The Sultan of Oman’s Royal
Cavalry will perform at one of the first events to kick start the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The cavalry, which consists
of 200 soldiers and 112 horses from the Gulf state, will join 800 performers
from around the world including the Canadian Mounted Police, the Chilean Huasos
and the Kremlin Mounted Cossacks, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Thursday.
The UK is hosting a string
of events to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne. Around 550
horses and more than 1,000 dancers and musicians will perform over the next
four nights at the show. The British monarch, a keen-horse rider, will attend
the show on Sunday evening.
Oman has a history of close
economic and military relations with the UK, with approximately 7,000 Britons living
and working in the Gulf state.
Oman’s ruler Sultan Qaboos
attended Sandhurst and served with the now defunct Cameronian regiment.
The Royal Cavalry, founded
in 1974 by the sultan, originally consisted to just 20 horses. Today, it
operates the Omani equivalent of the British Jockey Club. Its ceremonial
squadron – the Firqah – was established in 1993 and now consists of 140
soldiers.
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