Hello Judy and thank you so much for taking the time to chat to Irish Sport Horse Magazine. We want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on such a Fantastic 2018, and also on your recent massive achievements Last Valentine’s weekend. You and your Super Horse Vancouver K made history for the Irish again with the Podium Finish In the Dressage World Cup in Germany, followed by another Podium Finish just 24 hours later, breaking your own Irish Record! Before we go into that, we would just like to ask you a few questions about your career with horses up to this point.
When did you first start to ride?
I started to ride age 5, in Calliaghstown Riding School – which was very close my home in Kilteel, Co. Kildare – with a group of friends from school. I was told that I fell asleep the first time I rode, so obviously I felt quite comfortable in the saddle from the off!
Who was your greatest inspiration and who did you train with through the years?
From the training side when I was young, my brother, my sister and I did a lot of Showing and working hunter classes. We had a couple of superb trainers at this time; they were Denise Norton, Diana Gilna and Jock Ferry. They were all wonderful horse men/women, and instilled in me a great foundation of not only riding, but also turnout, horse management and care.
Later on, before I moved to Germany, I trained with Gisela and Heike Holstein while in Ireland. When I moved to Germany I trained with our great Irish Rider Anna Merveldt and from there I progressed to training with Johann Hinnemann. I was lucky that the foundation was very good in the beginning, and that I met the right people at the right time, which was also very important.
Was becoming an International Dressage Rider always something you wanted to do?
It wasn’t really the plan, but once I started dressage, it very quickly fascinated me. The Relationship that develops between the horse and rider interested me right from the beginning. It’s amazing what you can teach a horse to do!
Also I am very Ambitious person, for example if I am playing a game with my nephews I want to win! My Husband Patrick is always telling me, ”Judy, you should probably let them win sometimes.” (laughs) . So because I am ambitious, it’s a natural progression that when I start to do something, I want to do it well. Obviously you can’t always win, that’s for sure, but the next time out, I will want to improve and do better, and that’s what makes us so successful at the moment.
Even after the fantastic results from the last couple of shows, I am happy, I am absolutely happy! However, there’s another part of me that is not so happy, because I know we can do more. I feel that becoming an International Rider has just been a natural progression, the result of constantly trying to improve on my previous performances.
This may be obvious, but I am going to ask it. Who has been that special horse in your career so far and why?
Obviously JP, he is definitely my Horse of a lifetime! Not only in terms of the success that we have achieved, what we’ve learned from each other, but also he has helped me promote Ireland as a serious Dressage nation. JP has made all of that a reality for us. Not only have we had great wins along the way, but he has shown me so much in terms of both training horses, and also myself.
When I first bought JP 10 years ago he didn’t have wow paces, like a massive trot or canter. I liked his energy and the feeling I got when I tried him a few times. Despite the lack of huge paces he has proven to me that through correct training, patience and just sticking at it, you can make great things happen. Plus you can make so much more out of the horse, than people would have believed possible. So that’s what I have to thank JP for.
Often people come to me and say, wow, you have proved what can be accomplished if you keep at it! For example JP had a poor Piaffe when he was younger, but looking a different training techniques and ways of doing it, we have really made something out of it, Piaffe is definitely one of our highlights now. This proves once again, that with patience and correct work, you can really make magic happen!
One other horse that comes to mind is my old schoolmaster Rathbawn Valet. When I first moved to Germany I didn’t have any experience at Grand Prix level. I was lucky enough that my parents were able to help me buy Rathbawn Valet. He knew much more than me about getting through a Grand Prix at that time and he was patient with my beginner mistakes, and shared his knowledge with me gladly. He was the one who really set me on the path to where I am now.
There were Highs and Lows at last year’s World Equestrian Games for you. You made History and were the first ever Irish Rider to reach the Dressage Freestyle Final, but the Weather got in the way. Can you tell us a bit about WEG 2018 and how it was for you and Vancouver K?
