The Household Cavalry was on parade in Bushy Park today without the normal pomp and ceremony of its traditional duties around Buckingham Palace and big celebrations such as the upcoming Queen's Jubilee celebrations.

The small group of twenty soldiers and their horses from the Blues and Royals were driven from their Hyde Park barracks early today for a 'change of scenery' from their gruelling day-to-day routine, which starts at 6am.

In elegant symmetry, Blues and Royals in Bushy Park

Altogether there are about 200 horses which make up the Blues and Royals and The Lifeguards of the Household Cavalry, and they will have a high-profile role in the upcoming pageantry of the Queen's Birthday celebrations, Trooping The Colour and the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

It was only announced earlier this week that the Jubilee celebrations will include female members of the Household Cavalry for the first time and today several female riders were amongst those riding out, including two who were happy to identify their horses as Rochester and Whitehall, but NOT their own names!

Unnamed female soldier with her horse Rochester

The horse boxes arrived at The Lodge car park near Teddington Cricket Pavilion just before 9am and saddled up to set off around the perimeter of the park, breaking into a gallop at some stages and briefly leaving the park to go to nearby Hampton Court before returning two hours later.

All in a row, all twenty horses return to The Loge car park

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Half a dozen of the soldiers, distinctive members of the Blues and Royals because of their dark blue headwear, later enjoyed a cup of coffee at the Pheasantry café as their horses were transported home to central London. 

The HCMR ( The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment) is one of the most senior regiments of the British Army with a distinguished history of carrying out ceremonial duties in London and internationally.

Yesterday in an identical routine, The Lifeguards section of the Household Cavalry (distinctive because of their maroon headwear) visited the park at the same time, taking scores of visitors, dog walkers and cyclists by surprise.

The Lifeguards were at Bushy Park yesterday (Tuesday)