Roaming London in the rain (darn its cold and wet here) I asked a guy where Buckingham was and for a minute he looked confused. I thought maybe he thought I was asking about the BBQ restaurant of the same name back in Springfield. But then he pointed the way and there we were, at the gates of the palace surrounded by newly minted friends from San Francisco, Omaha, and Illinois all there to see the changing of the guard.

The soldiers and band members trooped by as the drizzle turned to rain, ostensibly to line up for the ceremony. We waited. And waited. And waited. And finally a guy in uniform comes through blowing a whistle and announcing that the changing of the guard wouldn’t happen because it was raining. I thought for a minute we must have been at a French palace if a little rain was going to stop the British army.

The trip was saved though by a trip to the Royal Mews. You’ll have to Google the word mews to get all the Falconry history behind the term, but in the states we’d have referred to it as a Stable and Carriage House. Because I have draft horses and carriages, this was a great stop for me (a lot better than Queen Mary’s doll house :)).

The Royal Stable consists of Cleveland Bay horses—apparently an English only breed, and Windsor Whites which aren’t actually a breed but rather are a white draft horse that are used exclusively to pull the Monarch’s Coach, thus the term “Windsor.” The white horses are actually the Irish Draft breed.

We saw a handful of horses, including some they were working in the riding barn, and a larger number actually on the streets. They hitch and drive these horses daily on the streets of London just to keep them accustomed to traffic, crowds, and pulling a load.

We saw the Queen’s coaches which were used most recently at the opening of Parliament. When the Queen goes to Westminster to open Parliament it takes seven carriages to get the job done. Her Majesty never rides with the Crown Jewels, they are transported in a separate coach of their own. The other coaches are to carry her consort and various helpers.

The neat and interesting thing about the horses and carriages is how similar it was to what I’ve got a home. Their leather is shinier. Their coaches have better paint. And, their coach house is more stable and cleaner than my barn. But, apart from that, it’s horses and wagons and the process was the same one we use to hitch our horses back home—-except I think I sweat more and am a bit more hands-on in hitching my team than Her Majesty does or is.

It is London. You’ve got to go to Buckingham, but if you aren’t careful you might miss the Royal Mews and that would be a shame. Be sure you check out “all the Queen’s horses” when you visit Buckingham Palace.