Ros Canter’s epic Badminton win four months after giving birth has shone the spotlight on rider pregnancy and returning to sport, as a new study continues the “important conversation”.

Researchers from Hartpury University surveyed 727 riders to understand equestrians’ experiences during pregnancy, return to sport after childbirth, and the “physical, emotional and practical challenges many women face”.

Findings included the fact many women continue riding throughout pregnancy, although decisions on this vary depending on experience, confidence and health. Those competing at higher levels were more likely to continue riding later into pregnancy, return sooner and regain their previous level of competition postpartum.

The most commonly reported barriers affecting riders’ return to the saddle were lack of time, reduced confidence, balance issues, incontinence, fatigue and pain or discomfort. Although most riders restart within a year of giving birth, more than a quarter said they did not return to their pre-pregnancy competition level.

The study found external pressure to stop riding during pregnancy or return quickly after childbirth was “generally low” – but some participants reported pressure from social media, family members, and public perception.

Major challenges

Hartpury senior lecturer in equine performance and researcher Victoria Lewis said the study highlights “just how individual women’s experiences are”.

“Many riders continue successfully, but there are significant physical and practical challenges that can affect confidence, performance and return to competition,” said Dr Lewis.

“There is currently very limited evidence-based guidance for riders during pregnancy or after childbirth. We hope this work helps open important conversations around female rider support, health, and welfare within the equestrian industry.”

The study has been submitted for publication and it is hoped the findings will also contribute to “evidence-based guidance in equestrian sport”.

British Equestrian CEO Jim Eyre thanked the authors for their research in “such a key but unexplored area”.

“We look forward to reviewing the full research, but the headlines make interesting reading. With such strong female participation in our sports, any information and guidance to help navigate major life events such as pregnancy can only help build a truly inclusive community,” he told H&H.

“Getting conversations started is important and we’ll work to see what we can action from the research to support the entire industry. It’s important to recognise that every equestrian will have individual needs and experiences around pregnancy, birth and getting back to sport, so protocols or rules for returning must consider that carefully.”

Working together

Mr Eyre added that riders on the World Class Programme have access to specialist support in this area from UK Sport.

“Using the research findings, we’ll work collectively with the expertise available via performance director Helen Nicholls and our chief medical officer Anna-Louise Mackinnon to scope resources and guidance that cover all levels of athletes for further development,” he said.

Rider pregnancy has been back in the spotlight thanks to Ros Canter; she and Lordships Graffalo won Defender Burghley in September while Ros was pregnant with her second child, and this month they won Mars Badminton, less than four months after Ros had given birth.

Ros said she had a lot of support about riding at Burghley while pregnant.

“I’ve had a few people saying, ‘Are you sure?’ and ‘Be careful’ – but on the whole I have had nothing but support,” she said at the time, adding that she had felt better being active.

Unsolicited advice

Amateur rider Katherine Evans, who competes in eventing and dressage, told H&H she continued to ride throughout her first pregnancy, mostly hacking in the latter stages.

“I did some lower level riding club jumping with my older ex-event horse until I was four or five months pregnant, and continued to compete in dressage – but had to stop the mediums as I couldn’t do sitting trot past seven months,” said Katherine, who is pregnant with her second child.

“I waited until around six weeks before I got back on and did my first dressage about three months after I had my little girl.”

Katherine hopes to continue riding throughout this pregnancy.

“Then and now I did it completely based on how I feel and I discussed it with my husband, who was supportive. Like anything with pregnancy there are people who want to give you unsolicited advice but you’ve got to go by how you feel and if the medical professionals tell you it’s ok.

“I backed both my horses and trust them, and actually I found riding was the most comfortable position to be in. It was the getting on and off that became problematic later down the line.”

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How soon can we get back in the saddle and ride after giving birth? It’s a question riders ask online again and again, but the answer is different for everyone. If you’re Ros Canter, then it’s possible to win Mars Badminton Horse Trials less than four months later, while other equestrians find they need much more time to recover, and this can be for a wide range of reasons.

