While the Queen’s love of horses, and knowledge of racing and breeding is unparalleled in terms of royal patronage, her interest in point-to-pointing was only peripheral.
She did however make two visits to fixtures at Larkhill in Wiltshire, on the first occasion attending the United Services meeting, which stages one of the season’s Classics, the Coronation Cup.
It was inaugurated, as its name implies, in the year of The Queen’s Coronation in 1953, and Her Majesty was present to see two divisions of the race. Peter Dufosee won the first on Lucrative and future international showjumper Ted Edgar won division two on Paul Pry.
Twenty years later the Queen was back at Larkhill for the Royal Artillery meeting where she presented the Gibbon Challenge Bowl to Jim Hooper following the victory of his horse Honest Ken.
The Queen presents the Gibbon Bowl to Jim Hooper during her visit to Larkhill in 1973
**photo credit - photos of royal visit kindly supplied by Stan & Sally Rawlins
Horses have played a significant role in royal life for hundreds of years, and it was little surprise that the Queen should take such an interest. Her father, King George VI owned racehorses, but the keenest royal race rider was her uncle, King Edward VIII, who ruled for less than a year before abdicating in 1936.
A passionate rider to hounds while titled the Prince of Wales, he also rode in many point-to-points, scoring his first victory at Great Brington in the Pytchley country in 1921. However, after suffering several injuries questions were asked in parliament about the future king’s involvement in such precarious pastimes. Following a talk with the Prime Minister he abandoned hunting and race riding.
The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, riding Miss Muffett in a Point-to-Point