“It just felt like the right thing to do” – horses and riders line up to pay respects to The Queen

One rider and her family opened the gates of their yard to welcome horses, riders and those on foot to watch on as The Queen’s coffin made its way from Balmoral to Edinburgh

As Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin made its final journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh last weekend, one rider keen to pay tribute to her memory organised an equestrian guard of honour – and took to social media to gauge interest from the equestrian community.

Emma Cheape, who welcomed horses, riders and people on foot to her yard to say a final fond farewell, recalls feeling “numb” when she initially heard the news about The Queen.

“The Queen’s been all I’ve ever known and I wanted to pay my respects in a way that felt fitting,” Emma explained. “Her Majesty was a horse lover and it just felt like the right thing to do – to pay tribute to her phenomenal life from horseback surrounded by others wishing to do the same.”

What started as a quick social media post the night before the procession that, Emma imagined, would probably only attract one or two others to stand beside her, quickly spiralled into dozens of others who were interested in attending or supporting in whatever way they would.

“I popped up a post on Facebook the night before, but it grew and I had so many messages of support from people who couldn’t make it but were wishing they were able to be there,” Emma continued. “We ended up with 32 horses and around 40 others on foot, and it was a mix of adults and children who attended – many from the local Fife Pony Club. There were kids on the lead rein right through to adults and their competition horses.”

A moment in time

“A very special moment that will be remembered forever” – that’s how Emma recollected on the moment The Queen passed the line-up of respectful mourners. “It was very poignant. The field fell silent as the southbound carriageway emptied before the cortège came through.

“It felt eery in that silence. There were tears. I was absolutely covered in goosebumps but when princess Anne pointed us out to her husband and they both waved I was filled with pride.

“The horses behaved impeccably, it was like they knew what was going on. They all stood in line beautifully for the duration, even when the helicopters flew over the top of us.”