The show has always had the honour being attended by royalty and the Late Queen Elizabeth II was patron to the show up to her death in 2022. The current president of the show is HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
FROM small beginnings as a Wednesday afternoon horse and dog show as part of a ‘Wings for Victory’ week-long wartime fundraising effort, the show was soon a hit. The brainchild of Geoffrey Cross and Austrian-born horse producer Count Robert Orssich, it was attended by The King (who agreed to become patron the following year) and Queen and their daughters. Princess Elizabeth won the Single Private Driving Turnout Class.
Today’s supply chain issues were nothing compared to those suffered in World War Two. After the first show, the Superintendent of the Royal Mews wrote to the Timber Control Department requesting permission to buy £10 of Windsor Great Park’s own timber to make its own show jumps the following year. “His Majesty The King hoped I would be successful in obtaining a licence,” he added. It was soon granted.
1947 – The show expands
The show runs for three days with classes ranging from hacks to a new and still much-loved coaching marathon, for which four-in-hand teams assemble in the main arena and depart for a six-mile drive.
1950 – Live TV coverage
A new class for polo ponies is introduced – another popular royal sport. And the BBC puts out its first live broadcast from the show.
1951 – First evening performance
The first floodlit evening performance takes place during Festival of Britain year
1952 – The King dies
King George VI dies in February of this year, and the show runs in July instead of its usual May dates
The world’s best riders arrive
THE SECOND DECADE – 1953 to ’62
1954 – Services Jumping starts
The Queen donates a Challenge Cup for a Services Team Jumping contest – still a popular event. It takes place on one of the new floodlit evening sessions.
1960 – Olympic practice
Alongside quirky classes for the “best trained police horse”, Britain’s Olympic showjumpers and dressage team contest special classes laid on for them. The Australian eventers – including Badminton winner Bill Roycroft – have “training practice” here too.
A young Miss Jennie Bullen wins the ladies hunter on Miss Stubbings’s Desert Storm. She was to become a dressage legend in later years under her married name Jennie Loriston Clarke.
1962 – Dressage grows
By now the show includes dressage classes contested by riders from France and Germany as well as Britain. But they meet with awful weather
A golden age as the show grows
THE THIRD DECADE – 1963 to ’72
1965 – Cancellation!
A nationwide outbreak of equine flu caused the show’s first cancellation. But it is not held back for long.
1968 – Celebrating 25 years
A fourth day is added to the schedule as the show turns 25. A parade of The Queen’s horses and carriages includes State Landaus to the “Balmoral Sociable” built for Queen Victoria.
1970 – a golden age
The Queen visits now with a young Prince Edward, who in 2022 succeeds his late father as the show’s president. Some of the greatest names in British show jumping compete in the 1970s, including Johnny Kidd, Caroline Bradley, Harvey Smith, Marion Mould, David Broome and more – even the great pony Stroller.
The first international driving event runs – the brainchild of the Duke of Edinburgh
1972 – Richly Royal
Princess Anne makes a first competitive appearance, coming fourth in the combined training on Purple Star.
Memorable milestones
THE FOURTH DECADE – 1973 to ’82
1973 – Driving championships
The European Driving Championships are held concurrently with the show. The Duke of Edinburgh competes as an individual for Britain
1978 – Saluting the Pony Club
Thursday evening celebrates the Pony Club’s 50th anniversary with jumping and mounted games classes, a polo match and musical ride. A celebrity team jumping contest includes top names riding for their “local branch” included Douglas Bunn (the HH), Lucinda Prior Palmer (RA Salisbury Plain), Nicky Henderson (the Craven), David Broome, Richard Meade, Caroline Bradley and others. By 1980, Pony Club mounted games become a regular part of the schedule – and remain so today
1982 – The Duke’s win
The Duke of Edinburgh, a regular competitor here, wins the Horse Teams class in the International Driving Grand Prix with HM The Queen’s team of bays, his only triumph in this class, “though I came second five times!” he writes later.
Happy anniversaries
THE FIFTH DECADE (1983 to ’92)
1985 – Cavalry tribute
The show hosts a 300th anniversary tribute to six British Cavalry Regiments. But international jumping classes are no longer part of the mix – just national classes
1992 – Firework finale
The 50th anniversary of the show is marked with a ball attended by HM The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. The show’s Grand Finale on the final day involves a fantastic firework display that becomes a much-loved feature of the show for many years.
