Zara Tindall has described a contrasting dynamic in her upbringing between her parents’ approaches to equestrian training, portraying her mother, Princess Anne, as the more relaxed figure compared to her father, Captain Mark Phillips. Speaking on the Talk Horse podcast, Mrs. Tindall, a former Olympic eventer herself, said her father was a demanding and often critical coach who seldom offered praise, while her mother encouraged a more laid-back attitude.

“Mum’s very relaxed. She’s like, ‘Just, you know, just do what you do,’” Mrs. Tindall explained. By contrast, she characterized her father as a “tough coach” who “doesn’t beat around the bush,” frequently urging her to push harder in training. She recalled striving to earn even minimal approval from him, noting, “very rarely you would get a, ‘Yeah, that was good,’ out of him.”

Mrs. Tindall, who is married to former England rugby captain Mike Tindall, is now taking a gentler approach with their three children—Mia, 12, Lena, eight, and Lucas, five—two of whom have begun riding. She shared that while coaching her eldest daughter, Mia, she has found her less receptive to advice than her own cousins, Savannah and Isla Phillips, with whom Mrs. Tindall often takes jumping lessons.

The Princess Royal, now 76, and Captain Phillips, 78, were married for 19 years before divorcing in 1992. Both had distinguished equestrian careers: Princess Anne won individual gold at the 1971 European Championships and competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, while Captain Phillips earned team gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics and silver at the 1988 Seoul Games.

Growing up at Gatcombe Park, the Gloucestershire estate of Princess Anne, Mrs. Tindall and her brother Peter were immersed in equestrian life. She described their parents’ approach to running the yard as rigorous, mentioning a “head girl” who acted as a strict overseer and expected the children to take on chores such as cleaning tack and mucking out stables.

Competing under her maiden name, Zara Phillips, Mrs. Tindall achieved individual European gold in 2005 and won the world title at Aachen in 2006 aboard her horse Toytown. She was also part of the British team that secured a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Although she has not retired from competition, she plans to participate in the London International Horse Show scheduled for December 18.