Judy Reynolds, who has been training and coaching at Elverman Farm in Lembeck for the past few years, has made Irish sports history. She was the first Irish woman to reach the final in the dress code at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. With JP, as she calls herself Vancouver K, she broke all possible Irish records and reached the World Cup final three times. For the first time, an Irish dress-up team has qualified for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

The omission of the Olympics was surprising

In the first months of last year, Judy Reynolds worked hard to regain the top spot in Japan. In April, they reported that JP was in good shape and that he had a very good impression. However, in early June, she realized that her horse was no longer fit for such a big competition.

Six months later, Judy Reynolds regrets the decision: “I noticed the horse. It was always clear that JP wanted to work, but the result I could not imagine anymore. A trip to Tokyo does not make sense: it’s not going to be a great performance anymore, it’s only going to take one. In the backseat, the journey would have been very time consuming.

JP receives bread of grace in Ireland

Today, 19-year-old JP is still in Lembeck, says the Irish woman: “He is still the owner of the barn. He’s taking his retirement in a better way than I feared. Zelding will receive his favor that year at the Reynolds ‘Parents’ Farm in Kildare, Ireland.

Judy Reynolds has nowhere near the arsenal of class horses like some of the other great international riders. But working with your young horses will soon pay off.

She has high hopes for ten-year-old For Fun, also known as Fritz: “He’s already at the highest Grand Prix level and I believe I can go to international tournaments with him in the latest six months.”

She has already run three-star S tests with Lero. Also, her training horse Fifao is already a long way off and could start at the three-star level soon. In Lembeck, Reynolds takes care of a dozen horses, most of which she owns: “There are ten foals we’ve going to work on in my father’s farm in Ireland for years to come.”

Vejdan Al-Malki, the owner of FIFA, is also a Reynolds student. The woman from the quarter also lives in Lembeck and has already started a few Grand Prix. With no tournaments this year, Judy Reynolds needs to focus more on teaching: “In November I was able to go back to Ireland and give a course, and now I hope it will be possible permanently. Of course, I still have some talent in Germany.

The start of the tournament is still uncertain

Reynolds now hopes to be able to return to international tournaments as soon as possible: “There are certain dates, but you have to wait and see. But the horses now have to go down again and compete. I especially hope that Fritz JP will follow in his footsteps.