After ending their 2024 eventing seasons on a excessive, Ros Canter’s five-star horses have been having fun with a vacation within the discipline. Her Defender Burghley win with Lordships Graffalo (Walter) – who has Mars Badminton frivolously pencilled in for his 2025 diary at this stage – was adopted up by a profitable journey to the Pyrenees along with her two different prime campaigners. Izilot DHI backed up his 2023 Pau CCI5* victory with the runner-up spot, and five-star first-timer MHS Seventeen got here of age to complete eleventh with a double leaping clear.
“We’re very fortunate in our system at residence in that they dwell outdoors anyway in the course of the summer time,” stated Ros, explaining this meant the horses had been capable of transition seamlessly into their down-time with little or no change to their routines.
“They’ve a little bit of downtime after which we begin to sort of quietly make some plans for subsequent yr and see how they arrive out.”
She provides: “I do know Badminton and Burghley didn’t actually go to plan with Izilot DHI, however bar these two occasions – which had been all the time going to be a query mark – he has had his finest season when it comes to cross-country and rideability.
“We’ve made a giant leap ahead in his dressage. I’ve all the time recognized he’s had huge, huge capability in that part, however most likely by no means fairly allowed him to make use of it. Now we’re and he’s beginning to actually develop up. I’m studying to journey him higher on a regular basis.”
Ros Canter’s horses get pleasure from some downtime within the discipline. Credit score: Peter Nixon
Ros Canter’s one to observe in 2025
MHS Seventeen was among the many stand-out performers on Pau’s drenched cross-country day. The 11-year-old gelding, owned by Deirdre Johnston and Girl Milnes Coates, skimmed throughout the sloppy going with a smile on his face. The world quantity three now has three five-star diamonds in her string heading into 2025.
“I completely love MHS Seventeen. We name him Vinnie at residence and I actually love using him,” says Ros Canter.
The Irish Sport Horse, bred by Mary Brennan, is by Callahan and out of Quidam Junior I mare MHS Dancing Queen. He was produced to three-star by Sara Bowe and later ridden by Nicola Wilson.
“He’s simply that little bit smaller and he’s a little bit bit totally different to Walter in the way in which he jumps,” Ros provides. “He’s much less thoroughbred in his bounce than Walter – he has a extra cautious sort of bascule in his form – however he’s like Walter to journey to a fence cross-country. He actually appears to be like, he’s very cautious, he attracts himself again and does a number of these issues robotically.”
Bramham CCI4*-L this yr, the place he completed third, marked a turning level.
“He positively grew to become a person after Bramham. There have been a few occasions firstly of the course the place he was a little bit bit inexperienced and he needed to actually work fairly onerous in among the combos,” she says.
“Ever since Bramham this yr, he’s simply gone to the following degree and acquired caught in from the beginning. He’s nice. I’m actually excited concerning the future. It may be one other couple of years earlier than you see us close to the highest of the dressage, however I feel the potential is there and that he will probably be very aggressive on the flat.”
MHS Seventeen en route to 3rd place at Bramham, the place Ros says “he grew to become a person”. Credit score: Peter Nixon
And so, onwards.
“I’ve a little bit little bit of a niche between the highest three and my subsequent bunch of horses, simply due to once I had [my daughter] Ziggy,” says Ros. “I don’t have many eight- and nine-year-olds, however I’ve various six- and seven-year-old horses coming by. So will probably be fascinating to see, and I feel a number of them have actually good attributes, which is sweet.
“Trying to the long run, I’m nonetheless actually loving it. That’s what’s essential to me now. I get pleasure from getting on the horses, I really like coaching the horses, and I really like being on the huge occasions – I get a kick out of the massive competitions.”
That aggressive drive is as sturdy as ever. The coaching facet too is one thing Ros intends to do extra of. And there’s one thing else Ros has her eye on for future.
“I’ve a slight dream of someday having a dressage horse as effectively…” she says.
Izilot DHI has “huge, huge capability” within the dressage part – is that this pushing Ros to develop new ambitions? Credit score: Alamy
“All of us have the identical aim – to turn out to be higher”
Shortly earlier than travelling to Defender Burghley, Ros Canter boxed up her five-star winners Lordships Graffalo and Izilot DHI to move from her base in Lincolnshire to Leicestershire to pop a couple of fences and have a “brainstorming session”.
Ros is a mentor on the Efficiency Mentoring Programme (PMP), based by prime coach Caroline Moore. On the using facet, it goals to present equestrians beginning out of their careers all-round assist, whereas the teaching strand is designed to present these with aspirations of someday teaching groups alternatives to additional their careers.
As a mentor, Ros is there to assist these on the programme. A part of its magnificence, she has discovered, is how rewarding it’s for all sides concerned.
“All of us chatted and bashed concepts round collectively – it was improbable,” says Ros. “It’s an incredible bunch of individuals that every one mutually respect one another, are very open minded and all have the identical aim as eager to turn out to be higher coaches and higher riders. I discovered it fascinating, and I realized rather a lot.”
Educating and serving to different riders is one thing Ros has carried out since she was younger. Within the busy eventing season, she tries to suit a day of teaching in every week and carves out time elsewhere to mentor and assist PMP riders the place she will.
“A few of them got here to remain in November to shadow me and produce a few horses,” says Ros, whose assist additionally extends in different methods, corresponding to course-walking with PMP riders at main occasions. “They’re to make use of me to profit themselves and I’m there to assist.”
Ros displays on all those that have performed a task in her personal profession, and the way helpful it’s for each riders and coaches to have a community to “bounce concepts off”.
“Caroline was eager to set one thing up for those that aren’t on the World Class programme, however who she felt had the best attribute to be prime performers and hopefully, symbolize their nation sooner or later,” she says.
“It’s totally funded they usually all get coaching, but when someone particularly wanted a little bit of assist with a specific space, corresponding to operating a enterprise, or private coaching and health, then that might be put in place with them. It’s about opening doorways for those that we predict have gotten a number of potential for the long run to entry something that they want that may be profession enhancing.”
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Credit score: Peter Nixon
Credit score: Peter Nixon
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Credit score: Peter Nixon
