‘He’s a real three-day horse’: Ros Canter and rising star top Osberton’s feature class
Ros Canter led from the front to win the Rathbones CCI3*-L at Aspen Cooling Osberton (1-4 October) with “real three-day horse” Broadstone Lion Man.
Ros and “Leo”, owned by Jo Needler and Kate James, added nothing to their class-topping dressage score of 24.8 to land victory in the ring.
The Billy Tudor son, bred by Amy Foulstone (née Hawley), oozed effortless athleticism through his showjumping round on Sunday. It was that class and jumping ability that first attracted Ros’s attention.
“I knew Amy from when I rode for Judy Bradwell,” said Ros. “I taught Amy on him at a clinic when he was a young horse and he really caught my eye.
“I asked that if she ever decided to sell him, would she think of me. She came back to me the next week and said, ‘I’ve been thinking that I need to sell one anyway.’”
Ros added that Kate was looking to become involved in another horse after co-owning Pencos Crown Jewel was sold and that family friend Jo was also interested in ownership, so a plan came together. The now nine-year-old joined Ros in 2024 and the pair enjoyed a couple of great runs, before a setback put the brakes on their progress.
“I did two events on him and then he went through some fencing in a field,” said Ros. “He had to have a little operation, and he also had a fully blocked tear duct at the same time, so he had a very quiet year the first year that we had him, which means that he’s a year behind where we thought he would be.
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“He is fantastic. He’s a real three-day horse – he loves sleeping, so being in a stable all week and only coming out for a few minutes of work is perfect for him! He came out for his dressage nine minutes before, we had it all planned, and he showed his best work in the test.”
Course-designer Stuart Buntine’s flowing three-star track, run over excellent ground, received much praise from riders. It encouraged competitors into a forward rhythm, before looping through the woods and over a decent selection of questions.
Faults were well spread. The Bucas Angled Brushes (4ab) caught out a handful, as did the Foran Equine Triple Bars (6ab) arrowheads. The Woodhouses Rail, Ditch, Hedge (8abc) was another influential question, so too was the vertiginous drop to two brush corners at the Uvex Cracking Bank (12abc) and the Aspen Cooling Water (22abc).
Scores were so tightly bunched in this 80-strong class that none in the top 10 could afford a rail and to keep their place. Emma Lawton and Dinarthall Sea King held the runner-up spot after cross-country, but one rolled pole dropped them to fifth and opened the door for Emily King and HG Woods to rise into second (27.4).
The 10-year-old HG Woods, who is owned by Alex Wilcox and Helen Morris, bounded over the coloured poles with charming enthusiasm.
“I adore riding him, he’s the coolest little chap. He was third in the two-star here last year, so nice to go a level up and a notch better,” said Emily. “He’s a pleasure in all phases – he feels like he has everything to be a top one.”
Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon turned her week around, after finding herself on the floor following Borough Tupence’s particularly athletic bronc on Wednesday, ending Sunday on the podium.
“She’s taken time as she is very sensitive and just needed to become stronger and more mature,” said Vittoria. “Her dressage has really progressed in the last year or two, particularly thanks to Flo Dawes and Lisa White. They really understand her.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.