Duke of Edinburgh: the Equestrian Tribute

Bologna, April 12, 2021 – Following the sad news of the death of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April, the horse world is coming together to commemorate his life.

He was a huge force for good in the equestrian world and his contributions, commitment to the sport and his legacies have been widely acknowledged.

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh competed at the highest level in Polo and Carriage Driving, administrating and leading the International Federation in one of the sport’s most successful phases.

He started and supported new equestrian disciplines, he utilised his engineering interest to develop state of the art carriages for competition (including the bendy pole still used today) and he encouraged youth involvement in the sport, through the Pony Club.

The Royal Windsor Horse Show, of which he was the active President for 30 years, is co‐ordinating the equestrian communities’ tributes. The intention is to celebrate and commemorate the life of a remarkable man.

An online Book of Condolence from the equestrian world has been launched today at horseworldremembers.co.uk. The book will form the platform for collective memories and tributes. Anyone in the equestrian world is encouraged to contribute with a simple message, it could be personal, it could be reflective, it could be joyous or it could be a message to His Royal Highness to thank him for his contribution to the horse world.

At Royal Windsor Horse Show (1–4 July) a Puissance Wall will be wrapped in the contributions and The Wall will become a central feature for people to remember The Duke of Edinburgh. In addition, Her Majesty The Queen will be presented with a physical copy of the book containing selected messages from the online contributions.

Simon Brooks‐Ward statement

Director of Royal Windsor Horse Show and Olympia, The London International Horse Show, Simon Brooks‐Ward said; «His Royal Highness played such an important role in the equestrian world that we felt it was very important that we should join together to create a lasting memory of his extraordinary life. We have sent this letter today to all of our contacts in the sport and we hope that the horse world will continue to share it and to encourage all of those who have been influenced by The Duke of Edinburgh to celebrate his immense contribution to our sport».