No Olympic gold for Romney horse

By Alicia M. Cohn - 08/07/12 10:11 AM ET

Rafalca, the dressage horse co-owned by Ann Romney, performed for the second time at the Olympics in London on Tuesday, but didn't score high enough to continue to the individual dressage final.

Ann Romney, wife of presumptive GOP nominee for president Mitt Romney, was on hand in the VIP section to give Rafalca a standing ovation. Rafalca's rider is co-owner Jan Ebeling.

Romney told CBS SportsRafalca's performance was "wonderful."

"She was elegant and consistent again," Romney said. "We just love her."

Rafalca and Ebeling earned a 70.213 score on Thursday and 69.317 on Tuesday. The pair needed to be in the top 18 to advance, but their score did not earn them a place, according to CBS Sports and The Associated Press.

Ebeling told reporters after the event that he is happy the Romneys have brought so much attention to the sport, but pushed back on criticism that the sport is "elitist" or extravagant. 

"In my sport there's money, but in any sport there's money. You can't say it's an elitist sport at all. I have wonderful clients who support me and want me to succeed," Ebeling said. "If one kid picks up the sport and makes it all the way to the top, to the Olympics, I will have done my job."