Farewell, Esmerelda

It is with the upmost sadness that we have to let you know about the passing of Esmerelda aka Bumble Bee at the tender age of 12.

Bumble Bee, as she was affectionately known, a Welsh Section D standing at 15.2hh loyally served for 9 years in the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery (KTRHA). She was a little powerhouse of a horse and served as a leader of the B Sub-Section’s gun team. KTRHA is Her Majesty The Queen’s mounted ceremonial saluting battery. She performed numerous ceremonial duties over the years at all kinds of state occasions, including royal births, birthdays and anniversaries, Parliamentary openings, state visits and state funerals.

She also took part in several high profile events including Her Majesty The Queen’s birthday parades, Royal Salutes in Hyde Park and The Green Park and The Musical Drive at Royal Windsor and Royal Welsh Horse Shows. However, her talents didn’t stop there. Did you know that she was also a movie star? Bumble Bee had a starring role in the Downton Abbey film which came out in 2019. Off-duty, Esmerelda got to participate in plenty of fun ridden events, including cross country – she was a superb jumper!

On arrival at The Horse Trust she fitted right into her herd perfectly. Due to previous sinus surgery she could often be heard whistling before she was seen – this came in handy when checking the fields on dark winter mornings as we always knew where she was! She was a really gentle, kind and loving girl who will be sorely missed by everyone.

She had a huge fan club on social media and we loved hearing all the little stories her former grooms and riders would tell us about. She was described by a former rider as ‘the most clean and kind little mare I have ever known’ and was very fond of nabbing the apple cores out of everyone’s hands at lunchtime!

Unfortunately, Bumble Bee suffered from frequent reoccurring bouts of severe laminitis. It became apparent after a few months that these flare ups were becoming increasingly more regular and were incredibly severe, and vet Nicky was really struggling to manage Bumble Bee’s pain and keep her comfortable. We knew we had to do what was right which is often the saddest; we had to let her go.

Her time at The Horse Trust was short but sweet as Esmerelda only arrived to start her retirement with us in October 2020. We are proud to have given her 6 months of the care and devotion that she so deserved but we wished we had her with us for longer. She was a stunning, gentle and kind girl who we will never forget.