Paris 2024: Ros Canter preparing for Olympic Games debut after almost quitting eventing over fear of cross-country
BySportsbeat
Updated 28/06/2024 at 22:08 GMT
Ros Canter is now heading to her first Olympic Games having been named as part of Team GB's equestrian team for Paris 2024. However, the 38-year-old almost gave up on the sport due to safety concerns. She decided to continue in the cross-country discipline and enjoyed a stand-out year in 2023. Her focus is now on making up for lost time, after being a travelling reserve at Tokyo 2020.
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One of Britain's top equestrian stars has revealed she nearly quit eventing after a mental battle with her fear of cross-country.
Ros Canter, 38, will make her Olympic debut this summer and heads to Paris sitting third in the world rankings with four European and two world gold medals under her belt.
But there was a point in her career when Canter's struggle with one of the most dangerous elements of her sport almost became too much.
She said: "When I first got up to the top level, I probably never told anybody, but I really dreaded the cross-country.
"I felt unsafe galloping to a fixed obstacle at speed.
"Everybody kept saying to me: 'Well you just gallop, just go really fast Ros, and it will all be fine'. I really struggled with that.
"I got to the point where I wasn't far off actually giving up on trying to be a top-level event rider and just to produce young horses and sell them for other people to compete."
Canter was in the unenviable position of being a travelling reserve for Tokyo 2020 but is now a favourite to take home a medal in Paris with her equine partner, Lordships Graffalo.
Meeting GB's eventing high-performance coach, Chris Bartle, was the key to overcoming the mum-of-one's fears.
Canter said: "My competitive nature took over. I decided I like winning too much, so I better give it another go.
"That's when I met Chris - he really helped me to create a system.
"Just like for the dressage, I would know exactly how to ride a movement, for the cross-country, now I know exactly how I want to ride a certain fence and I make notes.
"It's really a big mental game. I walk the courses in a very specific way to enable me to feel safe at speed.
"If I feel safe, I ride fast."
Having shaken off her cross-country jitters, Canter enjoyed a record-breaking 2023. She became only the fifth rider in elite eventing history to win three majors in a single season, including the Badminton Horse Trials.
She watched Britain win their first eventing team gold medal in 49 years as a travelling reserve at Tokyo 2020 and will now have the chance to help defend that title.
Canter said: "Going to the Olympics will be absolutely amazing. I have moments where I feel completely excited by it and very proud, and I have moments where I feel slightly terrified that something's going to go wrong.
"The dream is to win a gold medal, first and foremost for the team.
"It's all about the team when you do anything like that, the individual is a bonus."
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