Can You Go In Horse Guards Parade?

Visiting The Horse Guards Parade Only members of the royal family or cavalrymen on duty are allowed to travel through the archway; however, tourists are free to walk through from Whitehall to the Horse Guards Parade and St. James’s Park.

Can the public walk through Horse Guards Parade?

Although only members of the Royal Family or cavalrymen on duty are allowed to drive or ride through the archway, visitors and tourists are free to walk through from Whitehall to Horse Guards Parade and St James’s Park.

Can you touch the horses at Horse Guards?

Tootbus Must See London Hop-on Hop-off Bus… Horses can kiss you! They change guards and horses at the gate at around 2pm everyday and if you want to witness this, be there in time. Then you can go and touch the horses although the guards sitting on them must keep a straight face.

What happens at Horse Guards Parade?

Horse Guards Parade, is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London. As well as being the venue for changing The King’s Life Guard it is also the location for Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the King’s Birthday, and Beating Retreat.

Is Horse Guards Parade sand?

Most of the parade ground was covered in sand but there was a cleared pathway from the roadway at the rear of the parade ground through to the archways in the Horse Guard’s building. Photo opportunities abound across the parade ground. A “must visit” location for history buffs and Royalists!

Can you visit the Household Cavalry?

Discover the Household Cavalry Museum
10am – 6pm, April to October / 10am – 5pm, November to March / Last admission 45 minutes before closing. The Household Cavalry museum is one of the most phenomenal small museums that you could ever visit.

What time does Horse Guards Parade finish?

Trooping The Colour commences on Horse Guards Parade at 10:00 and ends at 12:25. Timings for the Reviews are the same as those for the King’s Birthday Parade, with the exception of the presence of Her Majesty the King, the Gun Salute and Fly Past.

What happens if you touch a Queen’s Guard?

As London aficionados know by now, one should never touch a member of the Queen’s Guard. If this is the case, they are actually allowed to shout warnings at you to make you go away. If people start acting aggressively, the soldiers can even present their bayonets to them.

Why do the Horse Guards slap their horses?

The slap on the neck is to prepare taking weight on one side for the dismount . It’s taught to the horses , remember these men have full gear and weigh more that you think.

Do horse like being hugged?

Horses aren’t just for humans to show one another affection. Did you know that horses hug too? Just make sure that you’re on the horse’s good side before hugging them, and remember that if they start licking you or breathing on you it is often because they appreciate your company.

Where do you stand in Horse Guards Parade?

Horse Guards Parade is between Whitehall and St James’s Park. You can enter from either side. The guards change every morning and if you stand on The Mall you can see them process down with the horses to make the change. It happens at a different time to the Changing of the Guards, at 11am, or 10am on a Sunday.

Why do the Queen’s guards stomp?

According to a report by DailyMail, the Queen’s Guards are given specific orders to deal with obstacles that may come on their marching route. They are allowed to shout ‘Make way for the Queen’s Guards’ and also stomp their feet.

How long do Horse Guards stand for?

Guardsmen will have two hours on sentry duty and four hours off. However, do not be surprised if on some occasions you do not see the traditional guardsmen, in their scarlet tunics, particularly in August when other regiments often guard ‘The King’.

Can you touch the Queen’s horses?

They are ceremonial for tourists that’s why there are armed police there. ‘ The MoD reminded people about the signs telling tourists not to touch soldiers or horses.

What is the ivy covered building on Horse Guards Parade?

The Citadel
Behind Horse Guards stands a rather imposing and somewhat ugly brown lump of a building, semi covered in ivy. This is the Citadel, a bomb proof bunker built during World War Two to house the Royal Navy operations unit, and still in use to this day.

Do horses like to roll in sand?

Something about the feel of sand encourages horses to lie down and roll, an activity that they seem to enjoy. There’s no down-side to having a sand pile available to your horses as long as you take several precautions.

Where can I see the Horse Guards?

Horse Guards Parade is the ceremonial parade ground in St James’s Park and is the scene of Trooping the Colour on the Queen’s official birthday in June. Horse Guards is the building with a clock tower over an archway, and remains the official entrance to St James’s and Buckingham Palace.

Can females join the Household Cavalry?

The first woman, Nina Croker, was recruited in 2018 after a change in army rules. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the ceremonial side, now has 42 mounted trained women whose ranks range from trooper to lance corporal of horse.

How much do you get paid in the Household Cavalry?

Pay and Benefits
You’ll earn £28,861 during your year of training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, before commissioning and becoming a Second Lieutenant, on £34,690 a year.

What is a punishment parade?

Also known as ‘The Four ‘O’ Clock Parade’ and ‘Punishment Parade’ it takes place at 16:00 daily when following an inspection by an Officer the mounted guards dismount, then take their horses back to the stables for the night.

Is Changing of the Guard free?

Watching the Changing of the Guard is free of charge and no tickets are required.