Yes WEG 2018 was a competition of Mixed Emotions. Tryon agreed to host it with 2 years to set it up which is less than usual. Going over there we had heard a lot of reports, and before we left we were aware that we would not be turning up to a completely finished venue. But we are Irish so we are used to getting on with things and making it work.
However the facilities for the horses were super from Day 1. The footing was great and the boxes were ideal, so we had no complaints from a horse point of view. By the time of the competition the builders had finished their job, but the weather was tricky; it was more of an influence than we had anticipated. The humidity was incredible and it definitely played a factor, but then again everyone was in the same boat.
I was quite disappointed with my Grand Prix ride, I was upset that I had let mistakes happen and that I had been the cause of a few of them. It was still a decent score at over 71% but I was aiming for better. After the ride, it took a couple of hours for me to get my head back in the game. My husband Patrick knows me better than I do myself and is really great at helping me stay level headed and focused. We took a look at what had gone wrong, what had gone right, and worked out our plan for the next round, the Grand Prix Special.
We prepared well, stayed focused and the Grand Prix Special was a great test. We were delighted, it was a Great High! Another high was learning that we had qualified for the Final! It was a great achievement for us, and we were over the moon, only to be told a couple of hours later that it may be cancelled. So it was on/off for about 24 hours, and it was a hard pill to swallow when it was finally cancelled, but there was nothing that could be done, it wasn’t our decision to make. Patrick says that we are current Joint World Champions.
Going on from WEG 2018 you had a very successful run over the Christmas Period in the Belgium World Cup. Tell us a bit about how the Competition went for you and how it felt to get that super score you achieved in the Freestyle to Music?
Mechelen was our first indoor show for almost 2 years. The indoor shows have a very different atmosphere, and feel like a very different world to the outdoor shows. JP was thoroughly excited to be back indoors, a little over motivated; he was very, very hot. But that’s the horse I know, and I am used to. I was just delighted to be back in the indoor circuit and we had a decent Grand Prix with lots of highlights but also some mistakes.
This was the first show where we had gotten to ride our New Freestyle Test. It’s always a little bit of an unknown, when you first ride the Freestyle in competition. I was pleased with how the test went. I straight away felt that it was a test that we would become very comfortable with and very confident in and that we would really enjoy riding.
The judges and the spectators seemed to really like the music and floor plan as well. We had some mistakes again that first day, but the good bits were still good enough to come very close to my existing personal best at that time. I knew that it could be an 80% scoring test, because even with those mistakes we got big points. I was confident that there was a lot more to come from our new Freestyle. So overall I was really pleased with the show.
You and Vancouver K have remained in top form in the recent weeks, at the World Cup in Amsterdam, another 5th place and then your tremendous performance in the Freestyle to music, breaking another Irish Record with a score of 80.29%! Tell us a bit about the show and how it felt to break that record?
In Amsterdam, I was delighted with the Grand Prix. It is without doubt the best Grand Prix test that we have ever done, it was better than Rio, and we always said that the Olympics had been our best Grand Prix ride!
So I was absolutely delighted with the Grand Prix. The score doesn’t always necessarily reflect that in Dressage, they score you slightly against what the trend is on that day. So your score may be slightly down, while you still had a better test than a previous time.
So many riders came up to us after the test and said that it was magic, and that they would have had us in 1st, which was so great to hear. That kind of acknowledgement from your fellow competitors doesn’t happen every day and is a special feeling. It would have been nicer to have got the win though. (laughs)
The Freestyle was also super and I knew from Mechelen that we were capable of getting some big points, which we did and we were thrilled with the result. It was also a fantastic achievement to break 80% for the first time as well!
Both You and Vancouver K were in Top Form again Last Valentine’s Weekend! You made history again with a Podium Finish in the Dressage World Cup in Germany. Can you tell us a bit about the competition and of course that super result?
JP was a bit spooky at the show on the first day, the big TV Screens above the centre of the arena were casting shadows at X, and he is a Jazz, so that did affect him in the Grand Prix. It meant that I had to be a little careful how I rode the changes and the other movements on the diagonal. But I was really pleased with how I rode and how he stayed listening to me despite the mean scary shadows.
