Queen Elizabeth II's final horse ride and the poignant promise made by her groom
dailyrecord.co.ukQueen Elizabeth II's favourite stud groom has revealed the heartwrenching final promise he made to the beloved monarch just weeks prior to her death.
The late Queen, who loved horse riding, managed to go for one last ride on her favourite pony Emma, merely eight weeks before her passing at the age of 96, in September 2022.Terry Pendry, the Queen's devoted stud groom, shared this poignant memory during an interview with the Rosebud With Gyles Brandreth podcast, reports the Mirror.As the royal's health had deteriorated by then, Pendry provided assistance when she climbed down from her mount, even though the resilient monarch preferred to do it unaided.In a deviation from their usual routine, the Queen requested Pendry not to ride alongside her but walk instead, out of fear she might fall.
Pendry recalled: "The very last time with her wasn't a ride, I walked. She was quite frail. She actually ended up being smaller than Queen Elizabeth [her mother], her last four years that she was quite poorly."He then shared about a tender promise he made to ensure the well-being of Emma after her departure.
He said: "I promised the Queen that I will bury Emma. Her ashes will go between Burmese, who was the last horse she rode on Trooping the Colour, and the last horse that she ever rode, which was a dear horse, Sanction." The Queen's love for animals was legendary, and she had an astonishing 30 corgis during her lifetime.
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