White stallion presented to Queen

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The Queen has been presented with a white Lipizzaner stallion during a visit to a stud farm in Slovenia.

But the horse, a 16-year-old called Kanizo, will not be leaving the country as he will continue to be cared for at the farm and riding school in Lipica.

The farm breeds Lipizzaners for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been on a two-day visit to Slovenia at the invitation of President Danilo Turk.

It is the first visit the royal couple have made to Slovenia since its independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and entry into the European Union in 2004.

During her visit to the stud farm, the Queen watched eight riders and their horses perform for her before she was given her gift.

The centre's director, Matjaz Pust, described Kanizo, or 085 Favory Canissa XXII as he is officially known, as "one of our best performers, one of the most beautiful horses we have".Advertisement

The Queen was given a white stallion before watching a display by riders at the riding school in Lipica. This video has no commentary.

The royal couple then returned to the capital Ljubljana where thousands of Slovenians had turned out to greet her.

They crossed the Three Bridges, a Venetian-like span of the River Ljubljanica, where the Queen was given flowers by two-year-old Emily Feder and her seven-year-old brother, Mark.

They were with their father Martin, who was originally from the UK but now lives in Slovenia.

While his father expressed pride that his children had met the Queen, Mark said: "She thanked us for the flowers. It is something I will remember."

The Queen arrived in the country on Tuesday. She was guest of honour at a lavish banquet on Tuesday evening.

On her second day, she was treated to a performance by a swing band and attended a presentation of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards at Ljubljana's Philharmonic Hall.

The royals are now due to travel to Slovakia to meet President Ivan Gasparovic.