Sarah Mason of Danville, Calif., topped a strong group of young riders to win the FEI division of the California Dressage Society Northern Junior Championships on her Celestin. She won all three of the classes, Aug. 11-14 in Rancho Murieta, Calif., with an average score of 67.06 percent.

“Those rides were the first three solid rides that I’ve ever had on him in the two years that I’ve owned him,” said Mason with a smile. “Because he’s so big [17.2 hands], and he does have a lot of different ‘gears’ and stuff, he’s a pretty difficult horse to ride. It took me a while to get the hang of him.”

Celestin, a 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, hadn’t had a lot of show experience when Mason bought him from Kathy Priest, and it took him a while to become confident in the show ring. Mason takes clinics with Dennis Callin of North Carolina, and Callin found Celestin for her.

“Sometimes we go down that centerline, and he kind of tunes me out,” said Mason with a laugh. “Then I’m fighting through the whole test, trying to get him to listen to me again. So those usually aren’t the smoothest tests that we have. Every single day at the championships he got better. I think that was the thing I was happiest about.”

Celestin has lots of different tricks to get out of work. “He’s never really bad, but he’s definitely strong. He gives me a run for my money sometimes,” Mason said. “I literally have to ride every single stride on him. He doesn’t give you anything. It teaches you to ride!”

Celestin scored 65.00 percent in the Young Rider Team test, 65.75 percent in the Prix St. Georges and 70.56 percent in the freestyle. Creeky Routson of Wild Ride in Walnut Creek, Calif., created Mason’s free-style. She rides to “Kiss From A Rose” for her canter work, “It Had To Be You” for her trot work, and music from the movie Independence Day for her walk.

One of Mason’s favorite parts of the championship was spending time with all her friends, especially the girls in her young rider classes. “We’ve all gotten really close from trying out for [the North American Young Riders Championships], and they’re a really great group of girls,” she said. “It’s fun competing with each other and cheering each other on.”

Mason has been riding dressage since she was 7, with trainer Nadine Pestana of Livermore, Calif. She’s now 18, and will be starting classes at the University of California, Davis, in September. Celestin is accompanying her to school so that she can continue competing in the Region 7 young rider classes.

Strahan Has LotsTo Celebrate

Roxanne Strahan turned 13 on Aug. 15, and she celebrated by winning the fourth level championship at the CDS Southern Junior Championships on Aug. 27-28 in Burbank, Calif.

Strahan rode her family’s Hanoverian stallion Mister A (by Matcho). Mister A, now 21 years young, was trained to Grand Prix when he was standing at Celle (Germany). He was imported by the owners of Spruce Meadows (Canada) and purchased by the Strahans at Creek Hollow Ranch in Ramona, Calif., five years ago. Strahan started riding him a year and a half ago.

A heat wave hit Burbank in time for the championships, and Strahan started out riding Mister A conservatively in her third and fourth level tests on Saturday. The stallion was a little tired that day after “bouncing around like a 2-year-old” when she brought him to the show grounds on Friday. She didn’t want to push him in the heat, and she had some mistakes in her trot half passes.

“Sunday’s tests were much better,” said Strahan. “I figured out that he had survived the first day perfectly fine, so I could push him a little harder. My third level test was all right. My fourth level test was the last one so I pushed him extra hard, and we had a pretty good test.”

Strahan thought her first ride–third level, test 2 on Saturday–and her last ride–fourth level, test 3 on Sunday–were best.

“They were the most energetic and through,” she said. “My biggest problem was just keeping him energetic. He likes to do his halts a lot earlier. He’d rather halt at L instead of at X where he’s supposed to. He’s kind of lazy about it. I think he’s just trying to make me work!”

Strahan said sitting the trot is especially challenging since she is 5’1″, and Mister A is a solid 16.1 hands. “So when he’s doing the half pass and shoulder in I can sit his trot pretty well because he’s bent. But trotting around getting from some place to another place–then that’s the hard part.”

The awards ceremony was Strahan’s favorite part of the show. “The victory lap was very fun,” she said. “He has a huge trot and trotting out [of the ring] with the music–that was a blast!”

Strahan has been riding since she was 2. She had a pony for two years and then graduated to a National Show Horse mare, which she still rides. She had only ridden at first level before riding Mister A. With all that she’s learned from him, she’s been able to train her mare to third level. Strahan rides with her mother, Suzan Strahan, who competed with Mister A at Intermediaire I before Roxanne started riding him.

A Family Passion

Kim Dobin of Moorpark, Calif., won the third level championship at the CDS Southern Championships on the 10-year-old, Westphalian mare Passion with an average score for the two tests of 64.82 percent.

“Saturday was my best day,” said Dobin. “I had such a wonderful ride on her in third level, test 2. She and I really worked well together. I was able to ride through the movements very accurately and precisely. I was very thrilled with that, and just that ride alone was probably my favorite part of the show. Working with Passion is a dream for me.”

Sunday’s heat tired the mare a bit. “But she held it together for me. She was a good trooper, and she was definitely in the working mood this weekend. She was doing everything that she could do to help me win that championship.”

Dobin admitted that Passion isn’t the easiest horse to ride. “Passion has a good heart and she loves to work, but she’s extremely sensitive and very hot,” she said. “She makes me work for sure. She’s fun to ride because when she’s on and she’s listening, she’s a dream.”

Dobin’s grandmother originally imported Passion from Europe for Dobin’s sister two years ago. Dobin started riding the mare nine months ago when her sister got pregnant. At the time she was riding her Thoroughbred at second level.

“My sister and my grandmother havebeen really kind,” said Dobin. “They’ve seen the hard work that I’ve done working with Passion. They said that I’ve done such a fabulous job with the mare they’re going to let me show her and enjoy the ride while I can.”

When she started riding Passion, Dobin went to work for trainer Maria Lynn Dickerson in Moorpark as her working student. She also grooms for trainer Jodie Cressman and attends college part-time.