Jubilee Presentation to Queen Elizabeth, Epsom Derby, 2022

Jeremy Houghton’s deep association with the British Royal Family places him in the rarefied company of artists who have been trusted to document both the public pageantry and the private passions of Britain’s monarchy. Appointed Artist in Residence for HRH The Prince of Wales at Highgrove in 2013, and subsequently for HM Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in 2014, Houghton was uniquely positioned to observe and interpret a theme central to Her Late Majesty’s life: her unwavering love for horses.

Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth II was not merely a figurehead for equestrian sport—she was a participant, a breeder, an owner, and a lifelong rider. From her childhood pony Peggy to the celebrated Windsor Greys, from polo ponies and ceremonial mounts to thoroughbreds that lit up the turf, horses were integral to her personal identity and her public image. Her record as a racehorse owner speaks for itself: over 1,800 winners, multiple Classic triumphs, and a legacy that shaped the sport of kings in the modern era.

It was therefore an exceptional honour for Houghton to be invited to present a painting of Dunfermline at Epsom on Derby Day during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations—a tribute both personal and national. The Queen had often referred to Dunfermline as “my best horse ever—she won just about everything,” and Jeremy was acutely aware of the gravity of the commission. “There was pressure to get it absolutely right,” he recalls. “The Queen knew every detail of the horse—its gait, posture, colouring. She had an impeccable eye.” The portrait now hangs at Sandringham House, a testament to both the Queen’s devotion and Houghton’s ability to translate that bond into enduring art.

In taking on this role, Houghton joins a distinguished lineage of artists who have chronicled royal life through equestrian imagery. George Stubbs, the 18th-century master anatomist and painter, captured horses with an unmatched combination of scientific precision and painterly grace for George III. Sir Edwin Landseer, favoured by Queen Victoria, immortalised the Royal Family’s dogs, ponies, and Highland scenes, creating a romantic, almost mythic vision of Victorian royalty. Alfred Munnings, famed for his hunting and military scenes, was commissioned to portray the nobility of horses during both war and peace for members of the aristocracy and royal court.

What distinguishes Houghton is a contemporary mastery of movement and atmosphere—an ability to capture not only the physical beauty of horses but the energy, rhythm, and emotion of equestrian life. He has painted horses mid-leap, mid-gallop, and mid-flight, seamlessly blending anatomical realism with abstraction. His equestrian portfolio includes painting for the 2012 London Olympics, where he captured sporting legends such as William Fox-Pitt, Zara Tindall, and Lee Pearson, as well as portraying the lives of horses at Badminton, Royal Ascot, and the Household Cavalry.

Affectionately described as “the Queen’s favourite young artist,” Houghton has earned his place among the UK’s most celebrated artists in residence. His equestrian works resonate not only as tributes to the animals themselves but also as meditations on British heritage, monarchy, and the enduring legacy of horsemanship. His unique access to the stables of Windsor Castle and his skill at painting both the ceremonial and the intimate moments give his work a rare depth of insight.

All the Queen’s Horses, his 2022 solo exhibition at the Osborne Studio Gallery in London, brought together nearly seventy works—from sepia-toned watercolours evoking old photographs to bold acrylics and oils that conveyed ceremonial grandeur. The collection featured everything from polo ponies and fell ponies to guardsmen in formation and quiet moments of companionship between the Queen and her beloved horses.

As the Royal Family’s passion for horses continues into the next generation, Jeremy Houghton’s paintings serve as an eloquent visual archive—bridging tradition and modernity, and preserving for posterity the intimate relationship between monarchy and the noble horse.