If there is one topic that’s almost guaranteed to cause fierce debate, it’s motherhood. Natural births versus caesarean sections, breast or bottle, spoon-fed or baby-led weaning – the list goes on, and the arguments are endless.

Then you throw horses into the mix and things get even more complicated. Is it safe to ride while pregnant? Can you find the time and energy to ride when you have a small baby to look after? How do you feel about doing what’s essentially a risk sport now you have an infant depending on you?

How soon can you ride a horse after giving birth?

All this has been widely discussed, but what isn’t talked about as much is the physical effect that pregnancy and childbirth can have on women, and when we should return to the saddle, regardless of whether riding is your hobby or your livelihood.

Riders are generally a hardy bunch, and there can be the attitude that having a baby is something you do in the off-season, that you’ll be out for a hack as soon as the epidural wears off and be back in your best competition breeches by the following weekend. The official advice, however, is to wait until around six to eight weeks postpartum before you start strenuous exercise, for those who had straightforward vaginal births, going up to three months if you had a caesarean section.

“Healing time can really vary from woman to woman,” says Justine Elliott, a chartered physiotherapist who specialises in women’s pelvic health. “The advice is to wait until your postpartum GP check before starting to do any strenuous exercise, but in reality it’s difficult to put a time-frame on healing from childbirth.

“It depends on how the pregnancy was, the difficulty of the birth, how the mother is feeling postnatally. Nor are C-sections the easy option – it’s major surgery, which involves cutting right through the stomach muscles, and these need time to heal.”

The early factors

Everyone knows that labour isn’t exactly a hack in the park, but perhaps we are guilty of downplaying just how traumatic an event it can be in our hurry to get back into the saddle.

“Unlike an injury, recovery from childbirth is multi-faceted – physically, emotionally and hormonally – and one aspect might recover more quickly than another,” says Pilates instructor and former midwife Chloe Beazley.

In the days and weeks following the birth, there may be obvious short-term issues – soreness and swelling, particularly if there was any tearing or an episiotomy, pain around a C-section scar, uncomfortably full or leaking breasts, postnatal bleeding and bladder weakness, to name a few. By the two-month point, a lot of these will have healed or at least improved, but some of the other effects of pregnancy and birth might continue for much longer.

“Even if a new mum feels well enough to start riding again, she might find her balance is affected and her reaction times are slower, which can be an issue particularly if your horse has had some time off during your maternity break,” says Justine, who has owned and ridden horses from a young age.

“One of the risks of returning to exercise too quickly is prolapse, particularly as altered oestrogen levels from pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause some ongoing laxity to these structures, plus the process of giving birth puts a huge amount of pressure on these internal muscles.”

One mother and dressage rider had to stop riding early in her pregnancy after a freak riding fall while hacking left her with fractured vertebrae in her neck. Fortunately her baby was fine and she made a good recovery from her neck injury, but a lengthy break from riding followed by a quick return afterwards ended up causing problems.

“I had a quick birth with no external tearing, and I was back on my horse about two-and-a-half weeks after my baby was born,” she says. “But then I had an internal prolapse, which might have been caused by returning to riding too quickly or doing too much yard work in late pregnancy.

“I wish the postnatal information given to me was more in depth, especially regarding the risk of prolapse. My health situation could have been avoided with proper guidance, and I’m now paying the price mentally, physically and financially as I’m having to see a private physio and gynaecologist.”

Another potential issue is that of diastasis recti, which is a partial or complete separation of the rectus abdominus muscles (or the six-pack muscles, for those lucky enough to be familiar with them).

“These muscles have to adapt throughout pregnancy to allow space for the growing bump” says Justine. “As many as one in two women will be left with a gap in these muscles, which can take time to heal and may need special targeted exercises. But seek professional advice, as doing the wrong type of exercises can end up doing more damage than good, and take longer to repair.”

