BY CAROL COHEN HODESS WITH STEPHANIE PETERS PHOTOS GEORGE KAMPER
AT H O M E W I T H
ODED SHIMONI
O
The dressage master and his life partner are living “a dream come true.”
ded Shimoni is considered a dressage master, an honorific that is rooted in skill, respect, and dignity and earned over time. While many of today’s top riders have enjoyed the luxury of learning from dressage masters early on, riding in fine apparel and in manicured rings, Oded began his riding career in a public park in Tel Aviv, Israel, wearing jeans and sneakers. When he began in dressage, a unique sport in Israel at the time, he was 13 years old in a local, government-sponsored riding school led by an ex-policeman. He was taught about the importance of discipline in riding and about taking care of horses. Oded claims that within the first two weeks of riding, he knew that was what he was going to do for a living. His intuition was astute, and he went on to compete on the international stage, including three World Equestrian Games and continued on page 66 62 | E Q UE S T R I A N L I V I N G | FEB RUARY / MARCH | 2018