Master of the Horse The Master of the Horse was ( and in some cases , still is ) a position of varying importance in several European nations . Magister Equitum ( Ancient Rome ) . The original Master of the Horse ( Latin " Magister Equitum " ) in the Roman Republic was an office appointed and dismissed by the Roman Dictator , as it expired with the Dictator ' s own office , typically a term of six months in the early and mid - republic . The Magister Equitum served as the Dictator ' s main lieutenant . The nomination of the Magister Equitum was left to the choice of the Dictator , unless a " senatus consultum " specified , as was sometimes the case , the name of the person who was to be appointed . The Dictator could not be without a Magister Equitum to assist him , and , consequently , if the first Magister Equitum either died or was dismissed during the Dictator ' s term , another had to be nominated in his stead . The Magister Equitum was granted a form " imperium " , but at the same level as a praetor , and thus was subject to the " imperium " of the Dictator and was not superior to that of a Consul . In the Dictator ’ s absence , the Magister Equitum became his representative , and exercised the same powers as the Dictator . It was usually but not always necessary for the man nominated as Magister Equitum to have already held the office of Praetor . Accordingly , the Magister Equitum had the insignia of a praetor : the toga praetexta and an escort of six lictors . The most famous Master of the Horse is Mark Antony , who served during Julius Caesar ' s first dictatorship . After the constitutional reforms of Augustus , the office of Dictator fell into disuse , along with that of the Magister Equitum . The title " magister equitum " was revived in the late Empire , when Constantine I established it as one of the supreme military ranks , alongside the Magister Peditum ( " Master of the Foot " ) . Eventually , the two offices would be amalgamated into that of the Magister Militum ( " Master of the Soldiers " ) . The title Constable , from the Latin " comes stabuli " or count of the stables , has a similar history . Master of the Horse ( United Kingdom ) . The Master of the Horse in the United Kingdom was once an important official of the sovereign ' s household , though the role is largely ceremonial today . The master of the horse is the third dignitary of the court , and was always a member of the ministry ( before 1782 the office was of cabinet rank ) , a peer and a privy councillor . All matters connected with the horses and formerly also the hound s of the sovereign , as well as the stable s and coachhouse s , the stud , mews and previously the kennel s , are within his jurisdiction . The practical management of the Royal Stables and stud devolves on the chief or Crown Equerry , formerly called the Gentleman of the Horse , whose appointment was always permanent . The Clerk Marshal had the supervision of the accounts of the department before they are submitted to the Board of Green Cloth , and was in waiting on the Sovereign on state occasions only . Exclusive of the Crown Equerry there were seven regular equerries , besides extra and honorary equerries , one of whom was always in attendance on the Sovereign and rode at the side of the royal carriage . They were always officers of the army , and each of them was on duty for about the same time as the lords and grooms in waiting . There are still several pages of honour who are nominally in the master of the horse ' s department , who must not be confounded with the page s of various kinds who are in the department of the Lord Chamberlain . They are youths aged from twelve to sixteen , selected by the sovereign in person , to attend on him at state ceremonies . At the Coronation they assisted the groom of the stole in carrying the royal train . The current Master of the Horse is Samuel Vestey , 3rd Baron Vestey . Today the Master of the Horse has a primarily ceremonial office , and rarely appears except on state occasions , and especially when the Sovereign is mounted . The Crown Equerry has daily oversight of the Royal Mews , which provides vehicular transport for the Sovereign , both cars and horse - drawn carriages . Train travel is arranged by the Royal Travel Office , which also co - ordinates air transport . The Pages of Honour , who appear only on ceremonial occasions , and the Equerries , were nominally under the authority of the Master of the Horse . The former are now controlled by the Keeper of the Privy Purse . The latter are effectively independent , and are functionally closer to the Private Secretary ' s Office . There are now three equerries to the Sovereign , and a larger number of extra equerries - usually retired officers with some connection to the Royal Household . The extra equerries are rarely if ever required for duty , but the Equerries are in attendance on the Sovereign on a daily basis . For some years the senior Equerry has also held the position of Deputy Master of the Household . The permanent equerry is an officer of major rank or equivalent , recruited from the three armed services in turn . Many previous equerries have gone on to reach high rank . The temporary equerry is a Captain of the Coldstream Guards , who provides part - time attendance . When not required