Mike Tindall has opened up about his eldest daughter Mia, and how she is already showing a keen interest in sport. Speaking on Joe's House of Rugby podcast, the 41-year-old - who shares two daughters with Zara Tindall - revealed he is trying to make the six-year-old youngster "more competitive" by refusing to let her win. Over the Christmas period, Mike and Zara were pictured out with their two children on a beach in Australia - at one point, the former rugby player was seen teaching Mia how to surf before he raced her to the shore.
© Photo: Getty ImagesMike Tindall has opened up about his daughter Mia
Fellow co-host and good friend James Haskell had observed how Mike "flat out beat" his daughter. Defending himself, the doting dad-of-two explained: "[I'm] trying to make her more competitive is what I was trying to do." To which, James retorted: "Yeah, by beating her soundly and almost running her over and knocking her over - woo, take that!"
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The remarks come shortly after Mike and Zara shared sweet details about their life with their two daughters Mia and one-year-old Lena. During a chat with Australian publication Now to Love, the Queen's granddaughter revealed they have both shown a fondness over horse riding, saying: "They both ride. Lena is in a little basket on the saddle, purely a passenger. But we just bought Mia a new pony called Magic."
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Mike added that Mia has been enjoying going for rides with her cousins, Savannah and Isla, and her uncle, Peter Phillips, who all live nearby. "She's going through that period where she thinks she knows what to do so we have someone teaching her. Her cousins, Savannah and Isla, and Zara's brother, Peter Phillips, all ride as well and they go riding together."
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Although, Mike confessed he loves "all those skills you learn" when it comes to horse riding, the sportsman is happy to let Mia make her own choices. He continued: "I love that they have the opportunity of working with animals, being outside, all the traditions that you learn with treating an animal - looking after your stuff, looking after the animals and learning good balance, all those skills you learn - but I think Mia will probably want to do her own thing anyway."
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