Rider profile
Name: Liron Barashi
Age: 14
Grade: 9 (2024)
School: King David Linksfield
Where do you ride: Waterfall Equestrian Estate
Disciplines: Showjumping, equitation, and soon dressage
Coach: Tamsyn Muller
Horses: Pohland’s Mahogany and Vesuvio Z
Horse profiles
Name: Pohland’s Mahogany
Nickname: Molly
Age: 6 years old
Size: 16.2hh
Disciplines: Showjumping
How long have you owned her: 3 months
Breed: Warmblood (Milan x Pohland’s Walpark)
What she loves: Jumping
What she hates: Flatwork and too many people around her
Something unique: She has a question mark on her face.
Name: Vesuvio Z
Nickname: Zizi
Age: 11 years old
Size: 15.3hh
Disciplines: Was jumping, but this year we are trying dressage!
How long have you owned him: Nearly 2 years.
Breed: Warmblood (Vesuvius x Alcatraz)
What he loves: Hacks and carrots
What he hates: When someone gives another horse carrots and not him, he gets very angry!
Something unique: He puts his ears back because he thinks it’s cute, but he will never bite.
HQ PONY: How did your journey with horses begin?
Liron: My family is not horsey, but I used to ride here and there when I was young. I then started riding properly about four years ago when my friend and I were both interested in horses. I had quite a few falls and when my friend had her first fall she quit; it just wasn’t her passion, but it is definitely mine.
HQ PONY: So what are your long-term plans with your horses?
Liron: My goals with my horses for this year are to have fun with them, hopefully go up the grades with Molly so we can both teach each other (we’ve just jumped our first 80cms together), and to have fun with Zizi, playing around with stuff at home. My long-term riding goal is to hopefully ride in the big grades one day – the 1.40-1.50m classes. Hopefully I can go up there with Molly, but only time will tell. Most importantly, I just want to have fun with them.
HQ PONY: You mentioned that you are going to be starting dressage with Zizi; how are you feeling about that? And, which discipline is your favourite and why?
Liron: I am definitely looking forward to doing a bit of dressage, as flatwork is the basis of showjumping. It will also be fun to have a bit of experience in more different disciplines!
Sometimes I do think dressage can be boring, but it gets very interesting as you move up the grades.
My favourite discipline is definitely showjumping, though. It teaches you patience, and that nothing ever comes quickly. You need to be so precise, and it really makes my mind work! it is also so much fun!
HQ PONY: You recently purchased Molly. How did that story come together, and do you have any tips for other young riders looking to find their perfect partner?
Liron: I went to PE to try Molly at EBB & FLOW stables, with Anthony Kay. I had a few horses that I was meant to try – about ten of them – and she was one of them. To be honest I didn’t even think I would like her, and I didn’t even want to try her! Luckily I did. She was the ninth horse I tried… Every horse before her, I hadn’t liked and I hopped off of them before even going over a jump! When I got on Molly I instantly fell in love. She was absolutely amazing, and I knew she was the one.
Regarding advice… go with your gut feeling; if you don’t like the horse that you are trying, just hop off and try the next one. Everything happens for a reason; it doesn’t matter if it’s the first horse you try, or the tenth horse. It’s all about what you feel; if you like the horse or love the horse or hate the horse, you are allowed to feel that way about different horses, so go with your gut feeling!
HQ PONY: What is something that each of your horses has taught you?
Liron: Zizi taught me how to sit bucks and bronks! He literally just drops his shoulder, and never comes back to you until you are off! Molly has taught me patience, and that you need to work for what you want to accomplish.
HQ PONY: Who are some of your inspirations?
Liron: My inspiration is definitely my coach, Tamsyn Muller, and a few people from overseas. But the main one is my coach!
HQ PONY: What is the best riding advice you’ve ever been given?
Liron: “Everything happens for a reason”, so be patient and know that everything is a part of the process.
You can give Liron a follow on Instagram to keep up to date with her progress with her two ‘ponies’: @liron_barashi_equestrian