A time of mixed fortunes
THE SIXTH DECADE (1993 to 2002)
1993 – Big name sponsors
Commercial sponsorship continues to grow with premium brands attracted to the show’s unique offering. In 1993 Toyota sponsors the first day’s showing classes, and Hermes sponsors dressage classes – then run on grass – with a suitably luxurious hospitality tent manned by ladies in immaculately tied Hermes scarves. In 1995 Land Rover becomes a major supporter – an association which thrives to this day – and by 1998 the lists expanded to include Asprey, Hildon and Samsung.
1996 – An olympic fundraiser
The show has frequently served as a selection trial for Olympic contenders, or a place for riders to practise in a bustling setting, but this year a floodlit show is run involving musical rides and a dressage pas de deus etc on Thursday night to raise funds for the British Equestrian Olympic fund.
1998 and 1999 – New experiments
The show moves down Home Park to run adjacent to the river – which proves very scenic but still not safe from the vagaries of May weather. By 2000 the idea is abandoned. But a country fair arena at the show hosts activities including sheepdogs, falconry, long netting and llama racing
1997 and 2001 – Thwarted plans
Weather and disease conspire to disrupt plans as a highly anticipated Pageant of the Horse to celebrate The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s golden wedding anniversary is lost to effects of extremely wet weather on the local clay soil. Later, in 2001 the show is cancelled – like much else – due to Foot and Mouth disease.
2002 – A perfect pageant
The show’s evening performances are cleared to host the sell-out All The Queen’s Horses pageant as the first of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. A thousand horses and 2,000 human participants are involved, with fabulous actors including Judi Dench and Robert Hardy narrating.
The show plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary with its foundation in Wings for Victory but the Gulf war interrupts plans and military displays are cancelled.
2005 – Venue upgraded
The show moves into Home Park Private and puts down a permanent all-weather arena in this beautiful setting. Friday hosts a gala dressage and polo evening.
2006 and 2007 – Milestones for The Queen
The show celebrates HM The Queen’s 80th birthday in 2006 with a private party – and a visit from the JCB Dancing Diggers. Her 60th wedding anniversary with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh is marked the following year with a parade of vintage Land Rovers
2008 and 2009 – Further innovations
A tattoo is run in the evenings to raise funds for the Royal British Legion which proves a huge success, and continues for several years. Meanwhile the showjumping classes are upgraded to internationals as the smart surfaced arenas attract more top riders.
2011 – The Boss visits
American ‘royalty’ attends the show alongside our own, as Bruce Springsteen comes to watch his daughter Jessica jumping under the tutelage of Nick Skelton and Laura Kraut.
2012 – 60 years on the throne
The world comes to Windsor for another fabulous pageant, this time televised by ITV, including the Canadian Mounties, New South Wales police, and dancers from New Zealand and the Cook Islands.
More Royal celebrations
THE EIGHTH DECADE (2013 to 2022)
2013 – The show turns 70
Endurance rides join the schedule, supported by The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, both of which are important elements of the show a decade on.
2014 — Flooded but not washed out
Despite massive flooding around Eton and Windsor early in the year, the waters subside to reveal Windsor’s site and outdoor surface remains intact.
2016 – The Queen turns 90
The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration run in each evening of the show sells out within hours and is a huge success, despite Wednesday’s dress rehearsal and entire first day of the show being lost to torrential rain. The event even wins its organisers a BAFTA.
2017 – Five star
Prize money increases so that the show is now ranked a five star, attracting top level showjumping riders from around the world. In the show rings, Her Majesty’s homebred steeplechaser Barbers Shop wins the Retraining of Racehorse class for a third consecutive time this year with rider Katie Jerram and is fully retired in a special ceremony at the show in 2018.
2022 – The most memorable of all
Her Majesty pays her final visits to the show she supported from day one. The Platinum Jubilee Pageant each evening is a huge success, and is televised on the final night when The Queen attends. It is the last event she attends in full before her death in September.
2023 - Moving On
4* Dressage returns supported by Defender and means that the show includes a Wednesday afternoon opening for the Grand Prix dressage phase. International displays include the ‘Land of Fire’ from Azerbaijan and new ‘amateur’ showing classes are introduced.
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