Ongoing challenges after birth

Pelvic floor issues – and accompanying bladder weakness – is another barrier for making a speedy return to the saddle. A bit like running and trampolining, the impact and the “squatting” position of riding can put extra pressure on a weakened pelvic floor and make it harder to switch on these essential muscles.

It’s a common issue, and women of all ages, even elite athletes and teenage gymnasts, can suffer from pelvic floor weakness. That said, it isn’t something to be ignored or classed as normal, and these conditions can often be improved with professional help.

The pelvic floor muscles form a big part of your core, something that many mothers find to be lacking after childbirth.

“Core strength is vital to riders, whatever their discipline,” explains Justine. “Many new mothers find a sudden disconnect when riding, that their bodies no longer do as they want them to do and they struggle with a lack of balance. So much changes in your body throughout pregnancy and it can take time for things to settle; plus there may be weight gain, postural changes, muscle weakness – all of this can affect your riding.”

Grand prix dressage rider and trainer Sarah Sjoholm-Patience found her core strength to be the biggest challenge after the birth of her daughter.

“All the basic skill set was still there, but my core strength was so much weaker,” she says. “It took six months for it to return to how it was, while my pelvic alignment has never quite been the same since.”

Sarah was back to riding and coaching “as soon as the stitches were out”, which isn’t uncommon among professionals when riding is your income and career.

Showjumper Yazmin Pinchen rode up until five months pregnant, with her doctor’s consent, and returned not long after the birth of her son, but even a short maternity break saw her dropping down the rankings.

“There was huge pressure to get back competing and getting my points back up so I could compete at certain shows,” she says. Since then, the FEI has announced changes to the maternity rules for dressage, showjumping and driving to offer further flexibility.

Most women will change shape during pregnancy, with postural differences and weight gain commonplace, despite what we see on celebrity mothers’ Instagram feeds. Even if the baby weight drops off quickly, women might find their shape has changed and their pre-pregnancy clothes don’t fit as they did before. Showjumper Jessie Drea got a shock when going to put on her Team GBR jacket after the birth of her first son.

“It didn’t fit, so I asked for a bigger one, and the replacement didn’t fit either!” she says.

Jessie stopped riding early on during both pregnancies for medical reasons, but was back in the saddle within days of giving birth both times. Like many new equestrian mothers, riding provided her with a big psychological boost and gave her a break from mum duties, but she did feel a degree of pressure to bounce back.

“One year I was on Nations Cup teams and going to the World Equestrian Games – the next I was having a baby,” she says. “I thought once I went back I’d be exactly the same as I was despite having had a break and a baby, but of course you’re not the same, your body changes so much.”

How preparation can help a smooth return to the saddle

Whatever your views on riding during pregnancy, doing some form of exercise and keeping active while you’re expecting may well mean a more straightforward birth and quicker recovery.

“Being in great physical shape prior to and during pregnancy is the best way to ensure a quicker and easier recovery from labour and delivery – studies have shown this,” says Chloe Beazley.

Badminton winner Piggy March missed an entire eventing season when she had her son Max in 2016.

“I’d missed the whole season so I wasn’t under any pressure to rush back,” she says. “It meant I had the whole winter to get fit again, so once I started riding again I just built things up gradually.”

One thing Piggy did was to start weekly sessions with a personal trainer.

“I was keen to start doing some rider fitness work, which I hadn’t really done before, and that was very beneficial. She got me back into shape and back into my breeches in time for the following season.”

It is a challenge to get back to feeling like the rider you were pre-pregnancy, but it is doable. Some riders even report feeling better after childbirth, as it led to them focusing on improving their core strength. It’s all a case of managing expectations, taking things gradually and allowing yourself to enjoy your new role as a mother as well as retaining your identity as a rider.

“Be kind to yourself,” says Sarah Sjoholm-Patience. “Give yourself time to recover, put less pressure on yourself. Your baby is only going to be small for a short period of time, and our sport will still be there when you go back to it.”

