The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery is Her Majesty’s Mounted Ceremonial Battery, which means you will often find them in their finery on parade and firing Royal Salutes to mark the grand occasions of State, including The Queen’s Birthday Parade. Their role is unique in the Army, as is the make-up of their unit, which has one of the highest proportions of gender balance amongst its personnel.
Stories from the women of The King’s Troop
Lance Bombardier Dunbar describes how she wanted to work with horses from a young age. She works with the largest horses, known as the Chargers, who are always the first to be seen on parade. “My career highlight so far has to be meeting Her Majesty The Queen at the 70th anniversary of the formation of The King’s Troop in 2017. The best thing about being in The King’s Troop is turning your hobby into your job, learning new skills and actually getting to ride these horses. It’s hard work, it’s busy, but it’s got its rewards.”
The best thing about being in The King’s Troop is turning your hobby into your job, learning new skills and actually getting to ride these horses. Lance Bombardier Dunbar
Staff Sergeant Colton is The King’s Troop’s Master Tailor. When asked about the perks of the job, she says, “No one else in the world does this, it’s amazing what we do and I think we get great opportunities. I’m a fully qualified tailor, fully paid for by the Army and I get the opportunity to do something I quite enjoy every day.”
Bombardier Hunt has served with The King’s Troop for nine years and is a Sadler. She has been able to complete a range of training during her time in the Army, including everything from HGV driver training to Riding Instructor courses and her current Sadler apprenticeship.
Throughout her Service, even small changes have made big differences to her experience as a soldier. “Things are definitely moving with the times,” she says. “I can have my hair in a ponytail, which means my hair has stopped falling out because I don’t have to have it scraped back in a bun constantly, which makes a massive difference. We still ride with it in a bun and we’re on ceremonial parades with a bun because it’s smarter but things like that are definitely changing.”
She describes the top thing that she would like to see change in relation to women in the Army as people’s attitudes. “Things have been put in place and now it’s just getting rid of the old attitudes,” she says.