Tryon, NC – May 1, 2019 – Israeli Grand Prix dressage rider Micah Deligdish and the 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, Destiny, kicked off their competition career with a bang both in a national show and CDI competition in April. After Deligdish picked up the ride on Diamante Farms’ Destiny (Diamond Hit-Midt-West Regina, Rubinstein), the pair made its Grand Prix debut in the national ring during the Gold Coast Dressage Finale in Wellington, Florida. Their standout performance earned the pair an impressive score of 69.674 percent and third place out of 16 entries.
“I was absolutely thrilled with my competition debut with Destiny,” Deligdish explained. “With any new partnership it takes time to develop a relationship in the ring and I could not have ask for a better beginning. I am very grateful to my entire team, Nicholas Fyffe, Devon Kane and Diamante Farms for their support and coaching.”
The following week the pair made the trip to Tryon, North Carolina, where the talented 27-year-old athlete cantered down centerline for her first CDI at the Grand Prix level. Despite the rainy weather at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, Deligdish and Destiny were able to shine bright, putting in strong performances as they competed in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special in the Tryon Spring Dressage I CDI3*.
In the Grand Prix CDI3*, Deligdish and Destiny continued to gain experience in the ring together and scored a 63.5 percent, despite uncooperative weather causing a rain delay before their ride. They returned to the George H. Morris Arena for the Grand Prix Special CDI3*, improving from their earlier score to earn a 65.489 percent and place fourth place in the competitive class.
“It was a really fun and educational weekend in Tryon,” Deligdish said. “We rode a great Special, a test I had never ridden before, and we had a blast. There were a few expensive mistakes, but we are still getting to know each other and have a lot of room for improvement. I’m looking forward to smoothing out different aspects of the test and improving our performance as the summer goes on.”
Looking forward to gaining more international Grand Prix experience with Destiny, Deligdish’s next stops will be the Kawartha Spring Classic CDI3* and the Ottowa Dressage Festival CDI3* in Canada before continuing on to Germany for the remainder of the summer with the goal of representing Israel at the European Championships.
