Zara Tindall Competes in Equestrian Competition Days Before King Charles's Coronation
A little more than one week before King Charles’s coronation, Zara Tindall finds herself across the Atlantic in Lexington, Kentucky. As the United Kingdom is frantically preparing for the day the St Edwards Crown is finally placed upon her 74-year old uncle's head, Tindall stands on a lush lawn, as cool as can be.
"It's nice to be back. It's a big difference from being home. It's very relaxed. I mean, look at it," she says, gesturing toward the outdoor course, upon which she will soon embark with her steed, Class Affair. Serene at first glance, with ponds and hurdles adorned with flowers in between the freshly clipped grass, the bucolic landscape is a facade for the rigorous competition set to take place over the weekend.
The Kentucky Three-Day, a world-class equestrian eventing competition put together by MARS Equestrian, draws premiere riders from around the globe, with horses categorized in four-star and five-star ranking (a.k.a. the absolute top of their class). This year, the British royal was up against high-ranking athletes including the U.S.'s Tamra Smith and Great Britain's Tom McEwen.
As the name suggests, rider and horse compete in three stages. Dressage, which to the untrained eye looks like an event where the horse dances, but really tests the level of control a rider wields, takes place on day one, and the final day is filled with a jumping competition. But day two, Tindall says, “is the reason why people come.” That's the cross country race, when competitors navigate a series of obstacles at top speed.
The last time Tindall competed at the event was six years ago. Then, she placed third on a horse named High Kingdom, who ended up retiring only a year later. For these competitions, it is paramount for horses, famously known to be sensitive creatures, to have a good relationship with the humans they work with. Even Robert Smith Surtees, the 19th-century English sporting novelist, once wrote: "There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse." So, it comes as a bit of a surprise when Tindall describes Class Affair as a wild child, and even more so that she's chosen to compete with him at a high-caliber event. "He's a tricky little guy. Very, very talented but with a tricky brain. When riding with him, you have to think about it a lot more and I'm hoping for that big success. It's a bit frustrating when you train so much and that they decide to do their own thing when it matters, but when they perform... it makes it so much better." Her 20 years of riding and the Olympic silver medal won in London in 2012 speak to her level of experience and ability to handle such a horse.
Tindall prepares herself for the cross country portion of the event by walking the whole track, analyzing its obstacles, and deciding how she will command Class Affair to navigate them. The horses never see the course before the competition, so every pond and hill comes as a surprise to them. "What do you think? Five strides to get from this hurdle to the next?" she asks two of her close friends who are trailing along behind us.
For the weekend, she is free from the brightly colored dresses and statement hats synonymous with her wardrobe, and instead dons a puffer vest, gym leggings, trainers, an athletic cap, and a Rolex yacht-master with an oyster band and rose gold finish. "I won my first Rolex in 2006, at my world championship. It honestly might've been better than the medal," she says. "The Yacht-master is easy to ride in, and it's wonderful that the brand is deeply involved with sports, arts, and culture. I'm honored to be an ambassador for them."
Tindall's ambassadorship falls in line with Rolex's long support of the equestrianism. The brand's partnership with the sport began in 1957 through an alliance with British show jumper Pay Smyth, who was Rolex's first equestrian testimonee. Since then, Rolex has partnered with other premiere events, such as The Dutch Master in the Netherlands, the CHIO Aachen in Germany, and the CHI Geneva in Switzerland. They've even launched the Rolex Grand Slam of Show jumping in 2013, and Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing in 2001. Additionally, Rolex has been Official Timekeeper of the Kentucky 3-Day event since 1981. Other Rolex equestrian testimonees include Rodrigo Pessoa, Eric Lamaze, and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.
As Tindall continues to dissect the course in her mind, one thing becomes clearer: like for her mother, Princess Anne, equestrianism is not only a passion but a meditation—a moment of solace in a loud, shouting royal world. While King Charles’s coronation is within arm's reach, it almost seems as if Tindall hasn't even given it a second thought. "Yeah, that is, um, well, it slightly changed my plans this year," she says with a laugh. "I'm excited to be here. Next week is next week, and my focus is to concentrate now. Even the kids are all sorted at home, so this is actually kind of a holiday for me."
Speaking of children, during her six years of absence from the event, she's added two more kids to her family roster, Lena Elizabeth and Lucas Philip. Tindall says they've changed the way she's approached the sport, inspiring her to make "more calculated decisions." Whether or not they, too, become competitive equestrians is up in the air. "They've all been educated in horses, but I'm not sure if they'll have the same passion," she says. "I'm not bothered if they don't, as long as they're outside doing something active."
While horses have long been a family interest for the British royals, what brings Tindall back to the sport is rooted in her love for competition and, to be frank, being the top dog. "I'm very lucky to have a horse that is at the top, but the goal always is to stay there. Staying at the top is as, if not more, difficult than getting there."
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