The Royal Windsor Horse Show has released a new photograph ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s 96th Birthday on Thursday, 21 April 2022.

The Royal Windsor Horse Show has released the photograph of Queen Elizabeth with two of her fell ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale.

Photographer Henry Dallal took the photo of Her Majesty and her two ponies last month in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

This photo is the fourth in a series released by the Royal Windsor Horse Show, following those celebrating the Golden Jubilee, the Platinum Jubilee and Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday.

Queen Elizabeth has attended every single Royal Windsor Horse Show since it began in 1943 and has entered a record number of 41 horses in the 2022 show.

The Royal Windsor Horse Show

Hungarian Count Robert Orssich and Mr Geoffrey Cross were inspired by the ‘Wings for Victory’ campaign and organised a Horse and Dog Show at Windsor to raise money for the war effort.

The first show, known as the Windsor Horse and Dog Show, was held on was first staged on Wednesday, 26 May 1943.

King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret were among the key members of the Royal Family to attend the event which raised raising £391,197 – providing enough funds to buy 78 Typhoon fighter aircraft.

The Committee banned dogs from the showground in 1944, as they were so mortified when a lurcher stole a piece of chicken from King George VI’s lunch plate during the first show.

The Royal Windsor Horse Show was extended to two days in 1946, three days in 1947, four days in 1967 and five days in 1977.

It has continued to run every year since, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and is the only UK show to host international competitions in Show Jumping, Dressage, Driving and Endurance.

The Royal Windsor Horse Show celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2018.

Queen Elizabeth won the Pony and Dogcart Class at the first Show and has entered many homebred horses and ponies in classes ever since.

Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh regularly competed in the International Driving Grand Prix (carriage driving) until his retirement from competing in 2003.

The Royal Family continue to be keen supporters of the Royal Windsor Horse Show including Lady Louise Windsor who follows in her grandfather’s footsteps as she drove Prince Philip’s carriage in 2021.

The 2022 show will also celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with ‘A Gallop through History’, taking place each evening of the show and featuring more than 500 horses and 1,000 performers.