When Queen Mary of Denmark visited Australia’s capital today, little did she know there was a Canberra connection that played a part in her journey to become an avid equestrian in her fairytale royal life.
Back in the 1980s, when she was just plain Mary Donaldson from Hobart, she was taught troop drill at her local pony club by none other than Canberran Siwan Lovett.
The future queen of Denmark was only about 10 years old when Siwan taught her ceremonial horsemanship at Huntingfield Pony Club near Hobart.
“I was teaching troop drill and Mary had a little pony, I think she had an Arab pony,” Siwan said. “Troop drill is where you ride in a group and form patterns. My job was to get lots of kids on ponies to follow a formation. It’s like synchronised swimming but on horses.”
Queen Mary is an avid equestrian and supporter of Danish equestrian sports and she often attends the Danish Warmblood Stallion Show in Herning, Denmark. Queen Mary is also experienced in dressage and she made her competition debut in 2020.
When Siwan taught troop drill in Tassie, she was just 17 years old.
“Troop drill is a bit like the Queen’s Guards when they ride out together,” Siwan said. “It’s very ceremonial. They ride side by side and then they split off and one side will go to the left and do a circle and one side will go to the right and do another circle. When you see kids chatting away as their horses go off to the left or the right and they’re meant to be going straight ahead, it’s a lot of fun.”
Being a world away from Denmark, in rural Tasmania, it’s hard to believe that Siwan coached the future Queen of Denmark in royal ceremony.
“You would use troop drill in ceremonial events like the trooping of the colours,” Siwan said. “Queen Mary actually owns beautiful Danish Warmbloods, which were a significant upgrade from the ponies at Huntingfield Pony Club.”
Siwan no longer teaches troop drill, she is the founder and CEO of the Australian River Restoration Centre, a charity restoring rivers and empowering others to do the same.
Siwan is modest about teaching the future queen of Denmark, and said Mary was “just one of the kids”.
“Okay I’ll just take credit for it,” she laughs. “I remember thinking that it sounds like a fairy tale but it must be incredibly hard work – a normal kid going to an extraordinary life.I think any dressage rider is envious of meeting a prince and then having your own Royal Stables.”
