Zara Tindall ‘thrilled’ to be pregnant again

Zara Tindall (née Phillips) is pregnant with her second child.

The British event rider and her husband Mike, a former England rugby player, will welcome their new baby in the late spring and are said to be thrilled with the news.

Zara had her first child, daughter Mia, on 17 January 2014. She continued competing until the end of July the previous season, having announced her pregnancy in early July.

After Mia’s birth, she made a prompt return to the saddle and was a member of the British silver-medal winning eventing team at the World Equestrian Games that summer, finishing 11th individually on High Kingdom. She took team silver at the London 2012 Olympics on the same horse, but was not long-listed for this year’s Rio Olympics.

Zara is best known for her partnership with the fabulous chestnut Toytown, with whom she was individual European champion in 2005 on her senior championship debut at Blenheim and took the world individual gold in Aachen, Germany, in 2006.

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Zara was a special guest at a Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund dinner last night (29 November) at the Royal Air Force Club on Piccadilly – she is the patron of the charity. She and her fellow guests, Olympic showjumping champion Nick Skelton and Rio dressage team silver medallist Spencer Wilton, were interviewed after dinner on stage by commentator Steven Wilde, but she did not mention her pregnancy.

Zara is the second British equestrian Olympian to announce a pregnancy within a week, as dressage rider Laura Tomlinson, who won team gold and individual bronze in 2012, announced on 22 November that she is also expanding her family. Laura and her polo player husband Mark are expecting their second child in March. They already have a daughter, Annalisa, born in July 2014. Laura is still competing and plans to ride at Olympia in December.

Update: 24 December 2016

A spokesperson for Zara and her husband Mike has announced that they have lost their baby.

The spokeswoman said: “Very sadly, Zara and Mike Tindall have lost their baby. At this difficult time, we ask that everyone respects their privacy.”

Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.