After three rounds of competition Friday at HITS Del Mar Horsepark, 15-year-old Dane Anson, of Nanaimo, British Columbia, claimed the 2025 USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic—West aboard Celestino. Taking reserve honors was Olivia Aul riding Iggy Pop, and rounding out the top three was Laura Jun on Casalito 4. 

“Our partnership started in the Desert Circuit [California] this year; I rode Celestino as a catch ride,” Anson said of his 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Coronet Obolensky—Zatendro). “We liked him so much, so then we bought him. He’s fairly new to equitation, so we just wanted to have some good rides today. Last week was his first medal final, and he won round two of the CPHA Foundation 14 and Under Finals. That was really exciting, and then today we won the Gladstone!”

Drawing 27 athletes from across the West Coast, the Gladstone Cup began with the classic hunter round, designed by Scott Starnes and judged by Connie Hunt and Sue Ashe. Anson set the tone early, delivering a commanding round that earned an untouchable score of 90. Close behind with a score of 88 was Laurel Piombo, of Nicasio, California, aboard R.K. Vincent Santa Monica. Aul, of Woodinville, Washington, scored 87 on her own Iggy Pop to sit third after the classic round. 

“I really liked the course, we were able to show off our strengths,” said Anson, who rides with trainers Karli Postel and Archie Cox. “I liked the inside turns in the handy round because my horse is pretty good at them, and the course helped him land all his leads, so I didn’t need to do any lead changes.”

With an 8-point spread separating the top contenders after the classic round, the top 12 riders returned for the handy round in reverse order of their standings, setting the stage for an exciting shake-up. Georgia Bass, of Sherman Oaks, California, delivered a strong performance to score 87 aboard her own Vivant, moving her into third place on a competitive two-round score of 171.5. Climbing to second place was Aul, who impressed the judges with an 85, bringing her overall score to 172. Holding steady at the top was Anson, whose consistent performance earned an 84 in the handy round and a final two-round score of 174 secured the lead heading into the horse swap.

Watch Anson’s handy round, courtesy of USEF Network, powered by ClipMyHorse.tv:

“It was my first time switching horses in a work off, and I was really excited, but a bit nervous because I didn’t want to mess up on someone else’s horse,” Anson said. “But it went really good. I was lucky to switch on Iggy Pop, which is a really good horse, and it all worked out well.”

As the competition moved into its final round, the top six riders were tasked with swapping horses and jumping a shortened course. First to go was Piombo, sitting in sixth place, who rode in on Golden Hour Z, owned and ridden by Gabriella Anzelc, from Shingle Springs, California. The horse swap not only changed their mounts but also the rankings, with Piombo finishing in fifth while Anzelc dropped to sixth overall. Next, Jun took to the course aboard Vivant, while Bass rode Jun’s Casalito 4. In this swap, Jun moved into third overall, with Bass following closely behind in fourth. The final pairings saw Aul and Anson switch horses, but despite the change, they held onto their respective positions, with Aul securing the reserve title and Anson finishing on top.

The Best Equitation Horse was awarded to Quathageno, ridden by Ella Dalton and owned by Dalton Equestrian, LLC.

For full results, click here.