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Prince Philip, who died last week at the age of 99, was born Prince of Denmark and Greece before he married Queen Elizabeth in 1947. But he was also throughout his life a horseman who loved to ride horses as lend his support to the equestrian sport as a whole. In commemoration of his passing on April 9, 2021, we have gathered a few insights into his relationship with the horses. His love for these amazing four legged animals was big and it lasted from an early age until his death.
Prince Philip served as FEI president for a long period. More precisely from 1964-1986. This making him the longest serving of its kind. After him Princess Anne took over the role. Being herself an avid rider and of course the daughter of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth.
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In fact, Prince Philip was also a former polo rider. His passion began back in the late 1940s when he was part of the Royal Navy (the Royal English Navy - later the British Navy). In 1955 he formed the Household Brigade Polo Club, and in the 1960s he was in the top 8 of Britain's best polo players. However, he decided to give up being active in the sport when he turned 50. As he tells in the Royal Family Channel on YouTube as shown below.
After quitting his active participation in polo, Prince Philip had to figure out how he could still be involved with horses. He saw driving as a good option that did not require too much of his aging body. He loved to get in carriage and drive away with a two- or four-bucket. In 1971, having just given up his polo career, he decided to train with four of the royal stables' own horses. He became a very active part in the disciplin known as combined driving.
This discipline´s acceptance as one of only eight international equestrian disciplines is due in large part to Prince Phillip. He became one of its biggest promoters, and even helped draft the first official rules for the discipline. Prince Philip competed in combined driving events well into his 80s.
And he even participated in three European Championships and six World Championships.
You can learn more about Prince Philips interest in horses in this article by FEI.
Watch the interview with Prince Philip regarding his passion for carriage driving shown on the Royal Family Channel.
