Every horse-owning girl dreams of netting a spouse strong — and devoted — enough to lug bales of shavings whenever they’re wanted and who is too busy with his own sport on a Saturday to notice that you have cleared off to a show.
Zara Phillips has presumably found all this in England rugby international Mike Tindall — the pair marry in Edinburgh on 30 July.
To toast their future happiness, potter Emma Bridgewater has designed a commemorative half-pint mug.
A far cry from the cheesy gold-embossed plates that were everywhere for Kate and Wills nuptials, the mug is hand-decorated with the couple’s names, rugby balls, horses and a scattering of hearts.
Priced at £19.95 from www.emmabridgewater.co.uk, we can only speculate about which of Zara’s eventing friends plan to embarrass her with a full set.
This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse & Hound (7 July, 2011)