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Forget What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Check out is a tongue-in-cheek guide to pregnancy for those who who normally ride multiple times a week...

1. You will need to get off to pee approximately every 10sec. This reduces to around 7sec if you have a horse that is a) over 17hh and b) won’t stand still to be mounted.

2. After “Congratulations”, the second thing people will say after you have announced your pregnancy is, “But isn’t it dangerous to ride?” To which the correct answer is, “No, it’s perfectly safe — it’s falling off that’s best avoided”. This will be particularly reassuring for mothers-in-law.

3. What’s that? “But it’s only a pregnancy, I’m going to be like Mary King and keep riding until the day before I give birth! She won a European gold medal at five months. How hard can it be?!” I hear you say. Sadly, unless you are either a) Mary King or b) some sort of X-Men mutant — Lady Abdominals? — your core strength will disappear around 12-14 weeks. Flatwork will render you a jelly in the saddle. Just go with it and go hacking instead. Unless you fancy entering a fancy dress class — as a blancmange.

4. If you are Mary King and manage to look tidy in the saddle until 39 weeks, on no account attempt a dressage test. You will forget it. You will also forget the following: putting your hat/boots/saddle in the car before you go to the yard, the location of your yard, the route you have taken hacking twice a week for the past five years, your horse’s name, your partner’s name, your own name. Give up and go hacking. But take your phone with a GPS app with you. Just don’t forget how to use it.

5. There are very few breeches that come in maternity sizes. A belly band will extend the life of your jodhs, as will buying a pair two sizes bigger than you wore pre-pregnancy. After that, it’s trackies. You might get a dispensation from the field-master to hunt in grey jeggings. Or you could accept defeat and go hacking.

6. Horses are incredibly intuitive animals, right? So your horse will nuzzle your bump tenderly, nod sagely and look after Mum from now on, no? Truth is, it’s more likely that the lack of fast work will render him a riotous hooligan, with spins, squeals and running backwards enlivening the quiet hacks you have become reduced to.

7. There is never a good time to have a baby. Get pregnant in the summer and you will spend the entire hunting season on the bench. Got a bit merry on New Year’s Eve? I hate to break it to you, but summer shows are likely to be out — unless you fancy entering a fancy dress competition. As a blancmange.

8. It’s time to get scanning the classified ads — and speaking to all your best pony connections — those lead rein ponies are like gold dust, whether your preference is for the show ring or the hunting field. It’s not unheard of for the best first ponies to be promised to future families prior to their new rider’s conception.

9. The birth. Mary King was riding again two weeks after giving birth to Emily — by Caesarian section. On no account attempt this. Unless you are Mary King.

While this article is written in jest based on the author’s personal experience, Horse & Hound recommends pregnant riders speak to a qualified healthcare professional for advice on whether to continue to ride during pregnancy and what safety equipment is most appropriate for their needs.

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Changes to FEI maternity rules in dressage and showjumping have been welcomed – but there remains no such provision for eventing.

Maternity leave in horse sport has been discussed at length over the years and extensively reported on by H&H. The topic was back under the spotlight when the FEI announced it would review the rules after Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was denied her planned competition return after having her second child, owing to the “FEI’s perception of the regulations” (news, 29 September).

This month, the FEI announced changes to the maternity rules for dressage, showjumping and driving to “introduce further flexibility” and give athletes the option of adapting the duration of their leave to their individual situations.

Under the new rules, the minimum maternity leave period has been reduced from six months to three; the maximum period of 12 months remains unchanged. Riders can come back earlier than originally indicated, by giving four weeks’ notice, or 10 weeks for showjumpers who wish to be eligible for CSI invitations. Riders will continue to retain 50% of their ranking points during this leave.

These rules have also now been introduced for endurance and para dressage, while vaulting is being examined by the technical committee.

World and European team gold medal-winning German showjumper Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmerman, who was involved in founding campaign group EqualEquest following the birth of her son, said the changes are “positive” and the FEI is sending a “clear signal” to women in top class sport.

