THE Princess Royal was the guest of honour when a horse riding charity marked its 40th anniversary with a special day of celebrations.

The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) showcased its birthday by holding the world's biggest simultaneous riding lesson with the event centring around the Chigwell Riding Trust, in Grange Farm, which received a visit from Princess Anne.

After a short meeting with the trustees, and a tour of the yard, the princess was taken to the indoor riding school where she delivered a speech to 100 guests. She then cut a cake to mark the RDA's 40th anniversary before joining the riders for a 20 minute lesson.

With the lesson over, around 25 volunteers then stood in line for the princess to present them with long service awards ranging from five years to 39 years for long-term helper Marilyn Gamble.

On the day, around 5,000 riders are believed to have taken part in a riding lesson across the country for the event.

Chigwell Riding Trust was chosen for the royal visit as it was the first RDA trust in the world.

Manager Deborah Hall said: “We were delighted to be chosen as the host. It couldn't have gone better. The ponies behaved, the children were super and rode beautifully. They were very excited. Her Royal Highness was so relaxed and down to earth. It was obvious she enjoyed the day.”