Shetland pony gifted to the Queen helped inspire Clare Balding
- Published
Clare Balding on pony Valkyrie with her brother Andrew
A pony gifted to the Queen in Shetland in 1960 ended up with the family of future champion jockey and broadcaster Clare Balding and helped inspire her career from a young age.
The Queen was visiting Britain's most northerly inhabited island of Unst as part of a tour of the Northern Isles.
Her Majesty and the Duke Of Edinburgh received a black Shetland pony filly called Valkyrie from the community.
It was later gifted to horse racing trainer Ian Balding's family.
This was to the delight of daughter Clare, and her younger brother Andrew Balding who has also gone on to become a successful trainer.
The pony was bred by Alan Fraser and presented to the Queen by young Agnes Priest.
The pony was kept in Unst until she was old enough to be transported to stables for young members of the Royal family to learn to ride on.
Once they had grown up the Queen, who had an eye for a good horse, did not want Valkyrie's talents to go to waste.
So the pony was gifted to the Balding family at Kingsclere in Hampshire.
Clare Balding has gone on to successful horse racing and broadcasting careers
Andrew Balding told BBC Scotland's The Nine: "I was probably only about three, my sister is a bit older than me, it was her first pony she rode and the first pony I rode as well.
"I remember her very well, she used to come in the kitchen and my mother used to go mad.
"We spent a lot of time on the pony. She was a very special little pony, wilful, she had her own idea on how things should be done. You couldn't get Valkyrie to do anything she didn't want to do, she was very strong-willed.
"We actually had two foals out of her - my mother bred from her - that made other children great starting ponies, so Valkyrie was very special in a lot of young horse people's lives."
He said it was "bringing back a lot of memories" talking about those times.
"The Queen used to visit at least once a year," Mr Balding recalled. "After the prize thoroughbreds we would wheel in Valkyrie and the Queen would give her a Polo. Her eyes would light up and a big smile when she saw Valkyrie.
"The great thing about Valkyrie was she was very safe. With both her (my sister) and myself sat on her she would not flinch. She was fairly bomb-proof.
"Valkyrie helped us develop the passion we have and probably follow the career path we have, so she was instrumental from that point of view.
"Of all the gifts probably the Queen's received that would be a good one. Valkyrie was the gift that kept giving."
He added: "She lived here the rest of her life and died a ripe old age, I think she was almost 40, she had a long happy life at Kingsclere."
Cathie Jamieson said the Queen's visit was a day of excitement for the Unst community
Agnes Priest's sister Cathie Jamieson recalled of 1960: "It was a day of excitement for the whole island and especially for us with my sister having the honour of presenting the foal to the Queen.
"She (Agnes) was very excited, she did very well. I remember her dress, she wore a little frock and it was blue and white, and there was a touch of red in it so it must have been specially for the Queen, for the flag."
She added: "It is just amazing to think that the pony from up here went all the way down south and princes learned to ride on it and also a champion jockey."
The Queen visited Shetland and Orkney three times each.
On County Show day in Orkney in 1978 it is estimated that two thirds of the island's population turned out to see her.
- Published2 June 2022
- Published21 October 2020
