Reynolds breaks into dressage world top 20
DRESSAGE in Ireland has often sadly been overshadowed by various other equestrian and non-equestrian sports in the mainstream media. However, Co Kildare native Judy Reynolds has been hitting the press for all the right reasons in recent months, owing to her tremendous form which has seen her achieve wins on both sides of the Atlantic, and put her among the top 20 riders in the world (19th).
In the past month alone the 35-year-old not only claimed her first ever World Cup qualifier — at a five-star show in Germany — but also became the first Irish rider to qualify for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final, the 2017 edition of which takes place in Nebraska, USA later this month (March 27-April 2).
“It has been quite a year with JP,” she said of her ongoing success with the family-owned gelding Vancouver K.
Qualifying for the individual final at last summer’s Olympic Games in Rio was a major achievement in itself, and although they did not return home with a medal from Brazil, in the months that followed the combination really showed their form in the dressage arena.
From South America they travelled north where they scored a World Cup win in Devon, Pennsylvania. They then followed this up with a top seven-finish at another World Cup show at in Stuttgart, Germany. This was only the start of it, and further wins were to come in Austria and again in Central Park Horse Show in New York. By the time they got to Olympia just before Christmas they were fast climbing the league table and a fourth place finish here ensured their place at the top of the leader board, which was also to be another first for Ireland.
Over the following weeks Reynolds did slip down to fifth in the rankings but their historic win in Dortmund earlier this month and a sixth placing at the final round in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in Holland 10 days ago has finally cemented their qual- ifying place in Omaha with a third place finish in the Western European League.
Last year Reynolds received an invitation to compete at the FEI World Cup Finals in Gothenburg, Sweden and went on to finish in eighth place, but to qualify on her own merit this time round is rather special.
“It was lovely to be invited to compete there last year and finish in the top 10 but this year it was definitely in the plan to qualify,” she said.
IT IS AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TEST BUT IT’S A FUN PIECE OF MUSIC
Of the 15-year-old Vancouver K, she said: “He just keeps getting better and better and I know there is plenty of life left in him yet. The travelling does not bother him so I am sure he will bounce back from the trip to Omaha just fine.” The horse leaves for the USA next Friday.
This year Judy Reynolds is using a completely new music set for the Dressage to Music tests, and is hopeful that it will go down well in America.
“It is an incredibly difficult test but it’s a fun piece of music with pieces from artists such as Cher and the Weathergirls,” she concluded.
The Dressage Final will run alongside the show jumping equivalent, for which Denis Lynch will be Ireland’s only representative.