Meeting Roger brings positive change for Joanna

How a horse loving country girl found love, and a new sense of purpose in life, right when it was needed – with help from Muddy Matches.

When horse lover Joanna was thrown from the saddle of her beloved Tash and broke her shoulder blade whilst out for a wintery hack in 2012, it could have been the final straw after a particularly rough ride in life, and long periods of hospitalisation.

Instead, that fall from grace was to prove a well-timed positive catalyst for change and the start of a new chapter in life; one country life dating with Muddy Matches made a valuable, worthwhile contribution to.

“There is a bit of a back story to my love story with Muddy Matches,” Joanna tells us whilst recalling growing up on a farm thanks to her father’s job as a land agent on a large country estate.  “When I fell off my horse in November 2012, that was the first day of me recovering, and getting on in life.

“I decided to join Muddy Matches not long after. I had a rough time with poor mental health throughout my twenties, but I was getting my life back together and felt in the right place to start looking for a relationship.”

After lots of initial interest and plenty of online dating profile engagement, step forward generational dairy-turned-beef and arable farmer, Roger. Roger connected with Joanna in the January of 2013.

“Roger and I met on Muddy Matches and had our first date on the day before Valentine’s Day in 2013.” Joanna recalls. “We met at a local pub for a drink.

“Roger remembers on our first date that I had a piece of hay on my jumper. It must have been from my car which was like a travelling stable. He says when he saw that piece of hay it confirmed I was ‘the girl’ for him!

“We then spent many ‘dates’ on the tractor ploughing and sowing getting to know each other.” 

8 years on, they now have two children – Rory and Georgie -, have moved into Roger’s family farm together, and have just tied the knot to become a muddy Mr and Mrs.

It has been 8 years of eventful ups and downs and Joanna admits ‘life is hard’ but she also insists she ‘is happy that they have each other and the kids.

“Rory’s autism makes life interesting. He is hard working and loves the farm and obsessed with farming. The kids have ponies, and I still have a horse, but finding time to ride is a struggle.”

“We got married at St Pauls church in Is-Y-Coed, Wrexham. It was a year on from our original date due to COVID and we just had a small tea party back at my parents, but we are going to have a big party at the farm next year for our 1st anniversary instead.”

As for life on the farm, Roger does the tractor work and Joanna has, in her own words, ‘learnt on the job’. “I help feeding, bedding, rearing calves and have also learnt to drive the tractors so I can help at silaging with wrapping the bales.” She adds. 

“I’ve also recently had to learn to use the loader tractor as Roger fell out a tractor a couple of months ago and hurt himself quite badly and was unable to do anything for a while. The cattle still needed silage!” 

Their roles on the farm become a lot more serious when Roger’s dad passed away to long term illness in 2017.

“I think it must be so hard for Roger.” Joanna adds. “They did the farm together all his life. I am so proud of how he managed it all. I try my best to keep everything running in the background with the house, kids etc.

“I’ve learnt a lot in the last few years I love that Roger feels able to discuss everything about the farm with me and I try to support him as best I can.

“We have just reduced our size by giving up some extra rented land so we can concentrate on the cattle more and grow corn and beans for our own cattle with less to sell and hopefully have a bit more time to spend together as a family. 

“The future looks rosy with us.”

Muddy Matches is the UK’s original home of farmer dating in the UK, and is now the nation’s first choice when it comes to finding love with singles from all walks of country life.

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