Princess Royal talks ponies and chickens on a visit to Twyford

Three generations of a family welcomed the Princess Royal to their stables when she visited to see disabled children having their riding lessons.

The Princess Royal, formerly Princess Anne, dropped into Stanlake Meadow at Twyford by helicopter last week, to the amazement of passers-by.

She was then driven down narrow Whistley Mill Lane to Lands End Equestrian Centre to be greeted by the owners, the Lucken family. She also met young riders from All Saints CofE Primary School, Wokingham and Kennel Lane School, Bracknell.

The Lucken family, who used to run a circus and kept bears, hosts Warfield Riding for the Disabled Association’s lessons for children and adults.

The princess chatted to grandmother Linda Lucken who said: “We were just talking about chickens which we both keep. She saw our Brahmas [one of the largest chicken varieties].

“We also discussed flooding. Windsor Castle’s land floods – and so does the road to our stables here. She was just so normal and put us at our ease. It was a nice relaxed visit.”

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Her daughter Suzy Jones said: “The Princess Royal knew our history and who we were. That meant a lot to Dad [Ian Lucken].

“After meeting us all including my brother Ian, she watched my sister Cindi teaching the children their RDA lesson.” With Cindi was another instructor, Diane Bridges.

The princess, an Olympics equestrian, chatted to the children, older young people and three adults who have RDA lessons at Lands End. She also talked to their helpers.

President of the national RDA charity, she was invited along by Margaret-Anne Hodson of Bracknell who has run the Warfield group for 51 years. She made commemorative rosettes which the princess presented to the riders.

Suzy added: “We felt Margaret-Anne deserved this visit. She has done so much.” Margaret-Anne Hodson runs the Moss End horse show, this year on July 17, and also a horse-drawn vehicles driving show to help pay for the RDA lessons.

She says that riding builds riders’ strength, physically and psychologically. One of her riders, former All Saints pupil, Sophie Christiansen, has won eight gold medals across four Paralympic games.

Ian Lucken senior, recounted his family’s history. “This was my dad’s circus winter quarters. We kept bears, monkeys, ponies and horses.

“The circus finished in about 1968. Later we looked after the animals at Windsor Safari Park which we helped build. My dad sold most of the horses and we were left with four ponies. I pleaded with him not to sell them. They had to earn their living so I started the riding school and it has grown from there.

“We now have about 30 ponies and horses, and about 60 little white Shetland ponies. We still provide the Shetlands for Cinderella’s coach in pantos. At Christmas, they went to 11 pantos. The princess and I talked about them once staying at Buckingham Palace stables for a nearby panto.”