The Royal Canadian Mounted Police presented King Charles III, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, with a special gift: a mare. It’s a seven-year-old named ‘Noble,’ and it stands 16.2 hands tall. The mare “is currently settling into life at The Royal Mews in Windsor,” according to the Royal Family.
The family’s official social media shared a photo of Charles with his newly-gifted horse, Noble, and explained that Noble was chosen for her athletic ability and calm demeanour. She has also participated in 90 public performances in 50 different locations across Canada as part of the RCMP’s Musical Ride.
Noble was bred and trained in Canada as part of the RCMP breeding programme in Pakenham, Ontario, and received her name from the RCMP’s annual ‘Name the Foal’ contest, according to the royal family.
This isn’t the first time the RCMP has presented a horse or mare to the British monarch; it’s a long-standing tradition. The RCMP, which took part in Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 and has a long history with the Royal Family, presented the late Queen with eight horses during her reign. The first of these was Burmese, which Queen Elizabeth II rode for 18 years at Trooping the Colour.
According to the official website, the RCMP’s relationship with the Royal Family dates back to 1904, when King Edward VII bestowed the title of Royal on the North-West Mounted Police, transforming it into the Royal North-West Mounted Police. “Four members of the RCMP took part in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession in September 2022, riding horses they had given to The Queen,” it added.