“Nevertheless, we will continue to be involved [in campaigning]. More self-determination and flexibility are essential so that women can remain competitive in equestrian sports,” she said.

The FEI said it had listened to the riders who wanted the option of returning to competition earlier than six months.

“The board is in favour of supporting athletes wishing to achieve the best balance between family and a high-level sports career,” said an FEI spokesman, who added that the FEI will “keep on reviewing” the maternity and medical leave across disciplines to make sure they remain “relevant and fair”.

But despite the latest review, eventing remains without any maternity rules. The FEI eventing committee said it considered including medical and maternity leave provisions, but it was “not in favour” owing to “risk management reasons”.

Five-star eventer Kirsty Chabert told H&H she believes event riders should be able to retain some of their points when they take time off to have a baby, and that returning to competition was in the “forefront“ of her mind after she had her son in December 2018.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to freeze our points, we’ve worked hard to gain them and we’re constantly trying to get back to the job as quickly as we can. I had a complicated C-section, but I still felt the need to be back competing as quickly as I could,” she said.

“Thinking of risk management, I would say eventing is the riskiest of the three disciplines, and possibly the most strenuous. When you’ve got to be able to hold your pelvic floor and core for potentially 11 minutes and jump down into drop fences and still be able to be safe, surely by freezing your points you’re then not rushing to get back doing a discipline that you might physically not be fit enough to do.

“I think there needs to be a generic rule that’s across the disciplines, if that’s possible.”

The FEI spokesman told H&H the safety of athletes is “paramount” and it was felt that freezing ranking points would be “counterproductive” in eventing.

“Maternity leave provisions were not proposed in eventing, reflecting the eventing committee’s position on safety. This follows extensive work with the community in the past years to reinforce the eventing risk management policy by implementing rules that put more emphasis on recent results, to ensure athletes and horses are active at the level they compete and, ultimately, to reduce risk,” said the spokesman.

“This includes rider categorisation, minimum eligibility requirements (MERs), return to play rules or development of the horse form index, among others. Trends are being monitored through the collection of data and statistics and these clearly show that using current results as part of the MERs is a strong contributing factor to safety.”

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Reigning Olympic and European champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is unlikely to attempt to add a first world title to her collection in 2022, as the German rider has announced she is pregnant with her second child.

Competing at the 2022 dressage World Championships, which are to be held in Herning, Denmark from 5 to 14 August, will be “difficult, as the estimated date of birth is in August,” the world number one told H&H.

However, the 36-year-old rider did confirm to H&H that she is still aiming to compete with her top mare TSF Dalera BB at the 2022 World Cup dressage final on home soil in Leipzig, Germany. Jessica will be five months pregnant when the final takes place, on 6-10 April.

Jessica and her husband, Max von Bredow, already have a four-year-old son, Moritz.

“So infinitely grateful for the second miracle that may be created within me,” said Jessica.

The 2022 World Cup final will be Jessica’s fifth, and her first with Dalera – she has finished third at the final on three occasions with her former team horse Unee BB, in 2015, 2016 and 2018. She is currently in joint fifth place on the Western European World Cup leaderboard, which is led by Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour. As defending champion, Germany’s Isabell Werth – who has won the title at the last three finals with Weihegold OLD – will also have a guaranteed slot at the World Cup final.

Jessica swept the board in 2021, claiming both team and individual gold at the Tokyo Olympics – her first Games – in July, going on to win triple gold at the European Championships in September with the 15-year-old Trakehner mare Dalera, a daughter of Easy Game x Handryk.

Since the Europeans, Jessica has competed Dalera on the international and World Cup circuit, remaining unbeaten with plus-90% victories at Stockholm CDI5* in November, and Neumünster CDIW in February. The pair are currently in action at the World Cup qualifier at s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, alongside Britain’s Lottie Fry (Dark Legend) and Richard Davison (Bubblingh).

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

International showjumper Yazmin Pinchen has announced plans to step back from riding to focus on her family and her equine breeding programme.

