For years Ireland has been seen as a great country for producing top class horses. In fact, eager buyers flood our shores each year from around the globe, in their quest to buy an Irish Horse. Why? Because The Irish Horse is known for its courage, stamina, strength and of course its winning temperament.
Irish Riders were also seen in a positive light when it came to Showjumping or Eventing. However, somehow, when it came to dressage, Irish Riders and Horses alike seemed to trail the field.
Dressage a New Dawn
With the Introduction of an Irish Dressage Society which began in the 1980’s in Ireland, known today as Dressage Ireland; Irish Dressage and its Riders have gone from strength to strength. Dressage as a Sport in Ireland opened up a new Avenue for Riders who wanted to compete, but who did not want to jump and over the last 30 years its members have grown in both numbers and talent.
The culmination of all this hard work was in 2019 when the Irish Dressage Team made up of All Ladies, qualified our Small Nation for the Olympics, not only making history in the process, but both fulfilling and igniting the Dreams of Irish Dressage Enthusiasts. We had finally earned our place as a Team to compete against the World Elite, in one of the Most Prestigious Sporting Events in the World, The Olympics.
Covid 19 – Was it the End to Ireland’s Dressage Team?
Then along came the Covid 19 Pandemic, The world was put into Lockdown and The Tokyo 2020 Olympics postponed. Everyone’s hopes were dashed, but it was necessary to protect the population, so everyone just got on with it, and prepared for Tokyo 2021. I think I can speak for many of the Irish Dressage Followers in saying that, we were still all looking positively toward Tokyo 2021; after all we had a super team of Ladies, Judy Reynolds, Anna Merveldt, Heike Holstein and Kate Dwyer.
2021 – Ireland’s Dressage Team Begins to Crumble.
2021 Arrives with the Irish Dressage Community all hoping and praying that there would be an Olympics to take our minds off the endless Lockdowns. However, the first cracks appeared in the Irish Dressage Campaign, when unfortunately Judy Reynolds and her Team made the call to retire her wonderful horse Vancouver K. At 19 years old with all he had accomplished for both Judy and Irish Dressage, we couldn’t ask for more. All would still be OK, we still had 3 riders, Right?
Wrong! Because the 2nd and 3rd Cracks came, when Kate Dwyer was advised against Travel on Medical Grounds, followed by Anna Merveldt, was also unavailable for selection. This left Heike Holstein and Sambuca, as the last of the team members, left to compete as an Individual.
Hang on a minute, had any of our other Irish Dressage Riders achieved the Minimum Eligibility Requirements or MER for Tokyo 2020 in the Time Frame??
MER Requirements
“A minimum 66% must be attributed twice to the Athlete/Horse combination by both a 5* star judge and as an average from all judges in the competition, and the score must be achieved in a Grand Prix test at two different CDI3*/CDI4*/CDI5*/CDI-W/CDIO events. The two 5* judges must be of a nationality other than of the Athlete. Scores achieved in Preliminary or Consolation Grand Prix classes judged by three Judges do not count towards the minimum eligibility requirement. Athletes and Horses must obtain the MER at events which take place from 1 January 2019 until the MER Deadline included.”
Excerpt from the FEI Memo on Qualification Standards for the Discipline of Dressage at the Tokyo Olympics. Full Document Here>>
The Answer my dear Equestrian Friends is, Yes They Had!
Ireland has 2 other Irish Dressage Rider/Horse Combinations that have achieved the MER in the time frame. These athletes are Dane Rawlins and Espoire and James Connor and Casino Royale. The Irish Dressage Community breathed a sigh of relief. Well we did until……Horse Sport Ireland announced that they wouldn’t be sending a team.
A Decision that Divided an Equestrian Community.
In a statement on 21st of June 2021 The High Performance Director for the Dressage Team, Johann Hinnemann advised the HSI Board, that as several of the key members of the Irish Dressage Team that had Qualified for the Tokyo Olympics were no longer available for selection, he had found that the other combinations available had not achieved The High Performance Directors Criteria, and therefore could not be selected. Meaning Ireland could not field a Dressage Team, as a Minimum of 3 Riders is required.
**I will make a note here, HPD Criteria is obviously higher than that of Olympic Qualification in this case.
I post a number of questions to You and here goes;
- Why is HPD Criteria Higher than that of Olympic Qualification?
- Do You Believe it’s the Duty of Horse Sport Ireland to Field a Dressage Team on the Olympic Qualification Requirements?
- Do You Believe Sending an Irish Dressage Team with 3 Riders with the MER is a Positive Step for Irish Dressage?
If you answered yes to all 3 you are not alone, I can tell you now, that I believe that Fielding an Irish Dressage Team at the Tokyo Olympics is a very Positive Step for Irish Dressage. In my opinion, it marks the beginning of next phase of the Dressage Evolution here in Ireland. It will inspire our younger generation of Dressage Riders, as Judy Reynolds so eloquently put it herself;
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
An Irish Dressage Team at the Tokyo Olympics will not only be a learning experience for the riders and horses, but for all those involved. When we learn, we can improve, and by competing against the World’s Best in our Chosen Sport we will raise our game. Sure things don’t always go to plan, but we must be inspired and as Judy put it “Never Stop Believing!
The Olympics is not just about Winning, the Olympics is about training to achieve a standard, it’s about competing against the best in your sport, it about raising your game, it’s about the challenge, fulfilling a Goal, a Dream, a Lifelong Ambition, and it’s about inspiring the next generation as Les Brown says, to “Shoot for the Moon, because Even if you miss, you will land among the Stars”
What Happens Now & How Can You Help
Well as it stands, Dane Rawlins and James Connor have appealed the decision of Horse Sport Ireland, and legal costs are mounting. We are still awaiting a decision from the OFI on whether they will be sending a qualified Team to Tokyo, and as of the time of this writing only Heike Holstein and Sambuca will be competing for Ireland. If you are a Dressage Lover and would like to help, share their story on Social Media with the slogan #letthemride.
We wish Dane and James all the Best and we are still living in the hope that they will be allowed to Compete for Ireland in Tokyo. The window of opportunity is closing, so please spread the word.