May 8, 2026 
Twelve weeks ago, Ros Canter gave birth to her second daughter, Seneh. As of Friday, she’s leading the CCI5*-L at the MARS Badminton Horse Trials on Lordships Graffalo. Again.
The 2025 champions are back to defend their title at Badminton, riding to a 23.7 score in Friday’s dressage. Canter announced her pregnancy in August 2025 and won her last five-star appearance on Lordship Graffalo at Burghley Horse Trials whilst pregnant.
“I’m delighted” said Canter of their performance.
“It’s been a funny few weeks having just had a baby—focus is a very different thing at the moment so I have had to work very hard the last few days to make sure I’m in the right frame of mind. I was possibly a little bit stressed this morning so I had to have a word with myself and spend some time on my own. My changes weren’t going well but that was probably me panicking—he’s not a horse that would choose to do a flying change so I have to change the canter slightly. It’s a fine balance.”
Badminton is familiar—and wildly successful—terrain for the Canter and the 14-year-old British Sport Horse gelding. Three of their five career five-star starts have taken place at the manor. They were second in their Badminton debut in 2022 and won it in 2023 and 2025.
If three months seems like a speedy return to top sport, it is. For normal people. For Canter, it’s par for the cross country course. She returned to competition just a month after the birth of her first daughter, Ziggy—and won a 4* long format class three months later.
Seventy-seven pairs came forward for dressage. Tiana Coudray sits in second place with Cancaras Girl on 28.1. Lara de Liedekerke-Meier moves into third on Hooney d’Arville on 28.6.
All eyes now turn to course country, staring at 6:00am ET. Catch all the action on ClipMyHorse TV.
