“Who was this woman…who could manage such a cool, yet hot-blooded stare?” / Photo by EquusPix PhotographyIt all started a couple months ago when a friend posited the classic ice-breaker question, “If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would it be?”
Bypassing all sensible responses—the President, the Pope, Peyton Manning—I skipped straight to a personage whom I knew virtually nothing about: The Lady Martha Sitwell.
Ever since we ran this photograph of Martha in a 2013 Horse Nation story about sidesaddle foxhunting (“The Craic Heard Round the World“), I’ve been transfixed. Who was this woman who, despite being mud-splattered, mascara-smeared, and soaked to the bone by icy Irish rain, could manage such a simultaneously cool yet hot-blooded stare?
Facts I managed to gather about her via some hard Googling:
Royal Ascot photoShe’s a classic beauty.
The former face of Royal Ascot, Martha has put the camera’s love affair with her to good use as a model. She’s also the founder of habit-design company Sitwell and Whippet.
She’s an independent, empowered woman.
Martha married Baronet Sir George Sitwell in 2007, hence the “Lady” prefix, but they’ve since separated. Does that make her royalty, still? I’ll have to ask, but in my opinion royalty is a state of mind, and I’d err on the side of yes.
[Correction! A couple readers pointed out that the correct word is “nobility.” My knowledge of “royalty” is mostly derived from stalking Kate Middleton in the tabloids, Disney movies and that Lorde song, so forgive me for the mix-up.]
As Kate Middleton puts the final touches to her wedding dress, she might wish to heed an extraordinary discussion about the agonies and ecstasies of marriage as expounded by two flamboyant society beauties.
“According to Baronet Sir George Sitwell’s stunning wife Martha, the model and former face of Royal Ascot whom he wed in 2007, marriage is ‘pure misery.’
“‘It sucks all the energy from you, sucks your youth and all the fun from your life,’ the 30-year- old moans.” -Richard Kay in The Daily Mail, April 4, 2011
She’s an extraordinary equestrian.
From tackling massive fences in the hunt field to plotting a five hundred-mile trek across Mongolia, sidesaddle, to honor her sister’s memory, Martha’s bravery toward life seems rivaled only by her fearlessness in the tack.
This past Christmas Eve an idea began flapping its wings wildly inside my head. My husband Tommy and I were planning a trip to the UK and Ireland—Dublin to Liverpool to London—in February. What if, should the stars align, I could track down Martha for an interview?
Considering Martha’s jet-set schedule it seemed highly unlikely but, even if we couldn’t work out a face-to-face meeting, a long-distance interview would have been satiating. All I wanted was the opportunity to ask her: Whereas so many of us canter politely toward life’s obstacles, what is it that spurs you to gallop at them full-tilt?
Emboldened by a glass or five of champagne I sent Martha a Facebook message, giving her the dates I’d be on her side of the pond should she happen to be available. Much to my surprise, she messaged me back almost immediately:
“Gosh how flattering. I may be hunting in Ireland on the 9th but it’s not firmed up and I want to get back for a good Ledbury day on the 12th. Why don’t you postpone your return and come too? There are some pretty meaty hedges and I’m sure my hosts would extend an invite to you too. What date do you arrive? And what are your plans before Liverpool? X”
Ledbury Hunt is legendary—and legendarily terrifying. We’ve posted several helmet cam videos from Ledbury on EventingNation before, most recently this one of eventer Alice Pearson taking a hard tumble upon landing from one of the “meaty hedges” Martha mentioned.
[See “Video of the Week” for British eventer Alice Pearson’s day with the Ledbury.]
Perhaps I should have hesitated in my response. I grew up foxhunting nearly every weekend but, as my event horse string grew increasingly fragile of mind and body, I long ago slipped out of the habit.
Not to mention it’s been a hot minute since I’ve jumped a substantial obstacle. I retired my horse from upper-level competition about a year and a half ago when he began saying “no, because it hurts” to the big fences, then with great sadness relegated him to full-on pasture ornament status this past December.
But sometimes in life, there is only one acceptable answer, and that answer is, Yes.
One thing led to another, which prompted to me to extending my trip a week to take Martha up on her generous offer, which expanded to include not one but two hunts and, to cap the weekend off, a swanky hunt ball. (At least I’ve kept my party skills well-polished!) All of which culminates in me sitting alone in this London hotel room, husband safely back in the States, suitcase packed for a train into the countryside tomorrow afternoon.
Posted February 20, 2016
Re-published with the kind permission of Leslie Wylie and Eventing Nation. Watch for Part II of Leslie Wylie’s four-part hunting adventure with Martha Sitwell—“Darling, You’re Mad!”