Goodbye, Claudia

It is with a heavy heart that we bring our supporters the sad news of the passing of retired Royal Mews carriage horse, Claudia.

Claudia retired to us in 2019 after 16 years of service with the Royal Mews as both a ridden Outrider and a carriage horse for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Highlights of Claudia’s career include The State Opening of Parliament and pulling the carriage for The Prince and Princess of Wales’s Wedding.

On retiring to us, Claudia made a very special reconnection as her very own mother, Cloud, had already been enjoying her own retirement with us, having joined our herd the previous year! Being so alike in looks and temperament, Claudia and Cloud often worked together during ceremonial events. With Cloud serving for 10 years and Claudia for 16, the pair will have spent much time together in their working lives. Therefore, we were thrilled to be able to reunite mother and daughter here at The Horse Trust for them to revel in their retired years together. They even caught the attention of the national press, with the Daily Mail publishing an article about their reunion! It was a truly magical moment to see the two mares reconnect and they lived together here with us in the same herd, clearly very attached to one another since being reunited they were always close to one another out in the field.

Sadly, we lost Cloud back in 2021 but luckily during her time with her mother, Claudia made many other firm friends in the field whom she continued to enjoy her retirement with beyond her mother’s passing.

Unfortunately, Claudia suffered with melanomas during her retirement. These tumours can often be slow growing and lots of horses can continue regular life with close monitoring of the growth sites for any changes. Claudia’s melanomas began in that manner, with regular monitoring by our grooms and referral to out vet when treatment was required. As time went on, her tumours progressed and while she received surgery, it is common that the growths return again and unfortunately this is what happened with our sweet Claudia. It became clear that one of the large masses was now affecting her overall quality of life and therefore the decision was made to say goodnight to Claudia and reunite her once more with her magnificent mother Cloud on the other side.

We will miss Claudia’s zest for life, but are glad to have given her a great retirement and allowed her a peaceful passing. Rest in peace, sweet Claudia.