Ireland’s Judy Reynolds said tonight that she was delighted overall with her performances at the Olympic Games in Rio, despite finishing with a score well below her personal best in today’s Dressage Final.

The Irish rider scored 75.696% with Vancouver K in the Freestyle-to-Music finale, a long way short of her personal best and a score she has bettered in major competitions several times in the past 18 months.

She acknowledged that today’s effort had not been what she would have wished for, but felt her score might still have been better. “I thought it could have been a bit higher,” she told We Live Horse. “I’m a little bit disappointed with the score but delighted overall,” she said.

Reynolds said that getting to the Final had been her target from the outset. “That was my goal coming out here,” she said, adding that if there were to be mistakes she would rather make them at this late stage than have her Olympic campaign come to an end earlier in the competition.

Having clearly enjoyed the experience, the Irish rider was full of praise for the facilities and organisation at the Deodoro Equestrian Complex. “There were plenty of arenas and it was well maintained, and the stewarding was very good.”

The Gold Medal was won by Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro for the second time, with an Olympic Record score of 93.857%. “It was a fantastic performance,” Reynolds said of the winner. Silver went to German rider Isabell Werth who scored 89.071%, with another German rider Kristina Broring-Sprehe taking Bronze with Desperados on a score of 87.142%.

Reynolds leaves for Denmark tomorrow to assist a student competing in the Pony European Championships at Vilhelmsborg, while Vancouver K will say goodbye to Rio early on Wednesday morning. Mike Dunne