THE ROYAL STABLES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20354, 10 March 1928, Page 19

THE ROYAL STABLES.

A TOUR OF INSPECTION. AND SOME SIDELIGHTS. Written for the Otago Daily Times. By Nellie M. Scaxla.v. LONDON, January 2+, 1928. The name of King Gooi-gc/ horse —ilni horse he rides in .Rotten Row every morning between 8 and 9—is Anzac. General BircKvood, who commanded the Australian and Now Zealand forces, gave the King two horses after the war. They ca.lod one ” Birdie ” and the other Aiizuc.” Drowsing quietly in his stall in the Royal Mows at Buckingham Palace, Anzac seems very content with his lot. Thu mows is on lower ground than the peace, which it adjoins. Jr Mas Kill" Edward who built the little hill, and planted it with trees, which block the mews from the Royal view. The palace windows look out upon this little hillock, in the bowels of which the Royal vintage is now stored. There is a subterranean passage from the palace to the hill, which is a wine collar beneath its turf and trees. And that little summerhouse high above, where on festive days and at garden parties they servo such delicious afternoon tea, it was built by Queen Victoria. “ They say site did her courting there/’ said the groom, with a quiot smile. “10 Bruce Albert, yon know,” ho added. In in’s black tailcoat and trousers, yellow waistcoat, white stock, and top hat, with a rakish rosette at the side, this groom, or gentleman of the mews, did the honours of the Royal stables. Ho know horse, he loved horse, he lived horse. But there wasn’t an ” h ” in his whole composition. The Royal mews is built round a quadrangle, in the middle of which four shady trees now spread their bare and wintry branches. In the lower story live the horses ; in the upper rooms dwell the grooms and others who minister to the Royal steeds. ” Queen Mary changed it from a barracks into a kind of modern flats,” ho said. "She did turn things upside-down when shecame over ’ere.” One could see his ad miration was tinged with regret. “ These are the carriage ’orses —all Cleveland Bays,” and ha pointed proudly towards tho stalls. ” We’ve got only 76 ’orses ’ere now. We ’ad three times as many before the war,” he added plaintively ” Race ’orses Uh, they’re at Newmarket. Got enough to do without them.’’ The war led to a serious cut in stable expenses and tho famous team of cream horses, used for State functions, were among the first to go. “ They were a savage team,” said _tuo groom. “ Didn’t kick, but would bite; 'ad to keep a groom on duty all night to stop them savaging each other. They shot most of them. And the Belgian blacks they went too. They were savage, but not so bad -as the cream ponies. A lot of those Belgian horses went back to their own country/’ Down tho white-roofed, green-tiled stables I passed. Each horse had its name set in the tiles over its head. Lord Gvenard, the Master of tho King’s Horses, has the privilege of finding names for the horses. •'Master of the ’Orses is a political^appointment,” said the groom, “ and we ’ave a change every time there is a new Govern ment.” There was a “Haig,” a fine horse that had seen five years of active service with General Haig in France. He afterwards presented it to King George. (It was Haig who led the procession for tho opening of Parliament, the other day.) ’When there is ft State function with a procession, wo take ‘Haig’ over the route, and time ’irn. Then we know exactly 'ow loim it will take, and can fix the exact time for the King and Queen to start. Haig is apparently an experienced leader of Royal processions, ... A horse was champing impatiently and tossing his head in a nearby stall, irritated by bunches of ribbon and rosettes about nis head and mane. ~ ■’ It’s ’is first Parliament, said tho groom, patting his flank sympathetically. He might have been a ncwly-emctod member, from his tone. “We ’ave to train them to bands, flags, carpets, decorations, trains crowds, and cheering. Ow? Wo ’ave a drum and bugle—a sort of jazz band without anv tuno. Wo take the new orse.