Equestrian skills on show at the castle
The Royal Windsor Horse Show got off to a flying start last week with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh among the esteemed guests at the racecourse.
Returning for its 81st year, the five-day event which featured competitions in show jumping, driving and dressage as well as cavalry displays and pony shows ran at Windsor Castle between Wednesday, May 1 and Sunday, May 5.
International equestrian talent showcased their skills at the Castle Arena before this summer’s Paris
Olympics as the Royal Windsor Horse Show is known to attract the world’s top horses and riders.
New for 2024 was the Azerbaijan equestrian display featuring 21 horses and 60 dancers on Thursday.
The performance, specially choreographed for the Royal Windsor Horse Show, was inspired by the Koroghlu Opera and led by two mounted opera singers.
The Guards Polo Club also played against the Azerbaijan Polo Team, Land of Fire in the Castle Arena on Saturday evening.
Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie attended the Windsor event together last Thursday for a packed programme of showing classes, the open jumping competition, a musical drive of The King’s Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery, the DAKS Pony Club Mounted Games and the Defender Shetland Pony Grand National, among others.
The international riding endurance competition, supported by The Kingdom of Bahrain, took place on Friday which involved riding across different terrains in Windsor
Great Park.
In addition to showing and show jumping events, there was also the International Driving Grand Prix on Friday.
This year, the Royal Windsor Horse Show introduced five areas of special interest ‘hubs’ for visitors to mix their time watching the equestrian competitions and arena displays with shopping and entertainment.
The Art Hub featured impressionist painting with artist Sherree ValentineDaines while the Performance Hub saw composer Debbie Wiseman and gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh engage in a ‘musical intermezzo’.
The weekend also featured a circus extravaganza and a piano-accompanied performance by national treasure Su Pollard.
To find out more about the Royal Windsor Horse Show, visit rwhs.co.uk