Yazmin, who has a five-year-old son, Harry, is expecting her second child in six weeks with partner Nick McCulloch and told H&H Harry is “looking forward” to being a big brother.

“I want to thank everyone for their support over the years – I‘ve had some amazing horses and achieved things I never imagined,” she said.

“There is so much more I want to achieve and will, but for now I am taking this time to step down from riding and focus on my growing family.”

Yazmin plans to concentrate on her breeding programme with 19-year-old stallion Van De Vivaldi, whom she has owned since he was seven. The pair competed at the 2011 young rider Europeans and in 2015 won the Bolesworth grand prix, a “career high” for Yazmin.

“I’m trying to get some offspring from Vinnie so my plan is to start producing and maybe sell some good ones, and just get a bit of a name for myself,” she said.

“He’s still sound and probably capable of going on but I thought with my baby due around the end of March, and realistically by the time I’m back, we’re going to have lost a whole breeding season so I thought at this time I should focus on that and then maybe towards the end of the year [consider competing again], but he’s ticking on 20 so it all just depends.

“I would never want to push him because he’s been the horse of a lifetime for me and I owe him so much. I think if I can just give him an easy life, and see how he finds it, then we’ll go from there. I would never want to make him do something he’s not happy doing. Right now he’s not jumping but my team is riding him at home hacking and doing the odd bit.”

Yazmin added that she knows she can come back to riding when she is ready.

“I wish the new riders on horses I have had the pleasure of riding the best of luck and can’t wait to follow their journey,” she said.

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British grand prix rider Nikki Barker (née Crisp) finished 12th overall at the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championships, with just 11 weeks to go until she gives birth. Nikki revealed that she and husband Will are expecting a baby girl in early March.

Her pregnancy has not been keeping Nikki out of the saddle; she piloted her 12-year-old Spielberg stallion Durable – known as Danny – to 11th place in the grand prix at Hartpury, scoring 69.14%, and then 13th in the freestyle a day later on 71.9%. Their total score across the two days meant they took 12th position in the overall championship.

“Danny is such a good boy and looks after both of us on board,” Nikki told H&H. “I’m having a girl so she will definitely be pony mad. I have a very excited husband!”

Nikki was not the only pregnant rider taking part in the championships – Hayley Watson-Greaves, who finished eighth overall with Rubins Nite, and scored plus-76% in the freestyle – is expecting a baby girl in April with husband Paul.

“I feel fine riding, although rising trot is more friendly than sitting trot,” Nikki said at the championships. “Danny is a saint – you’d never worry about riding him. I don’t think he knows how to be bad, he is such a kind boy.

“I wonder if the extra weight is making him sit on his bum more,” she joked.

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Suffolk-based Nikki enjoyed a successful international grand prix career with her popular mare Pasoa from 2010 to 2015, and was the test rider at the 2012 London Olympics. Breeding stallion Durable has taken over the mantle as her top horse in recent years, and Nikki also has an exciting colt by Durable out of Pasoa.

Don’t miss 31 December issue of H&H for a full report from the LeMieux National Grand Prix Championships, plus an exclusive column from Carl Hester.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

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A dressage rider is celebrating after she qualified for two regional music finals in one week — while seven months pregnant.

Freelance dressage coach Tasha Wakely secured tickets in both the novice and elementary silver, pulling out personal bests with a score of 75% in both tests.

Tasha, who is expecting her second child, rode her 11-year-old Andalusian gelding Elegido to the wins at Bury Farm and Keysoe.

“When I had my four-year-old daughter I stopped riding at five months as the stallion I had at that time was sharp, so I had to be sensible about it. While you can’t ever say any horse is 100% reliable, Gido is as trustworthy as they come,” said Tasha, who bought the horse from a client in Guernsey a year ago.

“I’d qualified for the area festivals but I had to let those and the MCI Europeans, which I’ve done for the past three years, pass me by this time because I am due in October, so I was adamant I was going to get the music qualifiers under my belt so I had a focus.

