Royal Hoof! Queen’s Horses Collection Silk Scarves
Inspired By Queen Elizabeth’s Favourite Horses
British Heritage Series
House Of Gharats was founded in Great Britain, and for Neishaa Gharat, founder and creative director, it is now her home away from home. Neishaa’s love of British history, culture and the monarchy inspired her to explore the lady behind the crown and led to the creation of ‘Royal Hoof!’ collection as part of the British Heritage Series.
The Queen’s Horses Collection is inspired by Her Majesty’s love for horses and who she is as a person beyond being the queen.
From breeding to riding and racing to parades, the Queen has expressed that her connection to horses allows her to be ‘just another human being’, in a world where she is far from this.
Horses have played a role not only in Elizabeth’s life as Queen but throughout her personal life and that of her family’s. Understanding the connection and love she holds for these animals has allowed us to create a design which reflects a part of the Queen’s personality, understanding who she is when looking past her crown.
Scarf & Twilly Collection
Queen Elizabeth: A life in the saddle
The Queen’s passion for horses and the sport of horse racing has been a lifelong one, having ridden for most of her nine decades. It is this love of all things equestrian that inspired the design of the Queen’s Horses Collection, after delving deeper into the Queen’s history it is clear that horses have played a major role in shaping Queen Elizabeth’s life.
The first time you try something new it’s always a special moment, you know in that moment whether it’s something you love. For Queen Elizabeth her first time in the saddle was one of those moments, aged 3 her love of horses began to blossom and it hasn’t stopped since. The design of The Queen’s Horses Silk Scarf Collection brings together 13 of the Queen’s favourite horses, illustrating her passion through the design and bringing out the stories behind each of her favourite horses.
Peggy
On her fourth Birthday Elizabeth was gifted her very first pony, a shaggy-manned Shetland called Peggy. Since Peggy is the start of the Queen’s own journey, it seemed only fitting for The Queen’s Horses Silk Scarf Collection to start at the same point.
Peggy is depicted wrapped in an extravagant, beautiful deep red ribbon to convey the idea of a birthday present. Her cloak is adorned with four birthday candles as a symbol of the 4th birthday on which the Queen owned her first horse.
Doublet
One of the favourites of Princess Anne, Doublet is a chestnut gelding on whom the Princess Royal famously won the eventing European Championships at Burghley in 1971. The love and admiration the Queen has shown to her horses has been passed down through the generations of the royal family, to both her daughter Anne and her granddaughter Zara.
Doublet was chosen to represent the importance of family and the joy of sharing your passion with those you love.
Pall Mall
A dark coated chestnut with white blaze and three white socks, Pall Mall is best known for winning the classic 2000 Guines in 1958. This horse was owned and bred by Queen Elizabeth, demonstrating not only her love of horses but her desire to be involved with her race horses at a much more personal level.
Estimate
Estimate made history, winning at the Royal Ascot in 2013, the first and last of the Queen’s horses to win the Golden Cup. This was the first time in the then 207-year history of the race that it had been won by a reigning monarch.
The Queen and her horses have reached many milestones and her successes can be seen throughout the sport of racing. Estimate is depicted dressed with her number and holding the golden cup. It was important to represent the great achievements of the Queen’s horses in the design of The Queen’s Horses Collection.
Carrozza
This homebred filly Carrozza won the Oakes at Epsom in October 1957. This was a truly amazing achievement and a proud moment for the Queen as it marked Her Majesty’s first win in a Classic.
Carrozza can be seen in the design wearing the number 1 on her clock, the number she was wearing when she won the Epsom Oaks. The pin that the queen wore the day of the race is embellished on her clock and a necklace of pearls decorates her neck.
PH Keston
Just like so many of the Queen’s horses PH Keston had a unique and endearing personality, he was described as ‘a crowd pleaser’. He often escorted the queen on her carriage journeys and state events, putting him in the public eye.
The carriage design which has been chosen for PH Keston’s cloak is symbolic of his time pulling the Queen’s carriage.
Daniel
The Queens horses weave in and out of royal life, with many bred for more than simply enjoyment and riding. Daniel, an elegant Windsor Grey, pulled the Queen’s carriage for 14 years before retiring at 22 years old, from the Queen’s birthday parade to the Royal Wedding, this gorgeous white horse was a Windsor grey ‘poster boy’.
