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…
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“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.
