TAKING the Sport Ireland Rio Review 2016 as something of a road map to Tokyo shows that much needs to change for the better if Irish riders are to have any real chance of climbing onto the 2020 Olympic podium. Starkly, Ireland’s main equestrian performances at Rio were bascially summed up as “below expectation” and “disappointing” while the efforts of dressage finalist Judy Reynolds and Jonty Evans in individual eventing were rightly singled out for “exceeding their targets”.

Reading the Review, and noting what it says, it’s clear to see much work needs to be done in terms in the key areas of involvement and communication, individual rider support and rolling out high performance team strategies.