You decided to make it a Double Date for Valentine’s, with a second Podium Finish for you both, in just 24 hours! This time in the Grand Prix Freestyle to music breaking your own Irish Record again, in less than 1 month! Can you tell us how the competition went for you and how you felt with that incredible score and result?
On the second day JP was much more settled, which allowed me to ride with much more confidence and risk a bit more in the Freestyle. We were more on the music than in previous rides and we were having fun in there.
I was so happy with the test and yes it was great to have a new record! As I said, I knew that this test was a test that we would enjoy and improve on. We were all on a high that weekend. It was great to get two podium finishes, but I am always aiming to improve on what we have achieved.
Prior to Valentine’s weekend the result of your recent successes has seen you rise 19 placings in the FEI Dressage World Rankings to 35th position! You must be over the moon with this achievement?
Yes, it’s great to be climbing the World Rankings again but when JP got injured in late 2017 we were 14th in the world. He was out of competition for almost a year and the time out had seen us plummet in the Rankings. It’s definitely back on an upwards trend now though and we are planning on keeping it there. The goal is to get back into the top 20 over the course of the next year. We are currently standing at 24th after latest rankings update.
Will you be competing at the remaining World Cup Show in the Netherlands and then on to the FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg in April?
Yes I will be heading to the Netherlands as any World Cup league points I might pick up will be important for qualification to the Final in April. Only the Top 9 Riders in the Western European League qualify, at the moment we are in 12th place.
Each Nation can only send 3 riders to the final, and there are currently five Germans ranked above me in the league so that means I am in the 9th qualifying position. We have missed some of the shows and it is possible for someone to overtake me in the last round, so we will go to s’Hertogenbosch to try and make sure that doesn’t happen and secure our place at the Final.
What are your plans for 2019 and the future, are you aiming for Tokyo Next Year?
Yes definitely. The main goal this year is to get a team to the Europeans in August and qualify the first Irish Dressage team for an Olympic Games. If we don’t mange to qualify a team there are some spots open for individuals.
From January to December this year my best four scores will count towards securing one of those individual spaces if needed. The World Cup Final and then the Europeans will have a huge role to play in getting to Tokyo next year, so 2019 is a very important year for us.
Different Question now, when you are setting out to find a new Horse, what do you look for in a potential Dressage Horse?
I personally don’t look at breeding, unless I am buying a foal. For me it’s all about the feel of the horse, when I ride it. I like a horse with character, and a good brain and a good attitude to work. I prefer a hot horse; I like them to be responsive. When, I ask my horses a question, I like to get an answer, even if it’s not the right answer, l like them to try. Also for me it’s a gut feeling that I get, that the horse is right for me. For example on paper JP is probably not a safe bet, his breeding has been called Crazy x Crazy! But I like crazy, crazy works for me.
Are there any rising stars in your stable yard that you are excited about?
Yes we have a couple of really interesting horses, we have a mare that is bred to showjump that I am excited about, along with a couple of others that are really promising. However, producing a dressage horse is such a long process, and you don’t always know if the horse will make it, until you start teaching some of the more difficult movements.
Last Question, if you had one piece of advice to offer any Young Equestrian Athlete Starting out, what would that be?
My Advice is to Work hard, Train Hard, and compete against people who are better than you are! It is a long process and you must stay patient and never stop believing!
My Advice is to Work hard, Train Hard, and compete against people who are better than you are! It is a long process and you must stay patient and never stop believing!
Judy Reynolds
Many thanks Judy for taking the time to talk to us here at Irish Sport Horse Magazine. Wishing you all the Best for 2019 and we are looking forward to seeing you take Irish Dressage, to New Heights in the Years to come.
This Equestrian Interview with Judy Reynolds was originally published in Irish Sport Horse Magazine March 2019.
Judy Reynolds was a Key Team member in the All Lady’s Irish Dressage Team that went on to Qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympics at the Europeans in Rotterdam 2019, making History in the process.