A Pony Fit for a Queen

Creating Carltonlima Emma's Breyer Model

The whole Breyer team is saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year – we’ve felt her loss especially as a fellow equestrian. The Queen was enamored with horses from a very young age, and that love carried throughout her whole life.

The Queen owned and rode a variety of horses throughout her lifetime, but in her later years she nurtured a love for British Native ponies – particularly Highlands and Fells. One of her favorites was a Fell mare named Emma, whom she rode regularly well into her 90s. One of the most poignant moments of The Queen’s funeral procession occurred as her hearse made its final approach to Windsor Castle up the Long Walk – among a sea of flowers left by mourners, Emma stood solemnly with head groom Terry Pendry, quietly watching the hearse go by.

Despite becoming an international celebrity overnight, many Breyer fans were already familiar with Carltonlima Emma – the Breyer Traditional lineup included a portrait model of her for five years.

In early 2015, Breyer’s VP of Marketing, Stephanie Macejko, and former VP of Communications, Kathleen Fallon, were approached by fan-favorite sculptor Kathleen Moody with a new piece: a trotting Fell Pony. When they agreed to add the sculpture to the Breyer line, gears started turning – what better way to debut a new Fell Pony sculpt than with a portrait of The Queen’s Fell Pony? They decided to shoot their shot and a letter and two sample models across the pond, addressed to Queen Elizabeth herself.

It was decided early on that the Carltonlima Emma model would have a charitable component, benefitting both the Fell Pony Society and Girlguiding‡ – two organizations of which The Queen was already a devoted patron. This, and the promise that like all Breyer models, Emma’s model would inspire play, creativity, and a love of horses in children across the world, convinced The Queen to give her blessing to the project. She personally inspected and approved the model in June of 2015.

With Her Majesty’s support secured, the Breyer team sent acclaimed equine photographer Bob Langrish on assignment to Windsor. There he photographed Emma among the picturesque scenery of the Windsor Castle grounds for her model’s packaging.

Six months later, Breyer’s Carltonlima Emma model debuted at the famed Olympia Horse Show in London, and reached worldwide retailers soon after in early 2016 – just in time for The Queen’s 90^th birthday on April 21^st. She remained a part of Breyer’s lineup in the “Best of British” series through 2020. In light of The Queen's passing, we are looking into the possibility of bringing Emma's model back for those who missed out on her previously. Sign up for the Breyer mailing list for future updates!

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* The operational head of the Royal Mews.

† A collection of equestrian stables owned by the Royal Family. The most well-known is the location in London within the grounds of Buckingham Palace, which is open to the public and houses horses, people, and a variety of royal carriages.

‡ A national guiding association in the United Kingdom, similar to Girl Scouts in the United States.