A Beautiful, Bucolic Life
The magic of Callie Coles
There’s a beguiling charm about Callie Coles - mother, writer, equestrian - that is hard to capture in words. Much like her yearning for wide open spaces, she is hard to pin down and defies definition, yet her deep love of life is both evident and infectious - humming with the comforting rhythm and beauty of family, animals, and the English countryside.
The allure of Callie stems from her honest dispatches from home—sharing the highs and lows of life in rural Devon and answering questions on everything from the paint colour on her walls to the horse trailer she uses to the names of her dogs—and her million-plus followers on Instagram cannot get enough.
A pony in the kitchen, supper on the aga, dogs on laps during fireside chats, windswept rides on the moors - it’s like escaping into a bygone era or the pages of a novel, and yet, it’s very real and makes us all but wonder if we’re overcomplicating things.
“When I’m out riding, I feel like I can breathe. For an hour or so I can remember who I am and why I love being alive…”
Life with Callie, her husband Toby, three boys, horses, dogs, and chickens is a rollicking British country adventure and their documenting is neither contrived nor condescending. On the contrary, Callie’s convivial nature and childlike enthusiasm for life are magnetic. An accidental influencer, she is happy to share snippets of her everyday life, horsey romps; and sell (out) bobble hats and saddle baskets in the process through their family business, Iggywick. And she has grown a thicker skin to deal with any less than enthusiastic commentary on the country life she holds dear.
Now, Callie’s writing a book, Tangled Webs - a debut novel and the first in her Spinning Silks saga, due to be published next year. It promises to deliver page-turning horsey, all-weather drama, grit, and romance. A biography it is not, but we are all bound to be swept up in its fictional adventures, too.
Callie’s love of horses and animals runs deep through her veins. “My family has always considered our animals as much a part of the family as the humans. My grandfather was in the Metropolitan Mounted Police; his father hunted hounds on Bodmin Moor; his mother was a world-class show jumper.”
“I’ve been writing pony stories since kindergarten and reading them voraciously my whole life.”
“I grew up in Dorset,” Callie tells us. “I was utterly pony mad. I spent every waking moment in the stables with my pony, Lady. I don’t think I had any huge aspirations—I just knew I wanted a life full of animals.” By the age of seven, after relentless pleading, she finally ‘won the battle’ and welcomed Lady into her life. And there’s rarely been a day without horses since.
“When I’m out riding, I feel like I can breathe,” she reflects. “For an hour or so I can remember who I am and why I love being alive. I can forget about the piles of admin and all the unanswered emails.”
Callie’s first novel Tangled Webs, is an ode to her equine obsession and promises to be as richly woven with heart and soul as the world she inhabits. “It’s centred on the flat racing world,” she tells us. “And it’s a love story. Sage is the protagonist—she’s fleeing Jamaica and an unhealthy marriage with her young son, Hal. She returns home to Newmarket, to her grandparents’ house. Her grandfather is a top trainer, and she starts riding out every morning. Along the way, she meets a young, handsome trainer, Ralph Dunbarton… dot dot dot.”
Writing has been a part of Callie’s life for as long as she can remember, even before riding. “I’ve been writing pony stories since kindergarten and reading them voraciously my whole life. I’ve re-read Flambards, National Velvet, and Follyfoot more times than is probably healthy!” she laughs.
With children, animals, and work, Callie’s days are full. So how does she carve out time to write? “The need to write often overcomes the noisiest bickering,” she admits, “but sometimes it’s a struggle.” There are no routines or sacred writing hours.
“It’s just snatched time, as and when,” she says. And how does she know when a book is finally done? “When I can’t look at it anymore!”
Precious time is also dedicated to Iggywick, the lifestyle venture that Callie runs with Toby. Their now-famous bobble hats—so popular they sold out in hours—were an instant hit. “That was mad,” she laughs. “People were crazy for them! We’re actually cooking up a few things at the moment… It’s really exciting.”
A typical day at home with the Coles begins early. “The children lay the table for breakfast; Toby lets the dogs out and checks the horses and chickens. We all have breakfast together. Then we take them to school, and after that, Toby drops me and the dogs about six miles from home, and I walk back—that’s my mental health maintenance. Without it, I struggle.”
A pony in the kitchen, supper on the aga, dogs on laps during fireside chats, windswept rides on the moors…
Once home, there’s a quick bath, a ride together if time allows, work to catch up on, and always another dog walk before supper. “Eating together as often as possible—that’s our biggest tradition,” she says. And after these long, active days, how does Callie unwind? “A bath, read my book, next to the fire, dog on lap, candle burning.”
A true believer in the magic of family occasions, there is a cosy, comforting, and slightly eccentric scene that unfolds for Christmas with the Coles. “(We are) normally at home, though this year in Kenya!” she smiles. Decorating is a full family effort:
“We love bringing the outside in. Toby will be traipsing to and fro with trees and branches—a lot!”
“My Happy Place? Outside, somewhere beautiful, on a horse.”
She credits her riding teachers as early mentors—Sarah Canning, who was also her headmistress, and Penny Longden. The best advice she’s ever been given? “Don’t take life too seriously. You’ve got to have a bit of fun.”
And on her happy place, Callie says simply, “On a horse. By the sea. On the moors… Outside, somewhere beautiful, on a horse.”
As for what’s next, Callie answers thoughtfully. “Crumbs, that’s the question. My main concern—always—is keeping everyone healthy and happy. So whatever I’m doing, that will be the main focus.”
It’s a sentiment that perfectly sums up Callie Coles. Whether she’s writing, riding, or designing, her primary focus is honouring home and family (including her beloved animals) and is grounded in her deep love and respect for all living things and the countryside she calls home.
Let’s Play Favourites…
Flower - Ranunculus
Interior Designer - Robert Kime
Scent/Fragrance - Diptyque Roses
Travel destination - Scotland
Place in England - The moors
Podcast /TV series - A discovery of Witches
Wellness ritual - Drinking water
Colour - Can never decide
Beauty product essential - Cloudberry Bramley face cream
Song or soundtrack - Anything Snow Patrol or Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Season - All of them
Home Comfort Meal - Marmite pasta
Era or decade - My thirties
Guaranteed laugh - My children make me laugh without fail!
Time of day - Dawn or twilight
Follow Callie Coles on Substack, @calliecoles and @iggywick.ltd on Instagram ‘Tangled Webs - The Spinning Silks Saga’ is available to pre-order for release in July 2026. Photography © Callie Coles / Interview Emily Armstrong