Zara Tindall reveals parenting choice she made after 'critical' upbringing

00:58, Fri, Oct 9, 2026 Updated: 01:05, Fri, Oct 9, 2026

Zara Tindall pictured at June's Royal Ascot horse racing festival, where King Charles was present (Image: Getty)

Zara Tindall has shared the parenting choice she made to make sure her children avoid the worst criticism she faced as a child.

Zara, the Queen’s eldest granddaughter, gave fans an insight into her parenting style on a recent episode of podcast, Talking Horse. The 45-year-old is one of Britain’s most skilled equestrians, having picked up a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and gold at the 2006 world championships — the same year she claimed BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award.

She began riding at a young age under the tutelage of her mother and father, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, who both competed at the top level of the sport. Their training methods could be ‘tough’, she said.

“My father was quite critical,” Zara recalled. “Very rarely, you would get a ‘Yeah, that was good’ out of him. So it was always striving to try and get that comment.”

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Zara and Mike Tindall married in 2011 and she has continued her equestrian career (Image: Getty)

The tough upbringing extended to caring for her horses herself, she added: “We had to do everything with them.

“We had to clean our tack, muck them out. If we didn’t do it, we were in serious trouble.”

Zara, who married England rugby union star Mike Tindall in 2011, says she has chosen to avoid the worst criticism she received when coaching her three children — 12-year-old Mia, eight-year-old Lena, and Lucas, aged five.

“[My father] was a tough coach,” she explained, “but I’m trying not to be quite that bad with my own kids.”

Recently, Zara has enjoyed more success in eventing, becoming the British champion in August when she rode Class Affair to victory in Hartpury.

In announcing the win, Phillip Cheetham, Equine Director at Hartpury, said: “We also have to congratulate Zara Tindall on her fantastic CCI4*-S and British Open victory on Saturday. Class Affair was superb, and it was a very special result for Zara, Catherine Rivett and the whole team.”