Ros Canter to return to competition after second baby – where will she compete in the run-up to Badminton?

Ros Canter is planning to return to competition this week after having her second baby in January.

The reigning Mars Badminton Horse Trials and Defender Burghley Horse Trials champion shared the news of the safe delivery of her daughter on 2 February. On 4 March, she published a video on social media of her jumping top horse Lordships Graffalo over an oxer in the school at home with the words, “We are back! Let the road to Badminton commence…”

Ros and Lordships Graffalo are entered for the open intermediate at Lincolnshire this Friday (20 March). Ros will also ride Broadstone Lion Man and Armscote Explorer in the open novice at Lincolnshire on Sunday.

This return marks a first competition for Ros Canter since she won Burghley last September while pregnant with her baby daughter.

The organisers of the Eventing Spring Carnival at Thoresby over the Easter weekend (3-5 April) have also shared that Ros and Lordships Graffalo – who belongs to Michele and Archie Saul and is known as Walter at home – are scheduled to compete there.

As many riders do, Ros is following a similar spring schedule to the one she has used in previous years. Since 2022, when Walter stepped up to five-star level, she has always run him once or twice at open intermediate and advanced intermediate level before stepping up to CCI4*-S at Thoresby for her major spring prep outing.

Judging by her previous form, Ros will not be out to win at Lincoln but to have a steady run across country for her season opener, with a slightly faster run perhaps on the cards for Thoresby. She has generally still held something back at Thoresby, though, and has not finished higher than fourth in the CCI4*-S there with Walter.

It’s obviously a system that works for Ros Canter as Lordships Graffalo has finished first twice and second once on his three Badminton starts – a brilliant record. At 14, he is very much in his prime and, assuming the build-up goes smoothly, will start as favourite at Badminton again this year.

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