“The music regionals are early next year and as I am sure a lot of horsey mums understand, having a goal helps you to get back into it and to get through those miserable winter months when you have something to look forward to,” she said.

Tasha said that surprisingly her seven-month bump didn’t seem to have had too much of an impact on her riding.

“Sitting trot stopped at maybe four or five months, but it’s been quite bizarre — when I was riding clients’ horses, they said I didn’t look any different,” she said.

“Something that has been invaluable though is a pregnancy support band — I can’t ride without it. It is a piece of elastic that goes around your bump and back and is absolutely brilliant.”

She added that during both her pregnancies, the midwives were happy to support her decision to carry on riding.

“Their advice is don’t start up anything you haven’t done before — be sensible, but continue to do what your body knows how to do,” Tasha said. “They said they wouldn’t encourage me to take up running, but with riding there was no reason not to carry on.”

Continued below…

Should you ride while pregnant?

H&H tackles a thorny issue by asking whether riding and competing during pregnancy is an ill-advised trend

World eventing champion bounces back one month after giving birth

One of Britain’s top eventers returned to the competition circuit yesterday (8 August)

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Although Tasha is still working teaching her clients, she said she will now “ease off a bit” and then plans to have six weeks off once the baby is born.

“When you’re self employed you do have to cram in as much as you can,” she said. “I already have my next schooling livery booked in for the end of the year!”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

World champion eventer Ros Canter is expecting a baby this summer – and hopes to be eventing again before the end of the 2019 season.

Ros told H&H she and partner Chris McAleese are delighted by the news.

The baby is due on 1 July, and although of course that rules out this year’s European Championships, Ros still hopes to be in contention for an Olympic place in 2020.

“I’m certainly aiming to do something this year,” she said. “I hope to be back on track for Tokyo, that’s the plan.”

Ros said she will not event before the baby is born, but she plans to ride at home, and take part in some dressage and showjumping “as long as I feel I want to”.

She has plans for all her horses, but her European and double World gold medal-winning ride Allstar B (Alby) is to stay with her throughout.

“He’ll have a quiet year; he’ll do some dressage, and maybe some [eventing] towards the end of the season,” she said. “Then hopefully he’ll come out ready for next season.”

Ros said that as the 14-year-old KWPN gelding has taken part in two championships in the past two years – winning a total of three gold medals – it will not hurt him to have a quieter season.

“I don’t think horses of his age forget,” she said. “He’s had two amazing years, and was competing at that level anyway so I don’t think it’s going to do him any harm to back off for one season. Hopefully it will give us a good chance to crack on next year.”

And asked when she might start looking for a handy Shetland, Ros laughed.

Continues below…

‘It gives me goose-bumps’: Zara Tindall aiming for another Olympics

The eventer spoke of her aim to get back on the British team

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‘A different kind of breeding programme’: top British rider expecting first child

The international grand prix dressage rider has revealed that she is pregnant with her first child

“I’ve got lots of nephews and nieces, so we’ll have to see if they’ve got any ponies by then,” she said.

Don’t miss the current edition of H&H magazine (10 January) for a special feature on training with Ros.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Zara Phillips’ pregnancy has reignited the old controversy about riding while pregnant. Doctors and leading lady riders say they support her decision

The news that a second royal baby was on the way was swiftly followed by concern — and criticism — in some quarters.

Newspapers asked if she was putting her baby in danger, while H&H readers engaged in a furious debate on social media about Zara’s decision to continue competing.

Although she has since announced she will be taking a break from competition, Zara is expected to continue exercising her horses at home. 

Few failed to notice that she had fallen in the CIC2* at Barbury Horse Trials just a couple of days before Buckingham Palace announced her pregnancy last week.

A good ambassador

Zara was missing from the British team for the European Championships, announced the same day. But should she be hanging up her boots altogether?

The risk of miscarriage is at its highest during the first three months of pregnancy and Zara is just past that stage.

