Celebrations Abound and Final Champions Are Crowned on Last Day of 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championships Presented By HorseShow.com

Small but mighty: pony "Donar's Diablo" won the CDS Training Level Open Horse of the Year title, with rider Kelly Phillips and owner Kim Crandall. (Photo: Jennifer M. Keeler)

Final championship ribbons were presented Sunday in Burbank, CA for the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com, held in conjunction with the CDS Young Horse Futurity (including the Cal-Bred Futurity), the GAIG/USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships, and the GAIG/USDF Breeders Championships West Coast Series Final. In an event which organization officials report as the largest championship show in CDS' 45-year history, riders, owners, and spectators enjoyed four days of spectacular dressage, camaraderie from across the region, and special anniversary celebrations marking four and a half decades of CDS service to its members and the sport. Having spent the summer in Europe for the 2012 Olympic Games, U.S. Team and CDS member Jan Ebeling still made time to come to the Championships, an event which he has attended for more than twenty years. "The CDS Annual Show is always a very prestigious occasion, and this year I was most impressed because of how large a show it turned out to be," said Ebeling, who coached three students with four horses over the weekend.

"They worked all year to get here, they all did really well, and are very happy. We had a great time." Mackinzie Cameron traveled south to Burbank from Santa Cruz to attend her very first CDS Championship Show, and in addition to winning three championship titles with her horse "Damian DG", she was thrilled with her experience and the atmosphere.  "I've had such a good time here," Cameron said. "Everyone involved with the show has been so welcoming and encouraging, and it's been a great experience for both me and my horse." Trainer Karen Ball of Coto de Caza, CA brought six students to the show, which was her 15th CDS championship. "We were super happy with this show, and for several of my students it was their first time," she noted."It's always one of the highlights of our year."

With bragging rights, perpetual trophies, and thousands of dollars in prize money on the line, competition for CDS Horse of the Year awards on this last day of the championships remained intense. D'Re Stergios of Petaluma won her second Adult Amateur Grand Prix class of the weekend, this time claiming the CDS Horse of the Year title and the Rubinstein Memorial Trophy with her Oldenburg gelding "Johnny" (68.723%). The Pelton Family Trophy for Open Intermediaire II was awarded to Carolyn Adams of Pleasanton, CA riding her Hanoverian stallion "Winterprinz" (70.066%), while in the Adult Amateur division, Dani Judy of La Mesa, CA rode her Oldenburg partner "Antaeus" to the blue ribbon with a score of 63.947%. During afternoon freestyles, Echo Casale (Trabuco Canyon, CA) was triumphant at First Level with her American Warmblood "Abeta Storm" (68.333%), while the Second Level win went to the Bulgarian gelding "Apel", earning a score of 73.917% with rider/owner Anne Howard of Ben Lomond, CA. Tigger Wright made the trip from Oakland, CA worthwhile by winning the De Medici Perpetual Trophy for Third Level Freestyle with Cynthia Rowland's Friesian mare "Hilde Fan't Alddjip" (69.500%).  

In a fight for the CDS Open Training Level Horse of the Year honors, "Donar's Diablo" proved that size doesn't matter as Kim Crandall's half-Welsh pony gelding topped the field on an overall score of 71.734%, winning the Peter and Bonnie Lert Perpetual Trophy with rider Kelly Phillips of Fallbrook, CA. From a field of twenty Adult Amateurs contesting Training Level, once again emerging victorious was Mackenzie Cameron riding her four-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding "Damian DG", winning both rounds of competition for a total average of 70.661% to claim the Melissa Creswick Perpetual Trophy. The Full Cry Perpetual Trophy for Adult Amateur First Level  was awarded to Janet VerPlank (Fairfield, CA) who swept both classes in her division with her Dutch Warmblood gelding "Baronchelli" to finish on an overall score of 69.373%. Nancy Szakacs of Hollister and her Westfalen gelding "Rudi Regali" were the strongest performers in the Adult Amateur Second Level division, winning the Two-Tone Malone Trophy on an overall score of 68.247%. Adult amateur rider Yvette Diuri of Rancho Santa Fe, CA scored her second decisive victory in two days at Third Level with a score of 70.927% to win the Stanford Dressage Club Trophy with her Dutch Warmblod gelding "Winsome", while Susan Halasz Martin of Simi Valley and Karen Drown's Oldenburg mare "Natasha" took home the Judith Elias Perpetual Trophy for CDS Open Third Level Horse of the Year with 71.335%. Wrapping up the CDS Horse of the Year classes was Adult Amateur Jacqueline Real-Salas, who with her own Oldenburg gelding "Rustringer" earned 66.740% to top their Fourth Level division and take the Fox Run Perpetual Trophy home to Temecula, CA.

GAIG/USDF Region 7 Championships also concluded today, with titles awarded at First, Third, Fourth, and Intermediaire I levels, as well as for Young Riders.  In a highly-competitive Open First Level Championship, the top eight horse/rider combinations scored over 70 percent; but ultimately emerging victorious was Julia Mineikis of Reno, NV riding her own Oldenburg gelding "Felix" to a top score of 76.048%. Juniors and Young Riders contested both First and Third Levels, with the Hanoverian gelding "D'Esprite" carrying Chelsea Peroni of Wilton, CA to win with 66.290% at First Level, while Kalynn Harrington of Agoura Hills, CA followed up on Thursday's freestyle championship with another victory at Third Level with Elly Schobel's American Warmblood "Raison D'Etre" (66.795%). Louise Koch of Westlake Village, CA, riding her own Westfalen stallion "San Shivago", added another accomplishment to their roster by winning the Open Fourth Level Regional Championship on a score of 71.438%, while Jacqueline Real-Salas won her second championship of the day with "Rustringer", scoring 70.938% to win the Adult Amateur class. In the Open Intermediaire I division, San Diego's Rebecca Rigdon rode her elegant Holsteiner mare "Solei" to the win with 71.776%, while in the Adult Amateur division, Elizabeth Keadle of Rancho Santa Fe, CA added a Regional Championship title to yesterday's CDS Horse of the Year victory by earning a score of 71.842% on her Rheinlander gelding "Rower Be". Mackinzie Pooley of Coto de Caza, CA finished off her weekend with another victory, this time with her NAYRC partner "Brigadier" (Oldenburg gelding owned by Deena Smith) in the he Young Rider Team Test Championship (65.197%).  Ryan Bell of Rancho Mirage, CA rode his own Hanoverian gelding "D'Aristocrat" to win the JR/YR Intermediaire I Region 7 Championship on a score of 61.184%. Finally, In the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Semi-Final (13 and under division), Taite Hylton of Los Angeles rode "Pink" to victory with a score of 79.000%. Bryce Quinto (Studio City, CA) also earned a ticket to next year's Medal Finals in Colorado by winning the 14-18 division with "Karenin" on 75.000%.

Complete results and event coverage for the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com is available on the CDS website, www.california-dressage.org.