If the forthcoming marriage of New Zealand eventing riders Tom Lane and Christen Hayde is anywhere as romantic as their engagement it will be a stunning three days (yes, it’s going to be a 3 Day Event!)
One week after Valentine’s Day on Friday 20th February New Zealand eventing riders Tom Lane and Christen Hayde will be starting their married lives together at Mudbrick Vineyard on Waiheke Island. Although the Island is only 30 minutes by ferry from Auckland, the transport logistics mean that this will be one eventing wedding without horses playing a part; there will be no horse drawn carriage or grey steed carrying the bride at this celebration
“Christen was keen for the horses to be involved, and I wanted the dogs to be there, but getting them to the Island and keeping Christen’s dress paw free and horse hair-less was going to be a huge challenge – so it’s an animal free wedding!”says Tom
However, as the wedding will be a three day long celebration with a beach barbeque at the family farm on the Island on Saturday (including the must-have pig and lamb on a spit and plenty of music thanks to the Christchurch band The Eastern) by Sunday there is a horsey involvement as the couple and their friends will be enjoying a car-boot picnic at the New Zealand Polo Open
Christen and Thunder Cat
Christen and Tom met when Christen moved to the North Island to further her riding career. Having completed a Bachelor of Science at Otago University and having enjoyed great success at 3* level, Christen’s move brought her to Auckland. At the time Tom was renting a small cottage near the Springbush Horse Trial where he kept his horses with Angela Lloyd and Christen moved in as a flatmate
“It was an awful house, known as the ‘Hunua Hut’” says Tom “But we stayed for a year or so before Christen moved to the property we now live on. We became great friends living together, but nothing happened until I invited Christen to my work Christmas Party several years later…”
As well as being an eventing rider Tom is also a lawyer for Lion – Beer, Spirits & Wine NZ (so they are not likely to run out of drink at the wedding). Like Christen, who first tasted international success when she captained the winning New Zealand Nations Cup team at the Interpacific Pony Club Exchange in Kentucky USA, Tom started early, completing his first CCI* at 13 on his 14.3hh pony. On finishing school he spent two years training and competing in North America, working first for the Canadian Team Coach (Peter Gray) and then USA team member Darren Chiachia. While working for Darren, Tom groomed at Burghley and also for the gold medal winning US eventing team at the World Equestrian Games in 2002.
Tom riding At the Limit
Based at Bellewood Farm, only 40 minutes from the centre of Auckland, Christen will be campaigning a team of 2 and 3* horses this season, as well as producing some talented home-bred youngsters. Meanwhile for Tom, after many years of success, having sold his top horse it is now a period for re-building his team. 2013 was a write-off for Christen due to a serious accident on a catch ride at Kihikihi International Horse Trials. A rotational fall left her with a badly broken pelvis and back damage that kept her in hospital for two weeks followed by a long recovery period of bed rest and wheelchair confinement.
Before the accident the couple had planned to travel in Europe that year; Tom was meant to be driving from London to Mongolia via Iran, Khazakstan etc on the Mongol Rally with two friends and Christen was going to travel with a friend before meeting up with him. This obviously had to be cancelled and they we went to Vanuatu for eight days instead. Unbeknown to Christen, Tom had plans afoot. Having asked Christen’s parents’ permission to marry their daughter, Tom had organised a helicopter tour of island which then landed at a small desert island off the coast where cold champagne, lunch and snorkelling gear awaited them.
“Christen wanted to go snorkelling straight away” Tom remembers “But I knew that the ring box was in the chilly bin and I couldn’t wait any longer, so insisted we had lunch straight away. Fortunately Christen listens to me occasionally – and when she opened the chilly bin, the ring box was empty. When Christen turned around, I was down on one knee. We spent the rest of the day on the island, before travelling back to call our parents”
Such a romantic engagement must be hard to follow but no doubt Tom and Christen’s wedding will be beautiful, with or without horses in attendance. In 2014 they travelled to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy and Burghley in the UK and, although Tom has tried to suggest that this could have been their honeymoon, very sensibly Christen isn’t buying it. Like all serious eventers, they are waiting for the season to finish and then plan to travel to Northern Italy and Southern France for a belated honeymoon as Mr and Mrs Lane.
