Ros Canter rides to greatness – at five months pregnant

In equestrianism, the stakes are even more complex: the rider’s body is not only an athlete’s tool but also the balance point between human and horse. For Ros Canter, Olympic gold medallist and now two-time Defender Burghley Horse Trials champion, pregnancy is not a barrier but another chapter in a life defined by horses.

Two weeks ago, the 39-year-old captured one of the sport’s most prestigious titles while five months pregnant. To many, the sight of an expectant mother tackling Burghley’s punishing cross-country course, with fences up to 1.3m high, may have seemed alarming.

Equestrianism can be a dangerous sport. Between 2017 and 2022, there were 13 rider and 10 horse deaths worldwide as a result of falls in cross-country. But to Canter, it was the most natural thing in the world.

She has spent her life in the saddle, splitting her time between the Lincolnshire home she shares with her husband Chris and six-year-old daughter Ziggy, and her parents’ farm 10 minutes away, where she keeps her horses.

Horses are her work and her joy. Ziggy already mirrors that affinity, marshalling ponies about the yard with a confidence beyond her years.

“She does ride, but only as much as a six-year-old can,” Canter said. “She rides once a week and she does lots of other things as well, so I’m trying to keep it fun.”

The decision to ride at Burghley while pregnant was far from automatic.

“Last time I competed while pregnant, I was probably only a month pregnant, I didn’t even know about it really,” she said.

“It’s my job. So for starters, it’s something I do regularly, because I’m competing week in, week out on many different horses. Up until Burghley, I was competing with multiple horses every weekend. I knew Burghley would be my stop point, my last one.”

A critical factor was her partnership with her horse Lordships Graffalo, who is known at home as Walter.

“With Walter, I feel very, very confident on him, so that was a big factor. I wouldn’t have gone around on every horse I ride, because Burghley is quite physically demanding. He is the best cross-country horse in the world. So it would be less physical riding him than it would be for other horses.”

There are obvious fears for safety, but Canter is well supported by her team of doctors, physios and trainers, and is quick to reassure that her decision to ride rests only on her.

“Last time, I probably did a lot less from about six to six and a half months,” she said.

“But I got pulled by a horse and got quite a bit of pelvis pain, so I did end up stopping. But then towards the end of the pregnancy, I felt comfortable again, so I rode again a little bit.”

Her baby’s health comes first, but she is also pragmatic about it.

“It’s maybe safer than we think,” she said. “Everybody says they are safe inside there. They’re well protected, I think. So, that’s what you’ve got to go with, haven’t you?”

Winning while pregnant added layers of meaning for Canter, on top of having lost her trainer of the past 15 years, Caroline Moore, to cancer in March. “It made winning Burghley very special. Every time you win a big competition there are always different factors around it, but each time there’s a little bit of a story behind a big one. And so the fact that I was pregnant … there was quite a lot riding on it mentally.”

Her previous return to competition after pregnancy was breathless, as she competed exactly a month to the day after giving birth and was back riding 10 days postpartum.

“I wouldn’t recommend it, it’s not pleasant, but it’s doable,” she said. This time, she hopes for a steadier comeback, though she intends to be back competing by spring. Her second baby is due in January, and her goal is Badminton Horse Trials in May.

“Hopefully I’ll have a tiny bit longer this time to get back, but I plan to keep as fit as I can during the pregnancy, and then we’ll take it as it comes afterwards.”

Photograph by Gary Calton for The Observer