But a leading obstetrician has told H&H that the risk of miscarriage through a fall is far less than most people think.

“I am not aware of anyone losing a baby through riding and I have looked after several women who have competed at three-day events,” said Roger Marwood, who helped deliver Zara 32 years ago.

Powerful precedents

In 1996, Zara’s Olympic teammate Mary King was given similar advice by the team doctor ahead of the Europeans in Pratoni, Italy.

Mary was 5 1/2 months pregnant with Emily. She did not tell the selectors or other riders, so as not to “burden” them, and only revealed she was pregnant after team gold and individual bronze were in the bag.

This resulted in some negative press. One journalist wrote: “I can’t make up my mind if she was very brave or very stupid.”

Neither, says Mary, who stands by her decision.

“I think you follow your head,” she told H&H. “I was keen to carry on riding; I felt it was my body and my baby.

“In King William I had the safest horse. I didn’t ride young, naughty horses who might be spooky or leave a leg.”

A very personal choice

The British Eventing (BE) rulebook does not mention pregnancy. The FEI prohibits in-foal mares competing after their fourth month, but that rule is not extended to the riders.

Another of Zara’s Greenwich teammates, Tina Cook, went round Burghley and Blenheim when pregnant with Isabelle, now eight, and Harry, six. She stopped with both pregnancies around the 41/2-month mark, largely because the eventing season was coming to an end.

“It is a very personal thing,” said Tina. “It’s completely up to the individual as to how they feel and how comfortable they are.”

Dressage competitor Steph Croxford rode throughout both her pregnancies.

“I said I would stop when my bump reached the pommel, but it never did,” she recalled.

“I would only ride horses that I knew. [Top string] Mr President sniffed my bump as if he knew something was in there — he just looked after me.”

 Listen to your body

NHS guidance says that, due to the risk of falling, women should only ride during pregnancy if they are “a professional or an expert”.

But consultant obstetrician Mr Marwood disagrees. If your pregnancy is uncomplicated and you know the horse, it is fine to carry on as normal, he says. The key is to listen to your body.

“Some women will feel sick and dizzy and won’t want to get on the horse. Others will say, ‘I’m only pregnant, what’s the big deal?’” he added.

H&H reader Abbie Holmes fell into the former category.

“By the time I was six weeks gone, I was in a constant state of nausea and dizziness, so had to stop. It was a shame, as I’d had every intention of carrying on,” she told H&H.

For many women, riding becomes too uncomfortable after 28 weeks, due to the position of the foetus. But others, like Mary King, are able to ride right up until the birth.

Zara, says Tina Cook, “is so sensible, she will know exactly when it’s the right time to stop”.

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Following the news of Zara Phillips’ pregnancy, the question of whether riders should continue to ride and compete while pregnant is going to be up for public debate once again.

H&H news editor Flora Watkins asks the experts what they recommend in a special news feature in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (18 July). But most professional female riders believe their body will tell them when it’s time to stop.

Peter Bowen-Simpkins, spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists previously told H&H: “The major danger caused by riding occurs after 28 weeks. The risks aren’t associated with the process of riding as such, but with falling off and landing on your tummy.”

He believes the likelihood of taking a tumble increases with pregnancy, but adds: “Also, during the first 12 weeks there is a relationship between trauma and miscarriage.”

Famous competing mothers

• Double individual Olympic gold medalist Anky van Grunsven (pictured) was pregnant with her first child Yannick when she won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
• Mary King won gold at the 1995 Europeans when 5.5 months pregnant
• Molly Ashe-Cawley was part of the American team that won the Hickstead show jumping Nations Cup in July while four months pregnant
• Dressage rider Steph Crowford rode up to two days before she gave birth to her daughter Annabelle
• Champion team chaser Yvonne Goss tore across country while pregnant without any problems

Don’t miss H&H’s news feature on the pros and cons of riding when pregnant in Horse & Hound (18 July 2013)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now