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Queen Elizabeth Has Been Horse-Riding Again After Hiatus Due to 'Discomfort'

Queen Elizabeth on a morning horse ride at Windsor Castle
Queen Elizabeth on a morning horse ride at Windsor Castle

Rex Features/startraksphoto Queen Elizabeth (with a horse groom) on a ride at Windsor Castle in 2016.

Queen Elizabeth is back on her horse!

The 96-year-old monarch has recently been for a gentle ride on her pony at Windsor Castle, PEOPLE has confirmed.

"At 96, it's amazing that the Queen has been on her horse," a source tells PEOPLE.

It is likely that she was on Fern, her sturdy 16-year-old Fell pony, and was accompanied by her groom Terry Pendry, who is usually by her side when she is riding.

The news was first reported by The Sun on Friday, which quoted a source saying she has "enjoyed being on her horse again."

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Reveals Her Favorite Horses — and Why She Only Rides Ponies Now

Queen_elizabeth_Horse
Queen_elizabeth_Horse

REX USA

The Queen has been an avid horse-rider since she was a child and has owned and bred racehorses and worked alongside them all her life. At Trooping the Colour — her official birthday parade — she would always welcome the horses back to Buckingham Palace with a sugar lump treat.

Last fall, it was reported that the Queen had to stop her favorite pastime due to "discomfort." It has since emerged that she has been experiencing "episodic mobility problems."

Those issues have caused her to miss some of her public duties, but she did get to attend the Royal Windsor Horse Show in May to watch some of her horses in competition.

Queen Elizabeth II watches the horses from her Range Rover at The Royal Windsor Horse Show
Queen Elizabeth II watches the horses from her Range Rover at The Royal Windsor Horse Show

Chris Jackson/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth

"She was in great spirits," an observer told PEOPLE. "People she knows in the horse world were being brought to her to talk to her at the window. You can see she is in really good form."

Later that week, she attended the final evening gala performance, laughing at one of the jokes from the host of the televised event.

However, she wasn't able to manage to attend last week's annual Royal Ascot horserace, which is close to her Windsor Castle home.

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Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II

ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Queen Elizabeth and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby

Since cutting back on her riding, she has continued to keep tabs on her horses as much as she can, heading to Sandringham, where she has a stud farm, to check on the animals and get updates from her racing manager John Warren and other staffers.

Earlier this week, the Queen carried out an in-person meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and is hoping to be in Edinburgh for the upcoming Holyrood week. She will stay at Holyroodhouse, while other members of the royal family, like Prince Charles and her daughter Princess Anne, carry out engagements on her behalf.