Zero horse-power: King's Life Guard to have no mounts for most of September

There will be no guard mounts on Horse Guards Parade for most of September.

The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment will continue to conduct its daily duty as King's Life Guard in central London – but without their horses.

This is due to "essential infrastructure maintenance" being carried out at Horse Guards.

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Changing of the Guard, which takes place three times a week, will also be affected by the building works.

Personnel will conduct the parade dismounted without military horses, a rare occurrence.

The regiment is made up of the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals – the two most senior regiments in the British Army.

In July, BFBS Forces News reported that professional content creators were monetising the duties of troopers, which have been carried out for centuries by the Household Cavalry.

Now, as the regiment's horses are set to be rested from guard duties for almost a month, tourists and members of the public are being advised by the Army that soldiers will still be visible at the site, conducting what is known as "dismounted guards".

Typically, members of the Household Cavalry can be seen daily sitting atop their horses at the gates of Horse Guards and performing dismounted duties in the archways of the Horse Guards building.

But for September, soldiers will only be seen at sentry points around Horse Guards, and without their mounts.

Horse Guards acts as the entrance to the court of St James's, meaning it is considered the official entrance to Buckingham Palace, which is why the Household Cavalry conducts duties there, known as King's Life Guard.

The famous Changing of the Guard ceremony, which takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11:00, will also be affected by the maintenance work.

Instead of soldiers riding horses and performing a short ceremony on the parade square at Horse Guards, it will involve dismounted soldiers in the smaller Tilt Yard, located on the Whitehall side of the site.

Another consequence of the work is that soldiers will not be seen riding to and from their Knightsbridge barracks until normal guards, involving horses, resume in late September. 

BFBS Forces News understands the maintenance work does not involve the construction of any barriers or other measures that would prevent the close access members of the public enjoy with military horses at Horse Guards. 

Public duties at other locations, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London, are not affected by the announcement.

The work at Horse Guards is set to be completed by 24 September.