Lyle and Giraldo live Olympic dream

Abi Lyle and Giraldo during their incredible test at the Olympic Games. Pic: Thomas Holcbecher

Star of the Co Down overcomes emotions to produce on biggest stage

Abigail Lyle already felt like a winner by becoming an Olympian but the Banbridge athlete admitted that she had to win a battle with her emotions beforehand before combining with the equine love of her life, Giraldo for an excellent score of 69.441 in the Dressage Individual Grand Prix in Paris today.

Lyle and the 13-year-old gelding known as Arty by a team that includes Lyle’s fiancé and Giraldo’s groom Mark McVicar, were almost foot perfect in the course of an excellent routine to finish sixth in Group B.

And while that was not enough to progress to Sunday’s final, the diminutive Co Down rider was buoyant afterwards.

“I had expectations and my expectations were incredibly low,” Lyle admitted. “I wanted a comfortable, happy horse to do himself proud and take him home to look after him for the rest of his life.

“So here we are, with an amazing ride as well and I can’t even fathom it. We both went into some kind of weird zone. My fiancé is my groom and I knew he would be able to stay with me until the last minute so I asked him to remind me to stay with Arty, to not let him have to do it himself in there – and that was it.”

Asked about the emotions of competing in her first Olympic Games, Lyle admitted that they were likely to spill over as she came out of that aforementioned zone.

“I’m going to bawl when I get back to the stables to see him. I’ve been emotional for days. It’s been a wild ride of feeling overwhelmed and then excited and nervous but I’ve just been trying to remind myself how lucky I am to have a horse like that and he’s been.

“And I’ve got these amazing people that have been with me for this whole journey and they’re with me now. And even on social media, people are so lovely and I’m so grateful.

“Everything went according to plan, maybe with the slight exception being the halt, but the main content of the test, I was delighted with.”

When asked to describe Giraldo, Lyle was more than happy to list his countless virtues.

“To handle him, he’s so polite. He would never get in your space.

“I’ve had him since he was four. He’s completely perfect in every way! He’s sweet, he’s sensitive. He just wants to please but he’s very much like me, he’s an internal worrier so I have to remember that. I have to get myself out of that to help him. I have to be like, ‘Hey, it’s okay.’

“I often wonder, is it me? We’ve been together nine years. Has he picked it up from me? We’re figuring it out together.

“He’s very good in an atmosphere. I knew I could trust him and that he wasn’t going to get overwhelmed and that they’d be fine if they were clapping.”

And Lyle has relished the overall experience.

“I’ve been just walking around, getting a coffee. It’s unbelievable. I’m a 39-year-old equestrian so it’s one way to definitely make you feel old walking around the Olympic Village. There’s all these tall athletes and they’re just pure muscle and I’m like, ‘I ride horses!’ Yeah, it’s class.”