 October 1972) was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the head of the London Metropolitan Police, from 1953 to 1958. He was the first career police officer to hold this post. Early ...

, the

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service. Sir Mark Rowley was appointed to the post on 8 July 2022 after Dame Cressida Dick announced her resignation in February. The rank of Commissione ...

. Winston retired from Troopings and other Royal Duties in 1956. Whilst later being ridden by a mounted police officer at the Police mounted training establishment at

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

, Winston slipped and dislocated his back on 7 February 1957, requiring him to be euthanised. From 1957 the Queen rode a chestnut horse named Imperial.p.150 Glover, FJH ''1000 Famous Horses Fact & Fictional Throughout the Ages'' 2011 Xlibris Corporation

References

External links

* Winston: The Royal Mount of Queen Elizabeth II http://www.equestmagazine.com/v3s8/article09-08-c6.php {{Elizabeth II British monarchy Ceremonial horses 1957 animal deaths 1937 animal births Individual male horses

Biography

See also

References

External links