Horses visit the beach with King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery

Army press release 20th Sep

King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery with their horses, famous for their London duties, galloped along the Norfolk coastline today offering them a refreshing chance of pace from the ceremonial life in London.

The soldiers and 120 horses of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery have left the noise and confines of the capital for equestrian and military training in north Norfolk. The highlight of the Summer Exercise is the Beach Ride – an amazing spectacle significantly detached from their usual duties.

After a busy ceremonial season providing Gun Salutes, duty at The Queen’s Birthday Parade and State Visits, the break in East Anglia is an excellent opportunity to carry out training, relax and build bonds. On the exercise the horses will do a mixture of activities across Holkham beach at pace on the sand, in the sea and “everywhere in between”. 

Major Victoria Flood, Officer Commanding King’s Troop, said: “Beach riding, especially at speed, requires extra balance and control of the horse. The troops will also ride into the sea bareback which is a whole different skill set in itself. The beach ride is mentally relaxing for the horses and offers them a refreshing chance of pace from the ceremonial life in London. It is also a good precursor before we begin to build them up for gun salutes in the tail end of the year.

“We’ve had a lot of new soldiers and horses come in since we last went to Norfolk for this ride - this is an excellent finishing touch for them after a very busy period learning to ride, especially militarily.”

The King’s Troop, stationed in King George VI Lines, Woolwich Barracks in London, is Her Majesty The Queen’s ceremonial Saluting Battery firing Gun Salutes for state occasions and Royal birthdays.

One of the few mounted units in the Army, all of its soldiers are superb equestrians who are trained to drive teams of six horses that pull six First World War 13-pdr guns used for salutes; they are also trained as fighting soldiers. Uniquely in the British Army, the unit is 50% female and its soldiers deploy on operations around the world when required.

Words and images copyright UK MOD (except for a few adjustments for some pretty awful literal and compositional errors in the original MOD text).