Household Cavalry troopers compete to be named best turned-out soldier
Troopers in the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment have taken part in their annual competition in the Parade Square at Hyde Park Barracks to find the best turned out soldier and horse.
The Princess Elizabeth Cup dates back to 1949 when the then-Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, proposed the idea for the Richmond Horse Show.
Both the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals put forward six challengers to compete for eight places at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May, where one of which will be crowned the best turned out trooper.
Of the top eight finishers selected on Friday, the Life Guards will be represented by Troopers Joe Jessop, Kieran Jones, Vittorio Vettraino and Watts-Fleming.
The Blues and Royals will be represented by Troopers Seth Adams, Dandie, Ethan Jeffrey and Siobhan Mottram.
The selected troopers will meet the King and form His Majesty's Retinue on the King's Birthday Parade in June, and the regiment of the winning trooper will receive all-important bragging rights for a year.
It took six weeks to prepare for Friday's event, with every part of the horse and harness and the trooper's uniform meticulously scrubbed clean and polished.
More than 200 hours are spent shining the ceremonial jackboots alone, using a minimum of 2kg of beeswax melted by blowtorch.
Their work is assessed by 12 judges, including three generals, German defence attaché Brigadier Torsten Gersdorf, the Chief Officer of the Army Benevolent Fund Tim Hyams, and experts from across defence.
Judges award a score of one to five points for 37 specifications, from the cheek pieces to the saddle flaps, while a further 15 points were available for overall impression.
Warrant Officer Class One Regimental Corporal Major Dan Snoxell said the competition is integral to a trooper's development and stoking healthy rivalry between the two regiments.
"This is where they will learn about themselves, about time management and pushing themselves," he said, adding: "It keeps the rivalry going, Life Guards versus Blues.
"You have got to work as a team. You have to trust your team members, the people that you're working with, to put your kit together properly."
It takes a whole troop to prepare a competitor, especially on the morning of the event when the horse is rubbed down with warm water, its white parts chalked and hooves manicured and varnished, while the harness and trooper’s uniform are made spotless before being shrouded by a white cloak for protection.
The Life Guards, in red tunics with white plumes, and the Blues and Royals, in dark blue tunics with red plumes, take it in turns to perform guard duty at the official entrance to the Royal Palaces in Horse Guards Parade.
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