Piggy March (née French) is one of Britain’s leading event riders, frequently winning at national and international events and representing her country.
Piggy March and Brookfield Inocent at the 2021 European Championships.
Piggy was born on 12 August 1980 and was brought up in Norfolk. She was always passionate about horses and her mother Kate was instrumental in her early success, while her father Wally was keen for her to follow an academic path. But she started working with horses after a failed stint at art college in Cambridge.
Piggy first rode at championship level in 2001 at the young rider Europeans, where she won a team gold medal riding Flintlock II in 2001. The same horse took her to her first five-stars, Burghley Horse Trials in 2002 and Badminton Horse Trials in 2003.
Piggy’s real name is Georgina — Piggy is a childhood nickname she received after her sisters Anna and Nini visited her in hospital shortly after her birth and decided she looked like Piglet in Winnie the Pooh, but it is the name she competes under and chooses to use in day-to-day life.
Piggy won her first five-star title at Badminton Horse Trials 2019 riding Trevor Dickens’ Vanir Kamira. It was her 25th start at the level.
Piggy March (neé French) and Vanir Kamira winning Badminton in 2019.
“Everyone says it’s the team, but it’s true — you have to have those people who believe in you. Nobody has a clue what you go through to be competitive at this level, to actually get your nose in front,” she said after her triumph. “You get used to saying well done to everyone else, going home, working away and thinking about living the dream another day.”
Asked what advice she’d give to a younger competitor, Piggy added: “Three days ago, I was asked this and said, ‘Don’t do it, do something else, anything else.’ Now, I would say that dreams can come true – you get close and you’ve got to keep believing. Keep working, get good systems and keep loving riding the horses. And hope one day someone looks down and says it’s your day. Today was mine.”
Piggy and Vanir Kamira went on to win Burghley Horse Trials three years later, when the mare was 17 years old.
Piggy made her senior championship debut at the 2009 European Championships in Fontainebleau, being called up from the reserve bench and going on to win individual silver with Some Day Soon.
She added to her medal tally with team bronze at the 2011 European Championships in Luhmühlen on Jakata, who was also her ride in an individual berth at the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Kentucky, USA.
Piggy was selected for the London 2012 Olympic Games with both Jakata and DHI Topper W, but missed out when both horses suffered injuries, which she says left her “heartbroken” and is something she struggled to come to terms with.
In 2018, Piggy was a member of the gold medal-winning British team at the WEG in Tryon, USA, riding Quarrycrest Echo and the pair were also on the British team that took silver at the European Championships in Luhmühlen at year later.
Piggy was selected as the alternate for the British squad at the Tokyo Olympics on Brookfield Inocent, but at the last-minute before the journey, it was announced that she and “Arthur” would not be going.
The pair were then selected for the British squad for the European Eventing Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, in September 2021, where they won team gold and individual silver.
Piggy is based in Maidewell, Northamptonshire.
Piggy had her son, Max, in 2016 and married her long-term fiancé Tom March in June 2019, having invited guests to what was billed as a Badminton celebration party but turned out to be a wedding.
Piggy has been open that having a break from eventing to have Max reinvigorated her love for the sport. Finishing second at Burghley 2017, she said: “The baby break came at a good time. I was bored by the end of it and I’m keen to enjoy eventing now, which hasn’t always been the case. Sometimes it doesn’t work when you try too hard.”
The British team rider has been given a yellow card for her use of the whip during her cross-country round at the European Eventing Champoinships
It was a rollercoaster ride in the showjumping today at the European Eventing Championships as Team GBR bounced down and back up the leaderboard
Two teams have lost a counting score pair ahead of the final phase at the European Eventing Championships, with five horses withdrawn in total
Germany continued to dominate on home soil on cross-country at the European Eventing Championships, as the Brits battled on to hold silver
Find out how the leaderboard looks after the first half of competitors have left the start box on cross-country day
We caught up with some of the competitors to find out what they think about this year’s track…
Check out the British squad’s cross-country times for tomorrow’s action at the European Eventing Championships in Germany
Britain’s second team member Piggy French was pleased with her test this afternoon at the European Eventing Championships — but disappointed with her mark
Check out the full list of dressage times for the European Eventing Championships and find out which four riders make up the British team
The ground jury inspected 73 horses at the first trot-up for the European Eventing Championships in Germany this afternoon
The draw has been done for this year’s Burghley Horse Trials, with Tim Price the pathfinder on Bango, as well as the last to run on Ringwood Sky Boy
Britain's eventing team had mixed results today in Aachen as a tough cross-country course juggled the team and individual leaderboards
The British rider put in a masterful performance in the huge main arena to move up two places and take the lead ahead of the cross-country
We lift the lid on how to find the rides, how to make the relationships with owners work, and tips to help you prosper in your search for rides and owners
Here’s 13 things you might not know about one of British eventing’s most well-respected riders
Have you ever looked at riders competing at the top of their game and wondered how on earth they got back in the saddle so quickly after having a baby? H&H caught up with riders, an equestrian mindset coach and a sports therapist to talk about experiences, physical and mental changes, and share a few top tips too
The Badminton winner continued to show tremendous form on the weekend at Rockingham, piloting nine horses into the top four in their respective sections
