Simone and Tzuriel, the world challenge of a young Florentine Jew equestrian

Simone Zaraffi, a 30 years old horse rider who represents the Israeli national team since 2020, at the end of this week will debut at the World Breeding Championships for Young Horses which will take place in Lanaken, Belgium. The qualification came thanks to an excellent result obtained in a recent race. In that competition he will be riding Tzuriel, a five-year-old horse. Its name in Hebrew means “The Lord is my rock”.
Attending the World Cup is a great achievement for Zaraffi, the only Israeli who qualified, and has many admirers in Italy and in the Florentine Jewish community which has seen him growing up with this great passion since he was a kid. Among his main challengers are the Belgian hosts, but also Dutch and Germans. “We will have to fight”, he said.
We asked him what is the most exciting moment for a rider, besides jumping. He replied: “When I enter the competition area. There is everything there, a condensation of various moods: concentration, adrenaline, tension, desire to do well. And a thousand other sensations that I cannot describe. That’s what I’ve always wanted”. Lanaken is a reward for the many sacrifices made along the way. And maybe the starting point for something even more significant.
a.s