Zara Tindall’s childhood was different to that of most royal children as she was able to take part in one tradition which became a huge part of her life.
She and her brother had a special privilege growing up that wasn’t afforded to other members of the Royal Family in their childhood, reports Woman and Home.
In an interview with ITV, Mark Phillips and his children, Zara and Peter were asked about the Festival of British Eventing that is held at Princess Anne’s home of Gatcombe Park.
The horseriding event has been held at Princess Anne’s home since 1983 and has become a staple of horseriding events in the UK, which has been running for four decades.
Peter and Zara have been invited to all of the events since its conception and Zara has become an accomplished British equestrian.
She had a successful career growing up, which included victory in the Under 25 Championship at Bramham and an individual silver medal in the European Young Riders Championship in 2002. In the 2012 London Olympics, she won a silver medal.
Today, she continues to compete at the highest level with some impressive results at Chatsworth in 2022, Lexington USA in 2023 and at Badminton in May 2024.
Peter Phillips, who has taken over as the event’s director, said, “I don’t remember a summer without the horse trials growing up.”
Zara added that being able to rub shoulders with these athletes was helpful to her as a ‘horse person’.
She said: “The top riders came and rode here. They were always walking the course.”
Zara added this provided her with an opportunity to talk to them about their spot and learn from the best.
The royal added: “As a horse person, I always try to get involved in the chats that my father is having with them.”
