The other halves

Pursuing an allencompassing equestrian career alongside a full-time relationship is a true balancing act. Polly Bryan finds out how the top riders do it

- David Stoten

THE horse world is a unique place, often all-encompassing and with demands quite unlike any other sport or profession. Those who exist outside it struggle to understand it, and those who have never known another lifestyle find it hard to imagine a life not governed by horses. It’s hardly surprising then that when it comes to relationships, so many professional riders are drawn to others who share the same career.

But what about the top riders whose partners are not fellow equestrian athletes? From those whose significant others are involved in other parts of the business, to couples whose lives look vastly different, how does it work?

When five-star event rider Piggy March met her now-husband Tom, he was competing up to four-star level.

“But I basically stopped competing altogether shortly after meeting Piggy, because it was apparent she was much better at it than me,” Tom says. But as he closed the door on his own

riding career, Tom opened the door to becoming 50% of Team Piggy. He now looks after the admin side of her eventing business, including communications, content creation and marketing – “the boring office jobs,” as Tom puts it.

“I spend a lot of time creating video content of Piggy, for owners and for Piggy TV, and I’ve learnt editing along the way, too,” he explains. “It makes much more sense for me to deal with those aspects of the business – which I like to think I am better at – and for Piggy to ride the horses.

“We’re both using our strengths to work for the same thing, rather than competing against each other, which is the case for people who are both in the sport.”