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The Dark History of Riderless Horses at Funerals
The Queen is dead. If you watched her body being moved to Westminster to lie in state, you will have noted the riderless horse ahead of the procession.
During the procession to Windsor, at one point a forlorn looking Fell pony, fully tacked but bearing only one of the Queen’s headscarves was watching the procession. Looking for all the world like she knew.
In America, Presidents and military officers of a certain rank are honored by a riderless horse with their boots in the stirrups, facing backwards.
The riderless horse honors a fallen warrior (the Queen served in World War II, and while she was not in a combat role, she was in one every bit as dangerous).
The little pony watching the coffin go by is incredibly cute, but the tradition has a much darker origin.
Why the Riderless Horse?
The basic symbolism is that the warrior will ride no more. For Queen Elizabeth, a consummate horsewoman…put it this way I said for years that when she could no longer ride, she would not live long, and that indeed seems pretty close.
In some places, riderless horses are also used in general processions to honor the military. Apparently, Australia uses one to lead the Anzac Day procession.