A judge has told the ex-wife of a millionaire horse surgeon to “get a job” in a decision regarding maintenance.
Lord Justice Pitchford made the comments during an appeal from the ex-wife of millionaire horse surgeon Ian Wright. Tracey Wright was challenging a decision to cut future maintenance for their children, aged 16 and 10, saying it would cause “a plummeting in the standard of living” of the youngest child.
Mr Wright had gone to the High Court last year to seek a cut in maintenance bills, which he had been paying since their divorce in 2008 after 11 years of marriage. As he was nearing retirement, Mr Wright asked for a reduction in the £75,000-a-year maintenance and school fees, with £33,200 going to Mrs Wright for her personal upkeep.
Mrs Wright also received a £450,000 mortgage-free home in the divorce settlement, and chose to remain a stay-at-home mum. In upholding the decision of the High Court, Pitchford highlighted the fact that Mrs Wright had not looked for or even prepared for work since 2008. He explained: “The world of work has innumerable possibilities these day ... vast numbers of women with children just get on with it and Mrs Wright should have done as well.”
He added that the original maintenance order did not mean that the ex-wife should receive “an income for life” and that there was a general expectation when a child turns seven for mothers to seek work to support themselves.