for duty he has additional regimental or staff duties . Senior members of the Royal Family also have one or two equerries . Grand Squire of France . In France the master of the horse , known as the Grand Squire of France ( Grand Écuyer , or more usually Monsieur le grand ) was one of the seven Great Officers of the Crown of France from 1595 . As well as the superintendence of the royal stables , he had that of the retinue of the sovereign , also the charge of the funds set aside for the religious functions of the court , coronations , etc . On the death of a sovereign he had the right to all the horses and their equipment in the royal stables . He oversaw personally the " Great Stable " ( " grande écurie " ) . Distinct from this officer and independent of him , was the first equerry ( " Premier Ecuyer " ) , who had charge of the horses which the sovereign used personally ( " La petite écurie " ) , and who attended on him when he rode out . The office of master of the horse existed down to the reign of Louis XVI . Under Louis XVIII and Charles X the duties were discharged by the first equerry , but under Napoleon I and Napoleon III the office was revived with much of its old importance . Oberststallmeister ( Germany ) . In Germany the master of the horse ( Oberststallmeister ) was a high court dignitary ; but his office was merely titular , the superintendence of the Emperor ' s stables having been carried out by the " Oberstallmeister " , an official corresponding to the crown equerry in England . Caballerizo mayor ( Spain ) . The Caballerizo mayor was the Officer of the Royal Household and Heritage of the Crown of Spain in charge of the trips , the mews and the hunt of the King of Spain . The Office of “ Caballerizo mayor ” was one of the main Offices of the Royal Household in charge of the Royal Stables and everything related to the transportation of the Monarch . When the King sorted out from the Royal Palace , the Caballerizo had the main position behind him and the major rang over the other Court Officials . He managed as well the stables , the carriages and the horses . He was assisted by the “ Primeros Caballerizos ” ( First Equerries ) who were nominated by him . He was in charge of the Royal hunt as “ Montero mayor ” ( Great Hunter ) holding , in many cases , the “ Alcaldias ” ( Majorships ) of the Spanish royal sites . Papal Master of the Horse . The Master of the Horse , Cavallerizzo Maggiore , or Hereditary Superintendent of the Stables of the Palaces , was a hereditary position held by the Marquess Serlupi Crescenzi . The office was a Participating Privy Chamberlain of the Sword and Cape , in the Pontifical Household . It was abolished in the reforms of the Papal Curia of 1968 . Riksstallmästare ( Sweden ) . The holder of the title " Riksstallmästare " ( " Master of the Horse of the Realm " ) in Sweden was not one of the Great Officers of The Realm , but rather one of the Lesser Officers of The Realm . He was the superintendent of the Kings Stables and of the realm ' s stud farm s . As such he was important in military matters , and often he had a tight connection with the army , and then especially with the army ' s cavalry units . Equerry ( Russia ) . " Konyushy " ( Russian : " Конюший " ) is literally translated as Master of the Horse or Equerry . Konyushy was a boyar in charge of the stable s of Russia n rulers . It was a high title at the court of Russian rulers until the 17th century . By the end of the 15th century a special Equerry Office ( конюшенный приказ , " konyushenny prikaz " ) was introduced , headed by the Konyushy . It was in charge of the Tsar ' s stables , parade equipage , ceremonies of court ride - offs , and military horse breeding . At one point Boris Godunov was konyushy . The Equerry Office handled a significant amount of Tsar ' s treasures , related to harness and horse / horseman armor , which were transferred to the Kremlin Armoury in 1736 . Equerry ( Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania ) . " " Koniuszy " " ( corresponding to the English - language " Equerry " or " Master of the Horse " ) was a position of nobility known in the Kingdom of Poland from the 11th century , and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the15th . A " koniuszy " had charge of the stables and herds of a Grand Duke or King ; in reality , it was a " podkoniuszy " ( sub - equerry ) , subordinate to the " koniuszy " , who had the more direct responsibility . From the 14th to 16th centuries , a " koniuszy " was a dignitary ( " dygnitarz " ) in the Polish Kingdom and in the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth . Georgia . In the Kingdom of Georgia , the similar post was known under the name of " amilakhvari " ( " amir - akhori " , lit . : Prince - Master of the Horse ) , derived from Arabic . It was a deputy to the commander - in - chief ( " amir - spasalari " ) and a member of the royal council . From the 1460s to the Russian annexation of Georgia ( 1801 ) , the office was hereditary in the Zevdginidze - Amilakhvari family . Asia . Similar posts were common in the imperial courts of China ( See Sima as a Chinese surname ) and Japan , the royal courts of Korea , and elsewhere in East Asia . The Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya had a Master of the Royal Elephants .