“Everyone was terrified”: Queen Victoria’s horse riding accident

On 1st August 1842 the British Monarchy almost faced a drastic change when Queen Victoria, possibly pregnant with her third child, was thrown from her horse, Barb, while riding near the entrance to the Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Queen Victoria first acquired “Barb”, a chestnut coloured Barbary horse, in September 1839. Over the coming years “pretty little Barb” went on to become a favourite amongst Queen Victoria’s horses and the Queen often chose to ride “Barb” during both private rides and official duties, such as Military reviews. On 23rd April 1842, she writes: “I rode my dear little Barb, who went so beautifully,” the monarch adds that Barb “is decidedly the nicest horse I have, so easy, so pretty, & never shies.” However, on 1st August 1842, Victoria’s beloved Barb was at the centre of a life threatening incident.

The Queen had been out riding with her husband, Prince Albert; brother-in-law, Prince Ernst of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his wife Princess Alexandrine; along with members of the royal household, when the galloping horse began stumbling. While the speed had been manageable, Barb struggled to regain balance, causing him to fall to his knees. As he tried to save himself, Barb “fell down completely,” throwing the Queen over its head and causing her to land “flat on my face & hands”. Fortunately the Queen wasn’t injured and “jumped up at once”. Concerned for his wife’s safety, Albert shouted for Victoria to be careful in case Barb rolled onto her as it tried to stand.

Once everyone was sure Victoria was alright, the Queen mounted another horse, “Pegasus,” before returning home to Windsor Castle. While she writes that she was neither shocked or stunned, Victoria writes that “everyone was terrified & thought my dear little Barb to blame, which distressed me greatly, as I am so fond of my little pet”.

Fortunately Victoria escaped without serious injury, the only things that hurt were “my nose, on which I fell with great force, was somewhat painful & the lower part of my body, bruised, I suppose by the pommel, but nothing to signify.” While she had acted with queenly dignity and initially denied any fear, Victoria consoled her journal about how grateful she felt for “having again been so mercifully protected, though really at the moment of my fall, I thought I should injure myself more seriously”.

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