Dane Anson and Celestino Shine in the 2025 USHJA Gladstone Equitation Classic – West Presented by Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry University
Junior stars descended upon the HITS Del Mar Horsepark in Del Mar, California, for one of the most coveted weekends of the year, the 2025 Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – West. The first champion, crowned on Friday, July 25, was Dane Anson, 15, of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, who expertly navigated three phases of testing to claim the blue-ribbon honors in the 2025 USHJA Gladstone Equitation Classic – West, presented by Intermont Equestrian at Emory & Henry University.
The USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic is a three-round class that combines the precision of equitation and handiness of hunters over a course set at 3’6″. In the first round, 27 elite riders contested a classic hunter course designed by Scott Starnes. The field was then whittled down to the top 12, as those riders returned in reverse order of merit for the second round handy course. Finally, the top six returned for a test in which riders swapped onto each other’s mounts.
Anson led the way with Celestino after round one, scoring an impressive 90 from judges Connie Hunt and Sue Ashe. He maintained pole position through the handy round after earning a score of 84 for a two-round total of 174.
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