Dane Anson’s decisive win in the USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic-West at HITS Del Mar in California, July 25, certainly made people sit up and take notice. After three rounds that included a horse swap in the final test, the 15-year-old from Nanaimo, BC, claimed the victory and cemented his arrival in the big leagues by becoming the youngest rider ‒ and only Canadian ‒ to win in the prestigious class. His mount, seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Celestino, was also the youngest horse to win in the history of the Gladstone Classic.
Before getting his start in the show ring, Anson was certain he wanted to be a cowboy. “I have loved horses as long as I can remember, and I was always reading books about them and going to rodeos,” he says. “I didn’t even know other disciplines existed until I was older!”
He started riding in 2017 in Langley, BC, before the family moved to Vancouver Island the next year, where he began riding with Jenny Payne at Pyramid Stables. He quickly moved from local schooling shows to competing at Thunderbird Show Park, and in 2024 he made his first trip to the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California for the winter circuit.
To accommodate his show schedule, Anson now homeschools. “I switched to online school last year for Grade 10, because it was hard missing lessons and tests. It has been a game-changer, as now I can do school whenever and wherever and I have excellent grades as a result.”
Living on Vancouver Island means that Anson travels frequently for shows. When competing south of the border he trains and competes with Archie Cox and Karli Postel of Brookway Stables, and when he is home in BC, he travels and competes with Eliza Hunt at Obsidian Hunter/Jumper. During any downtime on Vancouver Island, Anson boards his horse and supplements his competition training with regular schooling from Payne, and receives weekend dressage training from Libby Naylor.
The logistics are enough to make one’s head spin, and Anson is grateful for those who make it happen. “Our horses love to come home to Nanaimo for downtime. It definitely takes a village and I am so grateful for everyone who plays a role in our success.”
(USHJA photo)
Anson’s partnership with his equitation horse, Celestino, is new ‒ it began as a catch ride during the last month of the Desert Circuit this year. The pair formed an immediate bond and the decision to purchase the horse has since proved to be a good one.
Celestino had been shown as a jumper in Europe before being imported and was new to the equitation division when the pair were introduced. “Each week together we bonded more and more and he just kept getting better,” remembers Anson of developing as a partnership. “He has the best brain and is willing to try anything I ask. He has progressed so much in such a short time and he has really blossomed with us.”
The Gladstone win was Anson’s first prestigious 3’6” equitation class, and he qualified through winning a USEF/Dover Medal class early in the season at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC. “I didn’t have any expectations to place well,” admits Anson, “I really just wanted to have a good round.”
Celestino shipped south to join Brookway’s home base for lessons in the weeks leading up to the show, and the team dialed-in some show ring experience by winning the second round of the CPHA Foundation 14&U Finals and the USEF/Dover Medal at The Oaks the week before the Gladstone Classic.
“It was helpful being down here a while before the Gladstone to get polished up and ready for the class,” Anson says. “I was definitely nervous, but not in a ‘wanting to win’ way, just general nerves. Thankfully, the class started early in the morning, so I didn’t have too long to sit and anticipate it.”
Anson scored a 90 in the first round to lead, and even with an unfortunate rail in the second round managed to stay on top going into the work-off. The top six riders swapped horses for the final test, where Anson kept a cool head under pressure to deliver the win.
“It was my first time swapping horses, so that I was a bit nervous for, but fortunately I swapped onto a great horse named Iggy Pop who was pretty straightforward and we clicked right away, which was an advantage. We only had 90 seconds and two jumps in the warm up ring, where I practiced some different paces to test adjustability. I was so excited when they announced the result and if you’d told me the day before that I was going to win this class, I would not have believed you!”
Competing mostly in the equitation classes unless the opportunity presents itself to catch ride in the junior hunters, Anson says the jumper ring may be in his future, but he is happy to spend the time developing his skills in the equitation ring.
“It is such a great stepping-stone into the bigger jumpers, and I’ve learned so much about riding more technical courses, preventing rails, being effective yet subtle, and how to stay out of the horse’s way.”
He has big goals for the future and is focused on qualifying for the major equitation finals. With a legacy behind him of great Canadian team riders who got their start in the equitation ring, it is a good path to follow.
“There are quite a few successful Canadians that have had an amazing equitation background. It is great to be able to look up to them and learn from them ‒ and I am hoping to follow in their footsteps.”
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