Burmese (horse)
Encyclopedia
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
, was given to Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
and ridden by the queen for Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour
Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...
for eighteen consecutive years from 1969 to 1986.
Royal Service
Burmese was born at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Remount Ranch at Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan. She was trained in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and in 1969 was presented to the Queen when members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came to the UK to perform in the Royal Windsor Horse Show
Royal Windsor Horse Show
The Royal Windsor Horse Show is a horse show held annually since 1943 for five days in May or June in Windsor Home Park....
.
The Queen was mounted on Burmese when six blank shots were fired during the 1981 birthday parade, on the way to Trooping the Colour. Although the horse was startled, the Queen was able to bring her under control.
Burmese's last public appearance was at Trooping the Colour in 1986, after which she retired. She was not replaced, as the Queen decided to ride in a phaeton
Phaeton (carriage)
Phaeton is the early 19th-century term for a sporty open carriage drawn by a single horse or a pair, typically with four extravagantly large wheels, very lightly sprung, with a minimal body, fast and dangerous. It usually had no sidepieces in front of the seats...
(carriage) and review the troops from a dais, rather than train a new charger.
Burmese was put out to pasture at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
's Park, where she died in 1990. The Queen unveiled a bronze statue
Statue of Queen Elizabeth II riding Burmese
In honour of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the province of Saskatchewan commissioned Saskatchewan sculptor Susan Velder to create a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of Her Majesty riding her favourite horse, Burmese....
in front of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina, Canada, in 2005, where she is depicted atop Burmese.
PSH Burmese was followed by PSH Centenial (sic), presented to The Queen in 1973 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP; and PSH Saint James, in 1998, to mark the RCMP’s 125th anniversary. In 2002, The Queen presented the RCMP with PSH Golden Jubilee in honour of her Golden Jubilee year.
Both Burmese and Centenial (note spelling) were trained for the Queen by RCMP Staff Sergeant Fred Rasmussen.
Naming of Burmese
An RCMP spokesperson said the name "Burmese" originally refers to citizens of modern day Burma. However, the rationale of giving such a name was not explicitly mentioned.See also
- Statue of Queen Elizabeth II riding BurmeseStatue of Queen Elizabeth II riding BurmeseIn honour of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the province of Saskatchewan commissioned Saskatchewan sculptor Susan Velder to create a larger-than-life-sized bronze statue of Her Majesty riding her favourite horse, Burmese....
- Monarchy in SaskatchewanMonarchy in SaskatchewanBy the arrangements of the Canadian federation, the Canadian monarchy operates in Saskatchewan as the core of the province's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy; As such, the Crown within Saskatchewan's jurisdiction is referred to as the Crown in Right of Saskatchewan, Her Majesty in Right...
- Trooping the ColourTrooping the ColourTrooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points...