The determination to succeed runs in the Mark Phillips family, notably through his daughter Zara Phillips who won silver at the London Olympics and gold at the 2006 World Championships. Mark Phillips has had a highly successful career in equestrian events, winning gold at the 1972 Olympics and other championships. He now enjoys success as a sought-after coach and course designer. The Gatcombe Horse Trials that Mark and his ex-wife Princess Anne started 33 years ago has grown tremendously and remains a family affair involving Mark, Zara, Peter Phillips and other family members.

1. has led him to the top.
“I have been lucky that my hobby
became my sport, and then my profession,”
he says.
The determination to succeed obviously
runs in the family, notably through
daughter Zara Phillips, who was part of our
silver medal winning team in the London
Olympics, and won the world
championship in 2006.
“It wasn’t a smooth ride, excuse the
pun,” he says. “She has always had a very
good instinct for the cross country, but
found the dressage and show jumping
difficult. It took time for her to learn that.
In the end she got to the place where she
could put it together. I never won an
individual medal like Zara. In that way she
has done better than me.”
His success has led to him being a highly
sought after coach and course designer,
and he is regarded as one of the world’s
best at both. Under his 20-year tutelage the
United States eventing team amassed 26
medals and he has now taken on the
Belgian team.
He is clearly as busy as ever. “The grass
isn’t growing under my feet,” he says. “The
great thing in life is not to stop.”
So which does he prefer, designing or
coaching?
“Thank God I have got both,” he says.
cotswoldlife.co.uk170 COTSWOLD LIFE July 2014
Keeping it in
the family
T
here is a sense of ordered
chaos at Aston Farm on the
Gatcombe estate. The cell
phone mast is down so
no-one can use their mobile,
the dogs have escaped from the kitchen,
the man in charge is nowhere to be found,
and, to cap it all, they have run out of
coffee.
“Without coffee the place is likely to
grind to a standstill,” warns the member of
staff who greets me. Only it obviously
won’t. Although somewhat chaotic, a
quiet, efficient, yet friendly buzz fills the
air… but, just in case, she heads to Tetbury
to restock. “Better to be safe than sorry,”
she says, as she leaves me in the morning
room, which is filled with family
photographs.
This is my introduction to the relaxed,
but busy base of Team Phillips. At its head
is Captain Mark Phillips, whose royal
connections are far outweighed by his
illustrious equestrian career. This is a man
who has won the coveted Badminton Horse
Trials four times, was part of the British
teams that won the World championships
in 1970, the European championships in
1971, and Gold in the 1972 Munich
Olympics, and has been immortalised in
The British Horse Society Equestrian Hall
of Fame.
He clearly is someone who doesn’t stand
on ceremony. He breezes in, having been
on the phone to the mobile company, his
frustration very much evident: “Nobody
can get hold of us,” he says despairingly.
But as we talk, his love of the sport -
which tests a horse and rider’s partnership
in all three phases: dressage, show jumping
and cross country - shines through. He
clearly relishes hard work. It’s apparent it’s
this passion, talent and perseverance that
Debbie Graham talks to Captain Mark Phillips and Peter
Phillips about Gatcombe Horse Trials and finds it’s very
much a family affair
“To be able to do different things helps
keep the mind fresh and the appetite
strong.”
While coaching was an obvious
progression for a former top competitor,
cross country designing wasn’t. This he
rather fell into, when he and his former
wife, HRH The Princess Royal, decided to
give something back to the sport they loved
and organised a horse trials at their estate
in Gloucestershire in 1982.
“It was a good idea until we got a wet
one,” laughs Mark.
Fast forward 33 years and the trials, or
Festival of British Eventing as it is known,
is one of the top equestrian events in the
country and includes a novice and
intermediate championship, as well as the
original open class for advanced horses.
“At Gatcombe you have got the best
horse and riders at every level,” he says
“It’s a privilege to be able to work with
them.”
Designing the courses takes him and his
team the whole year.
“The previous year tells you which
fences you want to keep and which ones to
bin. So you start from there and then fill in
the gaps.”
So is there a fence riders need to watch
out for this year?
To which he shakes his head: “It’s a
designer’s nightmare if you get one
problem fence because it probably is not a
{The determination to
succeed obviously
runs in the family,
notably through
daughter Zara Phillips
Captain Mark Philips

2. rather the missing man in charge. For Peter,
co-chairman of the Trials with his father,
was due to be there today, but
unexpectedly got called to London.
“Honestly I thought the younger
generation were supposed to be
organised…” Mark jokes.
Peter, when I reach him on the phone, is
apologetic. “I am so sorry, it was a
complete oversight,” he says. “I would have
much preferred to be there with you as it
would have meant I had longer in bed this
morning!”
Although he doesn’t ride now, horses
were a big part of his childhood, and look
likely to be a big part of his two daughters,
Savannah (four) and Isla (two).
“My days of being off the horse given my
two are already on their Shetland, are
numbered. The day I can’t keep up with
them on my two legs is the day I upgrade.
cotswoldlife.co.uk COTSWOLD LIFE July 2014 171
CotswoldCharacter
good fence. It is normally because the
margin of error is too small. If around the
course you keep giving riders the
opportunity to make a mistake; the best
riders don’t take that opportunity, but
some of the others do. That is how you get
your results.”
But the success of the event is down to
more than Mark and his team of
professional course builders. The trials
have been an important part of the family’s
agenda since the beginning and it is all
hands on deck to make them a success.
Zara and her husband Mike Tindall, her
brother Peter and his wife Autumn, their
half-sister 16 year-old Stephanie and 300
volunteers, not to mention the judges, all
dig in to make it a successful event for
everyone, from spectator to competitor. It
is this that helps it maintain its family
atmosphere.
“I think that’s one of the charms of
Gatcombe. From a personal point the
whole family is involved; Zara, Peter and
my Stephanie. They are out there painting
the pegs and getting everything ready, and
then they get their friends involved, and
that creates a great team spirit,” he says.
“We run barbecues for them in the evening.
“We have never really run Gatcombe to
make the last penny from it. We just try
and make it a fun day out for everyone.”
All this talk of family involvement brings
me neatly to the other man in charge, or
They absolutely love it.” And he hopes they
too will follow Zara and him in helping out
at the trials.
“I hope my girls will want to get involved
and help out by doing the painting, and the
bits and pieces we used to do. It’s a very
family-orientated event.”
His role with trials today is firmly with
the non-sporting side, “Father looks after
the sporting side and I look after
everything else,” he says. “It’s not purely
about horses, although, of course, my
father may disagree with me! It’s about the
experience. Sharing Gatcombe with the
people that come is an added bonus.”
And he wants the event to appeal to
everyone, not just the eventing and horsey
folk.
“There is so much for everybody. The
Shetland Grand National always gets
people going. But even if you are not
interested in horses there is entertainment
in the main arenas, there is the Land Rover
off-roading experience, and with over 100
trade stands there is plenty of shopping.
There are some great activities that are
upbeat and fast.
You can come to Gatcombe Horse Trials
and not see a horse, and have a great day
out.” n
The Festival of British Eventing takes place at
Gatcombe Park near Tetbury on August 1-3 www.
gatcombe-horse.co.uk
{The grass isn’t
growing under my
feet, the great thing
in life is not to stop.
Captain Mark Philips during the interview at his farm near Cherington, Gloucestershire
Peter and Autumn Phillips