Marlon Brando’s famous quote from On The Waterfront was: “I could have been class – I could have been a contender.”

That saying could never be applied to Ireland’s leading dressage rider Judy Reynolds. She just is class, and with only 50 points separating her from a world top 10 ranking, she is indeed a contender.

This she clearly showed during her sparkling display at the pre-Christmas HSI coaching conference in Cavan Equestrian Centre. With deft ease and empathy with her horse she was undeniably a highlight of the day.

Judy made the ample Cavan indoor arena her own as she did some wonderful work on a 12-year-old Holsteiner that has been in her “rehab” care for the past year. Telling his story she noted that he was very much “damaged goods” when he came to her.

The horse had been in a dealer’s yard where he was asked to jump without first being schooled in ridability, with Reynolds saying: “When he went to an amateur rider and it just did not work, he came to me for what I call rehab. I have had to go right back to the beginning.”

Reynolds then proceeded in asking him to perform some of the paces that 50 million years of evolution have bestowed on him. It was a joy to watch a master and a willing partner at work!

The year ahead

I had the opportunity to chat with Judy and her dad Joe about the year ahead and plans for the 2020 Olympics. Since the World Cup qualifier tests are the same as those that will be ridden at Tokyo she said that she will continue competing in those indoor qualifiers during the early part of the year.

However, she has still to make up her mind about the possibility of travelling to the world final in Vegas next April. “It might do no harm but we will see how Vancouver K [her Olympic mount] is going”, she says.

As to outdoor work, Aachen and Rotterdam are in Reynolds’ sights.

Both Judy and Joe indicate that the Irish team will be rated in the world’s top six. “Our riders are concentrating on any individual weak points that could make all the difference,” says the very positive Joe.

The team will have just one week to acclimatise in Japan prior to the team dressage competition on 24 July. The individual championship will be decided on 25 and 26 July.

One thing is for certain, just as in her performance at Cavan, Judy Reynolds will wear the green with class.