International showjumper Dani G Waldman (nee Goldstein) is stepping back from competition – and has sold two of her top rides.
Dani – recognisable by her colourful hair feathers – has represented Israel at world and European Championships and was a regular on the Global Champions Tour.
Last month she was competing in France and Germany with a string of horses, but on 27 May she announced she was stepping back from competition.
Dani said she loves fashion, food, and travel, and was taking a break from the sport “for a while to carve a new path”. Dani is no stranger to fashion and standing out from the crowd, as well as matching her hair feathers to the Israeli flag at the 2019 European Championships, that year at the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) final in New York she wore a black lace show jacket that she had designed.
“My identity has been shaped so heavily by one overriding element for almost 30 years — that I’m a professional showjumper.” she said.
“It has been a tremendous journey but a person isn’t just one thing and it’s time I fully explore my other passions. Horses will always continue to be a part of my identity but for now, my identity is evolving and I’m owning my truth by following my heart.
“Every new journey has a jumping off point. It’s time to experience new adventures. I can barely contain my excitement with so many new possibilities in front of me as I open a new chapter in my life,”
Dani has enjoyed a successful career across the globe, most notably with the much-loved British-bred mare Lizziemary, who was previously ridden at the top level by Billy Twomey. Dani and Lizziemary competed at the 2017 and 2019 Europeans and the 2018 World Equestrian Games, and picked up many grand prix wins, including the LGCT grand prix of Shanghai in 2019. Lizziemary was retired from competition in 2021, and at the time Dani paid tribute to the mare saying she had “made her life”.
Dani’s other top rides include the stallion Queensland E – who Dani took to the Tokyo Olympics, although the pair did not start – Happy Girl, and Katinka Dree Boeken.
This week Dani announced Queensland E and Katinka Dree Boeken had been sold.
“I officially say goodbye to ‘E’ and ‘Tinka’ as they venture off to their respective new homes. It has been a wonderful journey and an honour to finish this chapter with both of them by my side,” she said.
“E, you took me all the way to the Olympics and I am forever grateful. And Tinka, the satisfaction and joy I got from developing you into an international champ — I will never forget it. I wish you both luck and success in the future!”
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