Zara Tindall, the accomplished equestrian and Olympian who is also a member of the British Royal Family, has disclosed that she once considered a markedly different career path. In a candid chat with her husband Mike Tindall on his 'Mike Drop' podcast, Zara, who is daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips, as well as the eldest niece of King Charles III, reflected on alternative professional avenues she might have pursued. On her 44th birthday, which takes place today (May 15), we delve into the career Zara nearly embraced and why her husband Mike, aged 46, playfully advises her to "let it go". During their discussion, Mike remarked: "You've always said to me you could've been a sprinter, and a swimmer, a gymnast, specialising in hurdles actually". Zara acknowledged her past interest in hurdling, prompting Mike to probe: "At what point did you decide," only for Zara to interject with: "That that wasn't my career?" Mike pressed on: "[At what point did you decide] that maybe that wasn't the path, and horses were the path?" Her response was light-hearted yet clear: "I don't think I quite said that - I said, I used to be a hurdler." Mike playfully retorted: "Let it go," which elicited laughter from Zara, who then mused: "I don't know, probably when I left school". She contemplated giving a full season of equestrianism a shot to determine if she had a knack for it. Zara went on to recount how, after her gap year, she encountered an exceptional horse named Toytown, who became a legend in her life but sadly passed away in 2017. She added that Toytown's "movement was incredible" and she "couldn't have walked away from him" when selecting a horse. Zara fondly recalled that he possessed an "amazing personality," and was well aware of being "the best". However, she noted that it took a few years for him to "grow and be strong enough" for competition. "But we went from the bottom together, to the top - we were both learning," she commented. Toytown eventually became a champion eventing horse. Zara and he secured the European Individual and Team Gold at the 2005 European Eventing Championships and the World Individual Gold in 2006. Zara revealed that she had always had a "competitive streak," and once she began winning, she aspired to excel further and challenge herself. She admitted that the initial "disappointment" she felt before Toytown was ready to compete drove her more than "winning straightaway". On July 30, 2011, Zara and Mike tied the knot in Edinburgh, shortly after the Prince and Princess of Wales exchanged vows in an extravagant ceremony at Westminster Abbey. According to reports, Zara and Mike first encountered each other in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney, Australia. At the time, Mike was playing rugby for England, while Zara was taking a gap year and exploring the country with friends. The couple allegedly met at the Manly Wharf Bar, where they instantly connected.