[2][3] She was born in Miami, Florida, to Mona (an elementary school principal and teacher) and Irvin Goldstein (an accountant), and is Jewish.

[7] At the age of nine, she took jobs at horse barns and dog kennels as a way to pay for riding lessons.

"[16] In 1991, she suffered broken bones and nerve damage in her left foot as the result of a fall at a horse show.

[17] In 1992, a 1,200-pound (540 kg) horse fell on her at a show, opening a deep 12-inch (300 mm) cut on her back and breaking four of her ribs.

[9] At the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, she won a silver medal with the U.S. jumping team (riding Alvaretto).

[2][20][24][25] She set a record with most Grand Prix wins in a single season (11; on Saluut II).