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The late Prince Philip's lifelong love of horses and equestrian life reinvented equestrian sport, according to friends who shared his passion. The Duke of Edinburgh represented Great Britain in both carriage driving and polo, winning many prestigious medals and prizes in both events. He began competitive carriage driving when in his 50s, after being forced to retire from polo-playing, reportedly due to an arthritic wrist. He took part in carriage driving competitions until the age of 86 but continued driving around the grounds of Windsor Castle for fun until just weeks before his death. A familiar sight around the estate in his horse-drawn carriage, pulled by his black fell ponies, Notlaw Storm and Balmoral Nevis, both born in 2008; he designed the dark green, polished, four-wheeled carriage, that was built to his specifications eight years ago. It was a poignant feature of Prince Philip's funeral following his death, at the age of 99, on 9th April. The carriage and his familiar ponies, accompanied by two of his grooms, stood in Windsor Castle's Quadrangle to pay their respects as the funeral procession passed by on 17th April.   Royal carriage designs Prince Philip had been designing horse-drawn carriages since the 1970s. His own has black leather seats and a brass clock mounted on the front, which was presented by the Queen’s Royal Irish Hussars to mark Philip's 25 years' service as their colonel-in-chief in 1978. In a rare interview in 2017, he spoke of his love of the sport of carriage driving. His involvement increased people's interest and led to the sport becoming popular today. He often acknowledged how his life had been enriched by horses, writing a book, Thirty Years On and Off the Box Seat, which was published in 2004. He became hooked on carriage driving after borrowing five Cleveland Bay horses from the Royal Mews and practising driving in an old wooden carriage. It wasn't all plain sailing for the prince - his horses were used to urban routes and when he took them on rural drives, they refused to get their feet wet at first and weren't keen on crossing any streams they encountered! He described how he eventually won them over by training them with sugar lumps as rewards. He once said, "I'm getting old and my reactions are getting slower... but I've never lost the sheer pleasure of driving a team through the British countryside." Fellow riders praised the prince for putting both polo and carriage driving on the international sporting map. They also said his love of horses revealed an informal side that was seldom seen in his public life. He was a competent, enthusiastic and fearless horse rider from boyhood. He once joked that people assumed once you had learned the lesson that one end of a horse could bite and the other could kick, there would be nothing else to worry about. Sadly, he admitted, this wasn't the case. He said the "learning process" with horses went on for as long as you associated with them.   Lifelong equine love For Prince Philip, this was more than 90 years. His love of riding as a youth was encouraged by his uncle, Earl Louis Mountbatten, who first introduced him to the sport of polo. Philip learned to play competitively while serving in the navy, before, during and after the Second World War. He played a lot in 1949 while living in Malta as a newlywed with the then Princess Elizabeth. On his return to England in the 1950s, he played polo at elite level for several decades. Alongside fellow polo player John Pearson, the 3rd Viscount Cowdray, Prince Philip was credited with reviving the sport after WW2. Representing his country many times, he was considered one of Britain top ten post-war polo players, leading the Windsor Park polo team to victory in many prestigious competitions, including winning the Gold Cup in 1957 and 1966. Later that year, his team reached the final of the Hurlingham Open in Argentina. In those days, polo was played mainly at Cowdray Park in West Sussex, but Philip wanted to create a club nearer to Windsor Castle. The Queen suggested converting the former airfield in the Great Park, which later became Guards Polo Club, where many tournaments are hosted to this day.   Daring carriage driver Prince Philip explained how carriage driving became his passion after his decision to give up polo. He was looking around, trying to decide what to do next, when he thought of carriage driving, saying to himself, "We’ve got horses and carriages - so why don’t I have a go?" As with all things equine, "having a go" wasn't enough for the prince. He put carriage driving on the map when he began taking part in competitions, setting out to win as much as he could. Carriage driving was once described as "Ben Hur's chariot race meets International Velvet” and the prince's daring, passionate and gung-ho style promoted this belief. Drivers can harness between one and four horses - naturally, he chose four. The sport comprises three disciplines - dressage, a marathon and obstacle driving. The third is the most dangerous, as it involves dashing as fast as possible through the countryside, navigating lots of hazards such as rough terrain, hair-pin bends and water crossings. Deft horses and skilful drivers need the courage and strength to complete the course, with the combined weight of the carriage, horses and driver amounting to around two tonnes! The sport requires lightning-fast reactions and the carriages often overturn.   Gold medal winner Philip was fiercely competitive and exhibited a devil-may-care approach that made him not only a master at the sport, but also a fans' favourite. During his long sporting career, he competed for Great Britain in carriage driving in six World and three European Championships, winning four team medals including gold at the World Championship in 1980 and the bronze in 1984, when he was 62 years old. He usually drove a team of four Fell ponies. The Queen's lifelong love of horses is also well-documented and she bred Philip's carriage horses. He finally retired from competitions in his 80s, but drove for fun for the rest of his life. In 2010, Prince Philip suffered an accident when his carriage hit a tree stump and flipped over. He was lucky to escape serious injury and it was reported the Queen demanded he gave up. However, he carried on regardless - perhaps becoming the only person who had got away with defying Her Majesty! It was reported that the Queen was concerned as her husband grew older and tried to deter him from driving the carriage so much. However, despite his wife's advice, his age and failing health, gale-force winds and torrential rain, nothing could stop Prince Philip from carrying on with his much-loved pursuit.   Equine organisation president His love of horses led to the prince becoming the longest-serving president of the International Equestrian Federation - a post he held for 22 years, from 1964 until 1986. He then handed over the reins to his daughter, Princess Anne, who held the post for the next eight years. Prince Philip also shared the Queen's love of horse racing. He became an honorary member of the Jockey Club in 1947 and was the Queen's constant companion at her regular race meetings, the Derby and Royal Ascot. The Duke of Edinburgh Handicap was named in Prince Philip's honour. He also aimed to nurture a love of horses in other people, especially children. He created the Prince Philip Cup for the Pony Club in 1957, with the aim of igniting a competitive spirit in youngsters. The cup wasn't for elite entrants from wealthy backgrounds but more aimed at all children and ponies. Epic battles on horseback between members of regional Pony Clubs became a crowd favourite at the Horse of the Year Show, where Prince Philip would present the award in person to the winning team.   Down-to-earth royal Simon Brooks-Ward, organiser of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in the grounds of the castle for three decades, got to know Prince Philip well through the event, after first meeting in 1990. He recalled how the prince wasn't one to stand on ceremony and just wanted to get on with riding and organising the event. Brooks-Ward said the prince was very much "hands-on" and didn't want to be simply a figurehead of the show. Prince Philip would compete in his carriage and the Queen's horses would take part in the show, so it was "very special for them both", he added. The prince would drive his ponies around the showground to check everything was going okay as the show was being set up. He would also drive around the trade stands and didn't stand on royal protocol. Even after retiring from competing, he became the competition steward for many years. He would spend the whole day on the showground officiating, taking a packed lunch with him so he wouldn't have to break to eat. In later life, he was remembered by the castle grounds staff as driving past in his carriage in all weathers and giving them a friendly wave as he went by, even on days when most people wouldn't poke their head outside the door. Brooks-Ward said carriage driving was an "earthy sport" for everyone, full of "very genuine people", something that was very important to Prince Philip. He "didn't want a fanfare" and wanted people to accept him as the down-to-earth individual he was. Following Prince Philip's passing, his granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor (Prince Edward's oldest child) will inherit his beloved carriage and ponies. The 17-year-old used to enjoy carriage rides with her grandfather, who would drive her round the obstacle course with a pair of ponies.