… and ZARA TINDALL is back in the competitive saddle after the birth of son Lucas in March
William scored two goals and helped raise more than £500,000 for charities
Three months after welcoming her third child, Zara Tindall was back in the saddle last week as she made a triumphant return to competitive sport. Meanwhile, her cousin the Duke of Cambridge was also back in action for the first time this year, taking part in the Royal Charity Polo Cup.
With a look of determination, the Queen’s granddaughter wasn’t horsing around as she took the reins on her steed Class Affair at the Barbury Castle International Horse Trials in Marlborough, Wiltshire.
Zara was competing for the first time since she and her husband, former rugby union ace Mike Tindall, welcomed son Lucas on 21 March – a little brother for Mia, seven, and three-year-old Lena.
The family is riding high at the moment, as Zara and Mike prepare to mark ten years since they tied the knot at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh at the end of this month.
LIVING THE DREAM
Immaculately turned out in a white shirt, navy tailcoat and leather riding boots, Zara, 40, and her beautiful chestnut gelding made a class act at the four-day event, from Thursday to Sunday.
The accomplished equestrian last year spoke of the joy she feels when representing her country, saying: “I love the big occasion because I love the pressure – sitting on a horse that you know is good enough, you are fully prepared, riding for your country, it’s what dreams are made of.”
Zara followed in the footsteps of her equestrian-loving mother, the Princess Royal, who was also back in the saddle just four months after Zara’s birth in 1981.
The mother of three, who won a silver medal with Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, and hoped to compete at Tokyo 2020 before it was postponed until this year, has previously opened up about her return to riding after giving birth.
“I sat on a horse about five weeks after [giving birth],” said Zara, when she took part in horse trials three months after her eldest daughter Mia was born in January 2014.
“It was harder than I thought it was going to be. I had a lot of friends who said: ‘Don’t come back too quickly.’”
The sporty royal shares her love of all things equestrian with several of her family members, not least her cousin the Duke. Taking part in the Royal Charity Polo Cup at Guards Polo Club, William, 39, scored two goals for his winning team, and helped raise more than £ 500,000 for charities supported by him and the Duchess of Cambridge, including conservation charity Tusk and homelessness charity Centrepoint.
‘I love the big occasion because I love the pressure’
Zara Tindall