It's been almost a year since our first blog post with G&G Champion Marina Fogle, and in our latest Equestrian Conversations blog we caught up with her again after a busy summer with her family and horses.
A few months ago, we were delighted to team up with Marina and photographer Jo Hansford for a shoot at home with Marina, her daughter Iona, and the horses.
In this blog, Marina tells us all about the newest addition to the Fogle family, a campaign close to her heart that she has recently written about in The Times, and who she'll be cheering on at Burghley this year.
Above: Marina with Vita, in the G&G Traditional Training Breeches and G&G Cotton and Web Headcollar.
It was such a pleasure working with you and Jo Hansford on the recent photoshoot – she really captured some lovely moments between you and the horses. Which was your favourite G&G piece from the shoot?
I absolutely love the Peshawar gilet - I wear it constantly. I spend so much time in breeches, it’s great to have something that looks nice, that is great quality rather than always wearing scruffy stuff. It’s stood the test of horse slobber, pockets filled with treats and keys extremely well. I also love my Sixteen Cypress gloves - the most comfortable gloves I’ve ever worn!
Above: Marina with Jack, in the G&G Traditional Training Breeches and G&G Cotton and Web Headcollar.
Above: Marina in the Peshawar Farooka Fawn Nehru Jacket
You're a regular contributor to The Times. What have you been working on most recently, and is there a piece from the last few months you're especially proud of?
I wrote a piece about how ridiculous it is that there is a national speed limit on rural roads - so people are allowed technically to drive 60mph on a single track road, like the one that runs through my village, a road with no pavement, on which riders, walkers, cyclists have to use, a road where my children learnt to ride their bikes. I got caught speeding - doing 23 mph on the A4 into London, and yet you can drive three times that speed on the single track road through my sleepy Chiltern village. It garnered a lot of attention and I’m on a mission to get this changed.
A friend’s daughter was hit recently while on her pony and tragically the pony was killed at the scene. This is not us road users being wet, it’s a matter of life and death. In terms of future projects, I’d love explore whether we can rethink countryside access. There are so few footpaths and bridleways and while I respect the premise of private land and the effort it takes to maintain and use it, I’m sure we could find a solution that would open up more of the countryside to those who love nature that the landowners would support too.
Watch this space!
We noticed you have a new addition to the Fogle yard. Can you tell us a bit about them and how they're settling in?
Yes Nelly arrived in June and she’s a gem - most of the time. Iona my daughter wanted something she could event but that wasn’t ready made. I wasn’t sure I could handle a real youngster - we keep our horses at home and while I’m a confident rider, I needed something that I can handle happily.
So Nelly is 8 but she’s not done much, really just started eventing this season. She loves to jump and she’s a really cuddly horse. But she’s not completely straightforward. She’s intelligent and opinionated but I do think they have a good future together. She’s the kind of horse, I suspect, that once she trusts you, she’ll do anything for you.
Above: Marina's daughter Iona competing at Offchurch Bury in the Sixteen Cypress Gloves Leather & Mesh Gloves and R.J Classics Sydney Show Jacket
Burghley is always such a highlight of the eventing calendar. As an ambassador, what are you most looking forward to about this year’s event, and who will you be cheering on?
Burghley is my absolute favourite event of the year. The scenery, the shopping and of course the sport. The cross country course is just amazing to watch, so exciting and amazing to watch the really talented cross country riders make it look so easy. I always go up with a gang of girl friends and this year we’re bringing our daughters for the first time. Our begs have been packed for days! I’ll be cheering Harry Meade on - he’s a very old friend and watching him cruise around a 5* cross country is magic.
Above: Marina at Burghley in her role as lifestyle ambassador
With eventing season in full swing and the kids' own competitions ramping up, how does the Fogle household juggle it all and do you have any family traditions around competition days?
It does feel like sometimes horses threaten to completely take over our life and I’m very lucky that Ben, in spite of not really getting why we all love it, is endlessly supportive. Really though, I love packing it in. I have a bit of a ‘you can sleep when you’re dead’ mindset - so I’d rather have a 4am start like I did this morning and have a great day than lounge around doing not very much. Luckily my children are on the same wavelength!
On competition days, I’ll always make overnight oats in jam jars that we eat on the way to our event in the lorry. I pack it with chia sees, frozen blueberries and assorted nuts and seeds. It may not always bring us good luck but it does keep us going, through the inevitable ups and downs!
Above: Marina and Iona with Pella and Pixie from the shoot with Jo Hansford
