Mexican equestrian Daniela Moguel has always been a trailblazer. As a talented young rider growing up in Mexico City, she was interested in eventing but had exhausted the competitive opportunities in her native country. Rather than give up, she moved to the U.S. to train with some of the best, including Joy Pharr and Karen O’Connor.

Danny later returned home to Mexico to form a successful training business but found that reaching the top levels of the sport as a rider would require splitting her time between Mexico and the United States. Under the tutelage of Karen O’Connor, Danny competed as the first rider from Mexico to compete at the CCI5* level.

Danny and her mare Cecelia represented Mexico in 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada as the only woman and civilian on the team, and later as the only Mexican rider for both the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games at Tryon International Equestrian Center and then the 2022 FEI World Championships in Rome. Danny is a familiar presence in Kentucky, as well, having ridden in six Rolex Kentucky/Land Rover Three-Day Events over the years 2016 to 2023. Danny and her husband, show jumper and 2* eventer Zully Castrejon, finally made the move to the U.S. and formed a flourishing training and sales business in Shelby, North Carolina called Eventing Da’Zull, which they later relocated to Ocala, FL.

Daniela Moguel and Cecelia (MEX). Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

By 2024, Cecelia had just retired, and her current string of horses were too green to compete at the higher levels. Dani was yearning for a new challenge. When she and Zully came across a Facebook ad from the Cambodian Federation seeking coaches to conduct a 10-day clinic for their eventing and show jumping teams, her interest was piqued.

“Zully said ‘What do you have to lose? Send your resume!’ and soon after we were on a Zoom meeting with the Federation,” Danny said. “I was a bit suspicious, thinking it might be a scam, but then I was able to confirm that Her Royal Highness Princess of Cambodia Nanda-Devi Norodom was organizing the team.”

“The Princess told me that she loved horses because of her grandfather, the previous king,” Danny remembers. “She explained that Cambodia had gone through a horrible history of genocide and war, and now that they were at peace it was a good time to start growing and healing from all that pain. She said, ‘I need to give something back to my country, something good and positive.’” The Princess’ daughter, Amrita, is an avid rider but she wanted the other members to represent disadvantaged backgrounds who couldn’t participate otherwise.

After conducting the clinic, Danny and Zully were invited to move to Cambodia as the team’s official coaches for one year, and they accepted. “We had to rush to sell horses, move clients around, and prepare the big move within only a month, including our three dogs!” They left their Ocala farm in the hands of their friend and amateur equestrian Ann Taylor.

Danny began coaching the Cambodian National Equestrian Team in April, preparing them for the 2025 Southeast Asian Games which will be held in Thailand this December. The Southeast Asian Games feature the primary three equestrian disciplines: dressage, jumping and eventing. The eventing will run at approximately Training/Modified level, as a comparison to U.S. levels. The three riders who are aiming for the Games will represent Myanmar, Singapore, and Cambodia.

The team trains at the Genius Resort Equestrian Center in Phnom Penh, managed by its owner affectionately known as “Yaya.”

The Cambodian equestrian team members who will compete this December are Princess Amrita Norodom, 17; Rothanak Kong, 19; and Menglong Rinda, 21. “Princess Amrita is the spark that started it all. She represents the bridge between the world of elite equestrian sport and Cambodia’s culture, community, and traditions,” Danny shared. “Rothanak comes from a humble background and is a full-time student, but still shows up for training every day while also working a job to support his mom.

Menglong, known as ‘Long,’ is the son of Cambodia’s only horse veterinarian, and has left school to pursue riding full time.” The team’s mounts are sport horses generously provided by the Thailand Equestrian Federation and otherwise sponsored and supported by Yaya; Danny and Zully are additionally retraining former racehorses from Hong Kong for the team to ride, and Yaya’s own horses are also a part of the team.

“Even though none of the riders were born during the war, they are all affected by the results of it,” Danny pointed out. “Everyone’s goal for this is to help make the world look at Cambodia with different eyes.”

Danny admits that there can be language and cultural difficulties when coaching in another country, but she’s worked through those challenges with the team. “Princess Nanda has become a wonderful friend and has helped us learn to navigate these differences. Being here has reminded us how blessed we are, the value of resilience, and the importance of perspective.”

She also credits Zully and his supportive, adventurous spirit for their Cambodian experience: “This never would have happened if I wasn’t with Zully—he has helped make it possible.”

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The Princess has asked Danny and Zully to stay on as the team’s trainers for another year after the Southeast Asian Games in December, an offer they are considering. Whether or not they remain, Danny says she is grateful for her Cambodian coaching experience and is motivated to continue her trailblazing efforts to improve accessibility to equestrian sports.

“Here in Cambodia, I’ve seen how every student you touch, you make them a hundred percent better. Your impact here is on a completely different scale. You’re teaching them to ride, but you’re also giving them a different way of seeing life.”

To follow along with Danny and her Cambodian travels, follow her on Instagram here and the Cambodian Equestrian Federation on Facebook here.