“I saw a horse at a fair and I fell in love. At five I was begging my parents for lessons. They thought I would quit but I didn’t. By the time I was eight I did my first rated show, in dressage, and gave up all other sports. I was so young when I started not a lot of trainers wanted to teach me. But when I found one who did she was a classical dressage rider. By the time I was 22 I quit my job and decided to see if I could become a professional rider. I told myself I would give it one year and see if I could make a go of it.”
There are many young girls who fall in love with horses but not many end up making it their career and riding at the Grand Prix level. But Micah (pronounced Mike-ah not Meek-ah) Deligdish did just that and now she is working toward making some big dreams a reality. I had a chance to speak with her just before she competed in the Grand Prix Freestyle . This winter she is competing at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival hoping to qualify as an individual for the World Cup which will be held in Las Vegas in April.
Who is her equine partner?
“I am riding Destiny at the International Grand Prix level. He is 17 years old and belongs to Diamante Farms. He is very energetic and we call him The Dragon! I also have Santos who is a 12-year-old Westphalian gelding. I have brought him up to the Grand Prix level myself and I will be showing him, in a National show, for his debut at Grand Prix.”
What about The Olympics in Tokyo 2020?
“We don’t have an Israeli dressage team going to Tokyo. There are only two of us that are dressage riders and that is not enough for a team. It is too hard to try to get spots as individuals in the Olympics. So, we are focusing on the World Championships in 2024. Our national equestrian federation is very supportive and we hope that we will have another Grand Prix rider by then and can have a team to represent Israel. But Israel does have a team in the jumpers for Tokyo. I believe this is the first time Israel has had a team in the jumping.”
Micah was determined to ride from the age of five. She is now determined that she will help to get Israel onto the world stage in Dressage. When I watched her compete in the Freestyle CDIW at Global, she got a 71 from the judge at C.
I would say she is on her way to riding for Israel on the World Dressage Stage. Kayn ein hora (Yiddish expression meaning “no evil eye” similar to “God willing”) there will be an Israeli Dressage Team representing their country at the World Championships in 2024.
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