A rider has celebrated her “best birthday by far” after her boyfriend planned a surprise proposal with a Clydesdale horse.
Ellé-Dee Martin was taken to Devon on her 23rd birthday last Friday (24 May) by her now-fiancé Jake Price for a long weekend.
“Jake booked for me to go riding on a Clydesdales over the moors the next morning. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do so he said it was a late present,” Ellé-Dee told H&H.
“As the group set out on the horses Jake said he would meet me by car at one of the stops and take some photos.”
Ellé-Dee, who was riding a Clydesdale called Bobby from Adventure Clydesdales, arrived at Combestone Tor an hour and a half later and the instructor suggested she go up ahead for some photos.
“Jake came and stood next to me and I thought he just wanted some photos of me on Bobby with the background but then told me he hadn’t taken for here for my birthday,” said Ellé-Dee.
“He pulled a box out of his pocket, got down on one knee and proposed.”
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Ellé-Dee said she didn’t hesitate in saying yes.
“I had no idea it was coming – he hadn’t given anything away. On the way to the horses he had been a little bit quiet but nothing rang any bells,” she said.
“I still had an hour left of the ride so Jake went to meet me back at the stables. The rest of the ride I kept crying with happiness.”
Ellé-Dee said she could not have asked for anything better from “non-horsey” Jake.
“I’ve always said Devon is my favourite place in the whole world to visit – it’s my happy place. It’s very horsey and peaceful, it’s my ideal place,” she said.
“Jake will occasionally come and see my 14.2hh gelding Dice with me but he has no involvement with horses in the slightest. All my friends are saying they wish their boyfriends would propose like that.”
The couple, who have been together for seven years, celebrated their engagement with a meal and champagne.
“My engagement ring is beautiful – Jake picked it himself. The wedding will come later but I’ve started thinking about it and I definitely would like to have Dice there,” said Ellé-Dee.
For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.
