Princess Anne has joined her mother, The Queen, as vice-patron of the British Horse Society, it has been announced.
“We are delighted to have The Queen and The Princess Royal supporting The British Horse Society,” said Lynn Petersen, Chief Executive of the BHS, about the appointment. “The Princess Royal’s interest and support for all things equestrian is remarkable. We’re very excited about working with her.”
The British Horse Society (BHS) is a registered charity, that was founded in 1947 with the objective of “promoting horse welfare, horse and rider safety, and access for riders in the UK.” It is was formed out of the amalgamation of the Institute of the Horse and Pony Club, and the National Horse Association of Great Britain. It currently has over 92,000 members, with Her Majesty The Queen as Patron of the Society.
It is no surprise that Princess Anne has followed in her mother’s footsteps. Fondness for horses runs in the Royal Family – The Queen has been riding since she was a child and continues to do so even in her nineties; Princess Anne had a distinguished equestrian career herself, and took part in the 1976 Olympics; and the tradition continues with Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, who won a silver medal for eventing in the 2012 Olympics.
The Princess Royal has been involved with the BHS for decades now. In 2011, she officially opened the charity’s headquarters in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Graham Cory, the Chief Executive at the time, spoke about the Princess’s visit, saying: “We are honoured that Her Royal Highness has come today. She is probably the best ambassador for the equestrian sport in the UK and she opened our previous headquarters back in 1997, so we’re very happy 14 years later she’s come to open our new home.”
Earlier this year, The Princess Royal attended the National Equine Forum, where she listened to a presentation by Ms Petersen about the BHS’ Changing Lives Through Horses. The initiative aims to improve the lives of at-risk teenagers by giving them a chance to work with horses to facilitate their inclusion and engagement with society. The project is being carried out in association with Heads Together, the mental health campaign of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.