The Queen's adored companion scoops prestigious prize

A companion who was close to Her Majesty throughout her life has just scooped an impressive award.

• Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II passed away earlier this year in September 2022.
• During her life, the Queen was a lover of animals and had many corgis and horses throughout her life.
• In other royal news, Prince William and Kate Middleton blindsided by Harry and Meghan's Netflix trailer.

The Queen's beloved fell pony named Emma has won the Horse of a Lifetime award at Cheltenham gala. This award - which included a bag of carrots for Emma - was particularly heartfelt as it was voted for by members of the public rather than official judges and reflected the equestrian community's respect for the late Queen. 

The prize was awarded at Horse and Hound's annual awards this week and was accepted by Lizzie Briant on behalf of the Queen's head groom Terry Pendry. Speaking about Emma, Lizzie said, "Everybody adores her at the Royal Mews - there isn't a pony in the country that is better loved."

Terry also commented, "Her Majesty adored Emma. She is a comfortable ride and sure-footed. Emma always enjoyed a carrot out of a brown paper bag after riding."

Emma is the Queen's pony who helped pay tribute at her funeral in the most special way. The fell pony stood silently watching on as the late monarch's coffin made its way to St George's Chapel in Windsor on the day of her funeral. 

Terry Pendry stood next to Emma as they watched the herse drive past, Her Majesty's cypher reading E II R could be seen embroidered onto Emma's saddle.

The Queen was the patron of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association. And her lifelong interest in horses and ponies meant that she liked to make regular visits to her own animals and assesses them herself. This meant that Her Majesty had a particularly close relationship with Emma, a horse she owned for more than 26 years.

The Queen also bred Fell ponies at Hampton Court and Shetland ponies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Queen also opened a Highland pony stud at Balmoral to preserve the breed of highland ponies that are native to the area. 

The Queen loved many different animals and owned a number of dogs in her lifetime. The Queen's Corgis have become synonymous with British royalty and will be one of the things many people think of when they think of the late Queen.

Following her passing, her beloved pets went to live at Royal Lodge with Prince Andrew and his ex-wife the Duchess of York. Sarah Ferguson revealed how the Queen's corgis are settling into their new home and said that the pups enjoyed playing with her dogs and joked that the 'carpet moves' now there are five dogs running around the royal home.