Happy 40th birthday, Ros Canter! We celebrate with a look back at the British eventing star’s career highlights…
...and there are a lot!
Many happy returns, Ros! We’re marking the 40th birthday of British eventing star Ros Canter with a look back at her career highlights.
Ros hit the big time relatively late – she didn’t ride at five-star until she was nearly 30 – but over the past decade, her career has gone stellar, with six five-star wins and seven senior championship medals, including two individual golds.
Ros’s first eye-catching result at the top level came at Badminton Horse Trials in 2017 when she finished fifth and best of the Brits on Allstar B.
Off the back of her Badminton performance, Ros was selected for her first senior championship, the Europeans in Strzegom, Poland, that autumn, where she finished fifth individually and helped the Brits to team gold.
The following spring, the pair returned to Badminton and landed their first podium place at five-star, third. Ros followed up with third at Luhmühlen Horse Trials that summer on Zenshera, proving she was no one-horse wonder.
At that year’s championship, the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA, Ros took things to another level when she piloted Allstar B to the individual gold, as well as leading the British team to victory.
After the World Championships, Ros and her partner (now husband) Chris McAleese decided to start a family and their daughter Ziggy was born in July 2019. She returned to eventing a month later and began a campaign towards the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for 2020. Of course, Covid-19 resulted in a delay and the Toyko Games actually happened in 2021.
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With hot competition for the British team, Ros and Allstar B ended up as the alternate combination, supporting the Brits out in Japan and ready to step in if needed, but ultimately, having to watch from the sidelines as the trio collected their gold medals. The experience fuelled Ros’s ambition to make the team next time around.
At the European Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, later that year, Ros and Allstar B claimed another team gold, although after a strong start in the dressage, their cross-country round didn’t quite go to plan so they missed out on individual honours.
In 2022, Ros introduced a new superstar to five-star – Lordships Graffalo made a hugely impressive debut at the top level with second at Badminton.
The pair were members of the British team at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, that autumn, finishing fourth – on the same score as individual bronze medallists Tim Price and Falco, but placed behind because they were further from the optimum time across country, having had a quicker round.
The following year, 2023, was a huge one for Ros. She kicked things off by claiming her first five-star title, at Badminton, with Lordships Graffalo.
Selection for the European Championships in Haras du Pin, France, followed and Ros and Lordships Graffalo lived up to all expectations when they claimed the individual gold and spearheaded Britain’s team gold.
Ros topped off the year with a second five-star victory, at Pau Horse Trials on Izilot DHI.
Ros got her Olympic call-up for Paris 2024, but the event itself was a mixed bag – she helped the British team to a second consecutive Olympic gold, but a controversial flag penalty on the cross-country denied her a top-six individual finish.
Feeling Lordships Graffalo had another big run in him that year, Ros took him to Burghley Horse Trials for his first run there and the pair finished top of the leaderboard for Ros’s third five-star win.
And at Pau that autumn, Izilot DHI continued his trend of being a Continental five-star specialist with second place.
In 2025, Ros took Lordships Graffalo back to Badminton and the pair scored their second win there.
Ros followed up with her first victory at Luhmühlen, on Izilot DHI.
Ros announced she was pregnant with her second baby towards the end of the summer of 2025 and that she was withdrawing from selection for the European Championships at Blenheim.
However, she felt fit and well to ride at Burghley – where she did not have the pressure of letting down a team if she had needed to withdraw – and put up an outstanding display to defend her title successfully on Lordships Graffalo, who became the first horse to win both British five-stars twice. This was a sixth five-star win for Ros Canter and definitely one of her career highlights.
We look forward to seeing what comes next for Ros Canter and wish her all the best for the delivery of her second child in the meantime. Have a great birthday, Ros!
All pictures by Peter Nixon, except where otherwise stated.
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You may also be interested in:
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.