Ex-soldier Adopts Retired Military Horse 20 Years After They Met: ‘He Recognized Me Instantly’

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An ex-soldier has proven that some bonds are unbreakable by adopting his retired army horse two decades after they were first paired together.

Thirty-five-year-old Ezphia Rennock, from Preston in Lancashire, England, found an unlikely comrade while serving for the Queen’s personal guard, a faction of the British Army’s Household Cavalry known as the Blues and Royals. He was paired with a hard-to-handle horse named Agricola, and the pair became firm friends.

“I joined the Queen’s guard in 2000 which is where I met Agricola,” Rennock told the Daily Mail. “He was a proper troublemaker. I was new so they assigned me to him which at the time didn’t seem like a good thing.”

Both Rennock and Agricola were “crows,” the ex-soldier explained, meaning new members, so both rider and horse were acquainted at the very same stage in their military careers.

“He used to chuck people off left, right, and center,” Rennock recalled, speaking to Caters News, “so no one really wanted to ride Aggy although he’s remarkably smart. So I persevered with him, and we just kind of got this bond.”

Rennock was just 17 years old when he joined the Blues and Royals, and the unruly horse provided him with the companionship he needed.

“I used to sit there with him every day and tell him that one day after retiring I would come back and adopt him,” Rennock told the Daily Mail, “so we could be together once we had completed our service.”

After seven years of riding together, guarding Buckingham Palace, and guarding the Queen on all state occasions—such as the Queen Mother’s funeral—Rennock retired in 2007 to raise a family.

Life went on, but more than 10 years after Rennock hung up his reins, he was given the opportunity to fulfill his promise to Agricola. In fall of 2017, Rennock received word from his friends in London’s Knightsbridge Barracks that Agricola was about to retire.

The ex-soldier journeyed to London with his partner, Kirsty, to reunite with his old friend. “It was a really emotional moment,” Rennock recalled. “He recognized me instantly. It was as if I hadn’t ever left.”

The decision to place an auction bid to adopt the horse was a no-brainer.

It was a closed bid. Fearing he did not have the funds to come out on top, Rennock included a heartfelt letter with his offer, detailing his and Agricola’s history and their very special bond.

Rennock’s bid was five times lower than the highest bidder’s; however, the auctioneers had a surprise in store for the ex-soldier. “Although I was not the highest bidder,” Rennock explained, “they called me instantly and told me to come and pick him up.”

On the day of Agricola’s official adoption in September 2019, Rennock was emotional. “This horse helped me through tough, lonely times away from home as a young man,” he said. “Today, I pay him back.”

As of January 2020, Agricola resides in a rented luxury stable owned by the Queen near Rennock’s home in Lancashire. The best friends, reunited, visit with one another every single day. Sometimes, Rennock is even accompanied by his young daughter who has fallen in love with the beautiful horse.

Rennock looks forward to making more memories with his fellow Blues and Royals retiree in the future.

“It’s brilliant,” the ex-soldier told Caters News. “It’s literally a dream come true ... He’s a part of me; he’s a part of my history.”