-, into the riding school, with some old ones and shout and cheer, and Cre rifles and play the band, and wave flags anq all that. After a time they get used to it. iney don’t mind green or red carpets, but tnoy hate white ones.” . , Tho royal wedding horses wore m adjoining stalls, beautiful animals, with dappled quarters, marvellously matched. “ Wo used those for Princess Mary and tho Duke of York,” said the groom. “And will you use them for the i mice of Wales?” I asked. ... He grinned. “ I don t think they will he cre when ’o gets married. 1 hough I did think once or twice ’e was going off There’s too many —’e can’t make up ’is" mind, that’s my opinion,” he con- “ This is the Prince’s ’orse, Doubtful,” and he pointed out a strong-looking bay. “When we first got ’ira they said it was doubtful which of the princes would use ’im, and the name Doubtful stuck.” He assured us that tho Prince of Wales was a good horseman. “ The reason e falls off so often is because ’c lakes too many chances. Now these ’orses are for riding in the Row, and you cant ave thorn kicking up a fuss among a lot of other ’orses, so we take a bit out of them in ’ere before they start. But ’untinc is different. They’ve got to start fresh. When the Prince gets a ’nnter, he must try it out ’imself e is reckless about it. But ’e is a real sport and gentleman,” said the little groom with pride. That groat social gulf had been bridged with horse. Now this is Prince Enery s orse. Of course ’e is the best ’orseman or the family. Tho Duke of York? Well, e is an airman,’’ with a tinge of contempt iu his tone. “ Does a fit of ’unting, but ’e isn’t so fond of ’orses.” One felt that the Duke had failed to strike an answering note in this horsey breast. Two giant horses, over 18 hands, used in the shafts of the State coach, were next exhibited with pride. Thou on to the riding school. “We will ave Priiuiess Mary- s two little bo vs, George and Gerald, learning to ride ‘this year. They have been given three ponies each. See that window at the end,” and tho groom pointed across tho riding school. “The King and Queen used to sit there—it adjoins the Palace-—and watch the young Princes learning to ride.” There was 6ft of earth, and then 6ft of peat on the floor of the riding school, and he j mured on the springy turf to show its resiliency. From horses wo wont to h&nioss, tho famous rod Morocco and gold which was made for the cream horses at the time of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, and, which is used for State functions to this day, It cost £15,C00, so the groom assured me, and each set of harness was without a seam, having been made from one piece of leather. „ , , „ “ Now wo use tho Cleveland Bays instead of the cream ’orses. It isn’t a case of getting ’arnoss to fit tho ’orses, but the ’orses to fit the ’nrness. ’ By this time I was choking for an aspirate. But it is apparently difficult to match the buys, as so few people breed horses now. There was a number of Dutch horses in the stable, as Holland is the only country from which a similar breed is to be had. There was black and silver harness, also, dating back to George 111, much more beautiful, though less ornate, than the red Morocco of the Victorian era. Whips, too, of marvellous workmanship, the side-saddle on which Queen Victoria rode to review her troops, and also the strange side-saddle on which Queen Alexandra rode, with the pommels on tins wrong side. , , , Then came tho great gold State coach used for tho opening cf Parliament. A massive vehicle of carved oak, coated in gold loaf, it weighs over four tons. Four o-olden plumed helmets are set each corner, and three golden figures support the crown which surmounts the shapely roof. Quilted crimson silk upholsters the interior, and four large allegorical figures, life-size, with fishes’ tails, hold across their shoulders f»io golden ropes on which the carriage apparently rides, though in fact it is on leather springs. “ Just Plain cold water,” said the groom when I asked how they kept tho carriage clean. “We start at four in tho morning to pet ready for the opening of Parliament.” said tho groom. “Washing tho ’ones, grooming them, plaiting their manes, and putting on the ribbons—27yds of ribbon to each mane —getting everything ready, and then dressing in onr own livery. They always use ’orses State occasions, but now. with motor cars/’ ho shook his head ; I think ho sniffed, “it isn’t what it was in King Edward’s day.’*