Because the solar set on the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games, so too did the primary chapter of this rider’s outstanding yr of two halves. Some six weeks later, the group gold medal-winning mixture of Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo would lead one other career-defining lap of honour – this time nearer to residence.
“The second we determined that we weren’t going to Badminton within the spring, we thought Burghley could be an possibility for him,” says Ros, for whom this was a primary Burghley win.
Ros and Michele Saul, who owns the 12-year-old gelding with husband Archie, had the dialog early within the yr. Whereas the main target was on Paris, Burghley had additionally been pencilled in to “Walter’s” tentative season plan.
Whereas the Paris Olympics was the first focus for Ros and Walter throughout 2024, a visit to Burghley was additionally on the playing cards if all went in keeping with plan. Credit score: Peter Nixon
“It wasn’t a final minute, ’let’s simply throw him in at Burghley’ – it was very a lot one thing we’d had at the back of our minds,” provides Ros. “We have been all the time going to attend and see how Paris went, offered we received there, and what he considered it afterwards.
“He had had per week off after Paris. Then I took him for a few hacks. He squealed, he bucked, he was pretty contemporary and match. I rang Michele, and mentioned, ‘When you nonetheless assume Burghley is a chance and a good suggestion, Walter is telling me that he thinks it’s a good suggestion!’
“We determined to present it to the poll date and if we have been on track, we’d enter, after which take on daily basis because it comes and if he felt good, then we’d go for it.
“He by no means had a day when he didn’t really feel like he was as match as a fiddle and able to do one thing else.”
Ros: “Walter felt match and prepared for Burghley”
Heading to Burghley was a simple choice with a horse in glowing kind, having taken the 9 minutes of galloping over Versailles’ broadly flat terrain in his stride.
“I felt in a very good place within the final week working as much as Burghley and was actually proud of the best way Walter was going,” says Ros.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo have been feeling match and prepared for Burghley 2024. Credit score: Peter Nixon
“I tweaked a few issues – nothing main, however you find out about horses with each occasion, and horses change as they undergo their profession. I felt I actually knew Walter nicely. I knew how he was going to react to issues, and the place I wished to be in my coaching, and the whole lot was going very nicely.
“I had Ian Woodhead there at Burghley to assist me on the flat, like I all the time do. However I very a lot felt that if he hadn’t been there, I’d have been very clear about how I wished to trip.
“I used to be fairly relaxed about the entire thing as nicely – whether or not it was as a result of it was within the aftermath of Paris, which had been fairly a excessive pressurised scenario – I used to be actually trying ahead to taking him there. It simply all labored out.”
Ros Canter jumps the drop into the Trout Hatchery at Defender Burghley to grow to be in a single day chief after cross-country on Lordships Graffalo. Credit score: Peter Nixon
She provides: “Burghley’s terrain rides lumpy, bumpy, even when it appears to be like flat. You’ll be able to stroll it and assume you’re going up a slight incline. However really, if you trip it, you go up an incline and bump alongside as nicely.
“Walter – simply in his steadiness and the best way he goes cross nation – is so unbelievable that it really felt fairly clean. He’s really easy on himself, balanced and rideable. He’s so good at coming again to me that I can trip quick in the direction of a flip, take one steadiness and he clocks it and steadies himself up.
“He’s simply the last word athlete. He appears to have the ability to sort out these enormous programs, and doesn’t appear to search out galloping laborious work, which means can come out on the ultimate day and nonetheless have that enthusiasm.”
Ros Canter: a champion’s mindset
Ros’s mindset as an athlete and a horsewoman is phenomenal. Her analytic mind and a focus to element set her aside. Walter, in any case, is a horse who got here to Burghley already a 2023 Badminton and European champion – however she all the time has a contemporary gem to share about one thing she has learnt within the build-up to that specific occasion. It’s what makes her post-ride evaluation in her debriefs to the media a must-listen. From how specializing in straightness helped Walter nail a brand new five-star private greatest of twenty-two within the dressage, to not letting her guard slip till via the cross-country end flags because the final fence had a roof – one thing Walter hadn’t preferred in his youthful years.
A deal with straightness helped Ros and Walter obtain a five-star private greatest dressage rating at Burghley 2024. Credit score: Peter Nixon
Ros has additionally spoken brazenly concerning the psychological processes she went via to get herself within the way of thinking that led to that Burghley win. Uncharacteristic showjumping faults with Izilot DHI costing them the Luhmühlen CCI5* title in June stoked her aggressive fireplace. Processing her emotions round Paris additionally helped to present her readability.
“I do use sports activities psychology a bit. I had a very good sports activities psychology session that week [before Burghley]. Once more, we tweaked a few issues, I received myself in a barely totally different headspace, and the whole lot did simply go nicely,” she says.
“It’s not one thing I do on a weekly foundation, however I usually have a session in the beginning of the season. Then when gearing up in the direction of an enormous one, I usually have one or two periods.
“We cowl all types of issues. I’m fairly a considering individual. So very often, I can give you the issues I’m having, and I can nearly give you the solutions to my issues myself. However it’s simply good to bounce concepts off somebody who is aware of me.
“We frequently speak about household life, juggles, guilt, all types of various issues, however the preparation for Burghley was very a lot across the emotions I’d had after Paris, how I’d felt a bit flat and deflated, and the way that was really fairly regular.”
Ros received “actually revved as much as exit and imply it” earlier than her cross-country spherical at Burghley. Credit score: Peter Nixon
She provides: “My psychology round Burghley was making that call to myself that I really actually, actually wished it.
“I believe as a result of I’d had Paris as my huge finish purpose after which that purpose had gone, I used to be a bit like, ‘nicely, now what do I do?’ Then I sat down and we chatted, and I actually determined that I actually wished to go to Burghley, I actually wished to do nicely at Burghley, and I wished to get actually psyched up for it. And earlier than cross-country, I used to be going to get myself actually revved as much as exit and to actually imply it, to actually need it.
“It was one thing slightly bit totally different to what we have now performed earlier than – altering it up, attempting to maintain the whole lot contemporary.”
Holding issues contemporary actually did repay.
Benefit from the day-by-day stories of Ros’s Burghley win:
Ros Canter wins Burghley 2024 on Lordships Graffalo.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Ros Canter and Lordships Gaffalo go underneath the Lion Bridge on their solution to a transparent spherical contained in the time at Defender Burghley 2024.
Credit score: Nico Morgan
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo bounce the Lambert’s Couch at Defender Burghley 2024.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Ros Canter rides Lordships Graffalo down the centre line throughout her Defender Burghley Horse Trials dressage take a look at to take a seat second going into cross-country.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo on the Paris Olympics.
Credit score: Peter Nixon
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H&H senior information author
Lucy is an skilled information journalist, reporter and presenter. Since becoming a member of the Horse & Hound group in 2015, Lucy has reported from main world sporting occasions together with the Tokyo Paralympic Video games and a number of European Championships, in addition to Badminton, Burghley and London, to call just a few. She has coated present affairs and sports activities information throughout the total spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, in addition to human and equine welfare, trade information and courtroom circumstances.