With the royal wedding such a highly anticipated event celebrated all over the world and throughout the Commonwealth, it felt like a piece of royal history which needed to be included in the design of the scarf. Daniel has been depicted with an intricate design of William and Kate’s wedding carriage on his cloak to represent the role he played in royal history.
Betsy
A beautiful black mare bought from a farm in the 1950s, Betsy was ‘a strong character’ with ‘plenty of personality’ quickly becoming the Queen’s favourite riding horse.
Betsy is depicted with a cloak of green fields showing where she originated. Her sash shows a small, but significant flame to represent her strong character and vibrant personality. It was important to be able to represent each of the Queen’s horses individual personalities through the design on their cloaks, to allow their relationship with the Queen herself to be understood.
Dunfermline
Dunfermline was born and bred by Queen Elizabeth, and is regarded as the best horse the Queen has ever owned, according to Sir Michael Oswald, a status solidified by her win at the St. Leger and the Epsom Oaks in 1977.
Again we see the royal racing colours of scarlet and purple accented by gold creating Dunfermline’s cloak. The number 3 can also be seen on her cloak, which is the number she was wearing during her win at Epsom Oaks.
Burmese
One of Queen Elizabeth’s most iconic and beloved riding horses, Burmese is a striking black mare who was bred to be part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). She was given to the Queen in 1969 and she rode her in her birthday parade and Trooping the Colour. To commemorate her beloved partner, the Queen commissioned a bronze statue of herself aside Burmese to be created as a tribute to a horse who had been by her side for 18 years.
The Queen develops strong and emotional bonds with all of her horses, learning their behaviour and personalities, allowing her to connect with each on a personal level. Burmese is depicted in the design with the RCMP symbol on her clock to show where she came from, but she also wears belts and elegant decoration to represent her tie to the queen.
Balmoral Melody
At the Royal Windsor Horse Show the love and admiration across Queen Elizabeth’s face when her much loved Highland pony Balmoral Melody won the ‘Supreme Champion’ of the Highland Pony class was clear to see. The strong affection she feels for her horses can be felt in that proud smile. This emotion is reflected in The Queen’s Horses Collection through the depiction of Balmoral Melody, shown with her supreme champion rosette.
Winston
Horses joined the Queen’s family from many different backgrounds. Winston was a Metropolitan police horse before becoming the Princess’s mount at Trooping the Colour.
Winston is depicted with a cloak that resembles a metropolitan police coat and he is wearing a classic custodian helmet. This design has been chosen to share the backgrounds of the horses themselves, weaving their history into the design of the scarf alongside the Queens.
A childhood memory
The illustrated artwork for the Queen’s Horses Silk Scarf Collection features a carousel from which the horses are radiating from. The carousel symbolises innocence, memories and childhood, the circle shape is symbolic of the power from which the wheel of life is driven. The top / roof of the carousel is illustrated with Christmas pantomimes, performed by the queen herself and Princess Margaret throughout WW2. The figures on the carousel represent the 4 different pantomime stories which the royals performed.
At the age of 15. Elizabeth appeared in her first Christmas production, she played Prince Florizel in Cinderella. In 1942 the show was Sleeping Beauty with the young Queen playing Prince Salvador. The following year saw a production of Aladdin with Princess Elizabeth starring lead and the final show in 1944 was Old Mother Red Riding Boots with the young Queen as Lady Christina Sherwood.
Reimagining the Commonwealth of the future
As members of the Commonwealth Fashion Council at House of Gharats’ we wish to play a part it’s future. The Commonwealth is a not for profit organisation helping to bring together 54 countries working together for prosperity, democracy and peace, Queen Elizabeth II at the head.
Her Majesty’s determined character and devotion to the Commonwealth makes her a strong figurehead, and it’s the strength of this woman behind the crown which fascinates us here at the House of Gharats. Through the Queen’s Horses Silk Scarf Collection we have been able to illustrate her love of horses to create a collection which is filled with her personality, strength and love to truly understand the lady behind the monarchy.
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