Burmese (1962–1990), a black RCMP Police Service Horse (PSH)

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

, was given to Queen Elizabeth II by the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

and ridden by the Queen for

Trooping the Colour Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed every year in London, United Kingdom, by regiments of the British Army. Similar events are held in other countries of the Commonwealth. Trooping the Colour has been a tradition of British infantry regi ...

for eighteen consecutive years from 1969 to 1986. She was trained by RCMP Staff Sergeant Fred Rasmussen and presented by Staff Sergeant Ralph Cave in 1969.

Royal Service

Burmese was foaled at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Remount Ranch at

Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan Fort Walsh is a National Historic Site of Canada that was a North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort and the site of the Cypress Hills Massacre. Administered by Parks Canada, it forms a constituent part of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. The ...

, and was trained in Ottawa by RCMP Staff Sergeant Fred Rasmussen. Staff Sergeant Ralph Cave, the Riding Master for the Musical Ride, suggested in 1968 that the RCMP gift one of the ride's horses to Canada's monarch, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. Both the federal Cabinet and the RCMP's Commissioner supported the idea and, on 28 April 1969, Burmese was presented to the Queen when members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came to the UK to perform in the

Royal Windsor Horse Show The Royal Windsor Horse Show is a horse show held annually since 1943 for five days in May or June in Windsor Home Park.

. The Queen asked that Burmese be included in the performance and that her rider carry the Queen's royal standard, instead of the normal red and white pennon, so Elizabeth could more easily follow Burmese in the show. The Queen was mounted on Burmese when six blank shots were fired during the 1981 birthday parade, on the way to Trooping the Colour. Although the horse was briefly startled, she remained calm due to the training she received at Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan. This included experience of gunfire during recruit training, when staff would fire blank rounds as recruits took horses through their paces. The Royal Family praised Burmese's behaviour during this incident. Burmese's last public appearance was at Trooping the Colour in 1986, after which she retired. She was not replaced, as the Queen decided to ride in a phaeton (carriage) and review the troops from a dais from 1987 onwards, rather than train a new

charger Charger or Chargers may refer to: * Charger (table setting), decorative plates used to fancify a place setting * Battery charger, a device used to put energy into a cell or battery * Capacitor charger, typically a high voltage DC power supply ...

. Burmese was put out to pasture at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

's Park, where she died in 1990. When the Queen was asked many years later which was her favourite horse, her immediate reply was, “Burmese.” Queen Elizabeth II and Burmese Statue

Subsequent horses given by the RCMP to Elizabeth II

PSH Burmese was followed by PSH Centenial (also trained by Rasmussen), presented to the Queen in 1973 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP (the spelling of ''Centenial'' was changed by the Queen from the original spelling of ''Centennial''); and PSH Saint James, in 1998, to mark the RCMP's 125th anniversary. The Queen was presented in 2002 with PSH Golden Jubilee in honour of Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee year and PSH George in 2009, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the gifting of Burmese to the Queen. PSH Elizabeth, named for the Queen's mother,

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

, was presented to Elizabeth II on 10 May 2012.

Statue

During Saskatchewan's centennial in 2005, the Queen unveiled a bronze statue in front of the

Saskatchewan Legislative Building The Saskatchewan Legislative Building is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and houses the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. History The Saskatchewan Legislative Building was built between 1908 and 1912 in the Beaux Arts style to a d ...

in Regina, Canada, where she is depicted on Burmese. The statue was sculpted by Saskatchewan artist Susan Velder.

References

External links

RCMP Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burmese 1962 animal births 1990 animal deaths Animals as diplomatic gifts British monarchy Ceremonial horses Horse monuments Individual mares

Royal Service

Subsequent horses given by the RCMP to Elizabeth II

Statue

See also

References

External links