Michelle and Patrick’s Muddy Ever After

“I only signed up to try and prove my friend wrong; now I can’t imagine life without Patrick and the animals.”

What started out as a bit of a playful banter between friends has turned into a whole new country loving life for horse lover Michelle after Patrick caught her eye on Muddy Matches in August 2013.

Six years later; she finds herself with a husband, 2 Shetland ponies, some hens, a border terrier, some RSPCA rescue animals, a driving pony, a horse and 17 sheep.

“To think none of the above would exist without Muddy Matches.” Michelle says.

“A friend of mine from the yard where I kept my horse suggested I should go on the site. I was quite unsure about it and loaded my profile without a photo, i think I was trying to prove my friend wrong!

“It was a bit daunting at first but the whole experience was quite fun. I found the site easy to use although I didn’t need to use it for long as I met Patrick quite quickly.”

Sometimes online dating can be as simple and easy as that; your Muddy Ever After can happen right when you least expect it and then, everything changes.

“I found myself having a look at the chaps on the site and one day, one person caught my eye. In a moment of madness I paid my money and made contact with him, thinking ‘what a stupid girl; why did I just do that?’ – only to find the next day a lovely message back.”

Michelle and Patrick messaged each other for 10 or so days before jumping in with both muddy feet and deciding to meet.

“The day we met I will never forget. He came to watch me compete at a showjumping competition. It was a brief meeting but it was enough for us both to agree that we would like to meet again for a drink.”

That was in August 2013. By May, they had holidayed overseas together and moved in, with Noah the dog, two years later.Then in December 2016, Patrick proposed.

“We got married in our village church on 25 August 2017” Michelle beams. “We had our reception back at the farm in a marquee with straw bales, a hog roast and an outside bar.”

“To be honest, we didn’t have the budget for an expensive wedding; I made our three tier wedding cake and the bouquets. Patrick made the wedding cake stand from a felled tree, a friend made the bridesmaids dresses, and another made bunting to decorate the marquee.

“Together we made all the other food ourselves from the canapés to the hog roast and we roped in a friends daughter and her friends to waitress for us. We got prosecco from a budget supermarket! But it was an amazing day and we danced until 2 am with friends and family and the dogs.”

Now the pair are living out their Muddy Ever After together; both holding down full time jobs whilst maintaining a small, but fast expanding ‘hobby’ farm that Patrick had grown up on.

“There was no livestock on the farm when I moved in,” Michelle adds. “My horse soon moved to the farm and not long after that we reinstated the redundant chicken shed and bought some hens. Our animals have increased since; this year was our first year lambing.

“Needless to say the farm is quite busy now but everything we do is full of love and romance. In general, most of the fun we have is pretty muddy; we have taken a mud bath with elephants in Thailand together, general care for sheep is muddy, and even gralloched a deer together.

“Actually walking back from the village pub late at night through our fields after one too many glasses of wine is also another one to add to the list.”

And as for recommending Muddy Matches?
“Just go for it! You have nothing to lose. Patrick was the only person I met and spoke to through the site and is now my best friend and husband and I can’t imagine my life without him.”