Daliah Thill’s amazing dressage journey
Imagine being 15 years old and competing in Germany, representing Luxembourg at international dressage competitions, and still managing to keep up with school and play violin in an orchestra. Sound impossible? Not for Daliah Thill!
Daliah is proof that big dreams can come true if you work hard, stay passionate, and have the courage to take chances. Let’s find out how she went from reading horse books to riding on the international stage.
It all started with a book
Like many of us, Daliah’s riding dreams began with books. She loved Stacy Gregg’s horse stories and dreamed of becoming an eventer. She even had a specific goal: winning the Grand Slam in eventing!
But here’s where things got interesting. Daliah knew that to be good at eventing, she needed to be great at dressage first. So she started learning dressage as a way to improve her eventing scores. But the more she learned about dressage, the more she fell in love with it.
“Eventually the dressage started getting so cool and so complex that it got a lot more fun because you don’t just go round and round in circles—it’s a lot more than that. It’s precision, and you need to be a lot more in time, and it’s really fun, so then I just wanted to do dressage.”
Lesson #1: Sometimes the path to your dream changes, and that’s okay!
What makes dressage special?
For Daliah, dressage became more than just a sport. She loves the idea of perfect harmony, where you and your horse are so in sync that your aids are almost invisible.
“I want to get to where you use the slightest aid to do the movement, and it looks like you haven’t even done anything. I feel like it would be so cool to achieve perfect harmony.”
That’s the classical ideal of dressage, making everything look effortless while you and your horse work together as one. It’s a beautiful goal that keeps Daliah motivated every day.
Daliah’s horses
Huck Finn DB
Huck is a 14-year-old Hanoverian whom Daliah has been riding for two years. He’s the horse she competes on in South Africa.
“He is a big thickly built boy but he’s such a cutie pie. He loves getting attention. He’s so sensitive, and if you don’t do something a way he likes or if you repeat things too much, he throws small tantrums. He’s very picky, but he’s so adorable.”
Saratoga Sky Dancer
Even though dressage is her main focus now, Daliah still jumps! Her Warmblood mare Saratoga keeps her jumping skills sharp and gives her loads of confidence.
“She’s given me so much confidence in jumping or even overall. I feel like I can do anything on her. I’ve jumped an oxer with one hand with a bag of glass bottles in my hand and a St Andrew’s Cross bareback!”
Daliah has won two championships on Sky Dancer at the 90cm level – the Post-Derby Championships and the Easter Festival Championships.
Lesson #2: Every horse teaches you something different!
Training in Germany
Here’s where Daliah’s story gets really exciting. She wanted to compete at the European Championships, and to do that, she needed to train in Europe. With her coach Jesse’s help, she found an opportunity to train at Gut Römerhof in Düsseldorf, Germany with trainer Tara Schneider.
Now Daliah splits her time between South Africa and Germany. Can you imagine being 15 and living in two different countries? It’s not easy!
“Yes, it has been hard to manage time-wise, especially with school, because I have also gone to ride in Germany during school time. It has needed a bit of juggling but I am starting to figure it out.”
In Germany, Daliah rides two horses: O’Finley RB (a six-year-old who’s 17.2 hands tall—that’s huge!) and Bruno (a 16-year-old schoolmaster).
What’s different about training in Germany?
Germany is famous for dressage, and Daliah quickly noticed the difference in how they train there.
“The training culture in Germany is a lot more intense; they train a lot more, and they pay a lot more attention to detail and precision because they know that that is where you pick up those extra points for those higher marks.”
What has she learned?
Training overseas has taught Daliah so much more than just riding skills:
- How to work with different trainers who all teach differently
- Time management (juggling school and riding!)
- How to ride in freezing cold weather (it can be 0° in Germany—brrr!)
Lesson #3: Training abroad teaches you life skills, not just riding skills!
Competing in Europe
Shows in Europe are different from what Daliah was used to in South Africa. There are shows almost every weekend, and kids compete alongside adults! Sometimes there are 30 riders in a single class, and Daliah is usually one of the youngest.
The shows always have music playing and beautiful flower decorations. It creates a special atmosphere that makes competing even more fun.
Amazing achievements!
Daliah’s hard work has really paid off. Check out what she’s accomplished:
✓ She qualified to represent Luxembourg at international competitions!
✓ She scored 80% on O’Finley (that’s an amazing score!) and won the class.
✓ She scored 76% on Bruno in another competition
Those are seriously impressive results, especially competing in Europe where the competition is really tough!
The people who helped her succeed
Daliah couldn’t do this alone. She has an amazing team supporting her:
Her coaches
Jesse and Joe at Terrouges Equestrian have been with Daliah since she started riding at age seven. They’re still her main coaches, and they even ride Huck for her when she’s in Germany! She also works with coaches Natalie Hobday and Karen Keller in South Africa, and Tara Schneider in Germany.
Her family
Daliah’s family is super supportive. Her mum travels with her to Germany and goes to all her competitions. Her dad comes to watch whenever he can, both in South Africa and Germany.
“I’m very, very lucky to have such a supportive family. I’m lucky that my mum can come with me on all these riding trips to Germany and to the competitions.”
Lesson #4: Behind every successful rider is a great support team!
Staying motivated
With all the challenges – school, training in two countries, managing different time zones = how does Daliah keep going? Her answer is simple:
“It’s always been a big passion, and I’ve always loved it so much that it’s never really occurred to me to give it up because I enjoy it so much and I want to keep doing it.”
That’s the secret! When you truly love what you do, the hard work doesn’t feel like a burden. It’s just part of pursuing something you’re passionate about.
Life outside the saddle
Even with all her riding commitments, Daliah makes time for other interests. She plays violin (just like her mum!) and plays in an orchestra every week. She also plays chess regularly.
Dreams for the future
So what’s next for Daliah? She has clear goals:
Next year
- Qualify for FEI Junior level international competitions
- Maybe compete at the European Championships for Luxembourg
The big dream
When asked where she hopes to be in five years, Daliah doesn’t hesitate:
“One day I would love to represent Luxembourg at the Olympics. That is my dream goal.”
Lesson #5: Dream BIG! You never know what you can achieve!
What we can learn from Daliah
Daliah’s story shows us that amazing things are possible when you:
Follow your passion – Love what you do and the hard work becomes easier
Be open to change – She thought she’d be an eventer but found her true calling in dressage
Take opportunities – Training in Germany is hard, but she took the chance
Work hard on the details – Success comes from paying attention to the small things
Stay balanced – Make time for school, music, and other interests
Build a support team – Surround yourself with people who believe in you
Your turn!
Reading about Daliah’s journey should inspire you, but remember—your journey will be unique to you. Maybe you dream of dressage like Daliah, or maybe it’s showjumping, eventing, or something else entirely. Whatever your dream is, here are some questions to think about:
- What do you love most about riding?
- What are your riding goals for this year?
- What’s your big dream for the future?
- Who are the people supporting you on your journey?
- What can you do today to get closer to your goals?
Remember, every great rider started exactly where you are now, with a dream and a horse they loved. Daliah shows us that with passion, hard work, and the courage to take chances, incredible things are possible. So keep riding, keep dreaming, and who knows? Maybe we’ll be reading about YOUR Olympic journey one day!
Keep following your equestrian dreams!
