Hard work pays off

Nicole Walther
Oct 15
4 min read

Qualifying for the CDS Dressage Championships takes consistent effort, focus, and a strong partnership between horse and rider. It’s a process that involves regular training, goal setting, and a lot of time and commitment. We know our members work all year perfecting their aids and harmony with their horse. Hundreds, if not thousands, of hours go into becoming good at Dressage, and every competition, every qualifying score is a testament to the dedication of a rider to their horse and the sport of Dressage. We wanted to give the SBC-CDS members a special mention on our blog. Let's look at who qualified and what it takes for riders to reach championship level.

CDS Championship Show was held September 18-21, 2025, at Murieta Equestrian Center, Rancho Murieta, CA and you can find the scores of all riders and photos in the current Dressage letters HERE.

Congratulations to the following SBC-CDS 2025 members who qualified for the CDS Annual Championship:

Christine Dietrich with Chispa De Valor for Training Level AA, Tim Forster aboard Madero in Training Level Open, Lisa Teske with Imperial in 1st Level AA, Susan Sullivan with Brhody for 2nd Level AA. Stephanie Gustavson qualified atop Corazana in 3rd Level AA and in Intermediare I with her horse Goldenrod. Jill Jamison qualified with Amorita in 4th Level Open and Susan Ashbrook qualified with Deacon's Quarter in Prix St. George AA. We also are so proud that three of our qualifying rider/horse combinations are Junior riders. Oliva Moore with Bleu and Bea Freels with Figgy Pudding both qualified in 1st Level Freestyle and 2nd Level JR and Chloe Adrian-Giannetto with Duvall in 4th Level JR.

We’re incredibly proud of our young riders who continue to uphold the spirit and high standards of our sport.

Rider on brown horse in indoor arena; wears helmet and suit. Horse with ribbon. Colorful banners and spectators in background.

A special congratulations to Bea Freels, who earned the title of First/Second Level Grand Champion with her beloved bay, Figgy Pudding, scoring an impressive 65.613%. If you’ve attended any of the Earl Warren CDS shows in recent years, you’ve likely seen Bea and Figgy—always present, always consistent, and always representing with heart.

Even though Olivia Moore qualified for the Championships, she unfortunately had to scratch due to her mount's injury. But she knew how to turn lemons into lemonade and instead went to the competition supporting her friend Bea and Figgy. Now that's sportsmanship at its finest!

Susan Sullivan and Brhody won their USDF AA 2nd level Championship class and made Reserve Champion. At only six years old, this was the Westphalian bay's first time at the championships. Go Brhody!

You can read the whole article about the Championships written by Regina Antonioli HERE.

What does it take to qualify for the CDS Championships?

The Annual CDS Championship offers three divisions:

Open Division at Training through Grand Prix —Open to all competitors
Amateur Division at Training through Grand Prix — Open to competitors holding a US Equestrian (USEF) Amateur card.
Junior/Young Rider at Training through Prix St Georges - Open to all competitors under 22 years of age.

Freestyle classes are open divisions. Freestyle classes require a copy of a qualifying technical test.

Besides being a current CDS member in good standing riders need to earn three qualifying scores from different judges. The percentage needed to qualify differs by level and type (open, adult amateur or YR/YR). Please refer to THIS PAGE for the exact percentage requirement, but they range from three scores of a minimum of 65% (for Training Level Open) to a minimum of 60% for many other levels. The qualifying dates were from September 1, 2024 to August 25, 2025.

Riders may earn qualifying scores in any test of the level. For CDS Overall Adult Amateur Championship Classes, Amateur riders compete with one ride to determine in level Training – Fourth. The Open Horse of the Year class is one ride of the highest level, judged by two judges.

For CDS JR/YR Overall Champion riders compete with one ride to determine the CDS Overall Junior/Young Rider Champion in Training – Fourth Level.

Juniors and Young Riders, Champions and Reserve at the JR YR Championships (another competition open only to Juniors/ Young Riders) are automatically qualified for CDS Championships in each division.

In Addition to the annual CDS Championship Show the CDS organization offers three competitions open only to Amateurs. The Regional Adult Amateur Competitions, (RAAC) One in the South, Central, and North.

Since the SBC-CDS Chapter’s August Show combined with the Central RAAC (Regional Adult Amateur Competition) here at Earl Warren Showgrounds, we want to also congratulate our SBC-CDS members. The SBC-CDS members RAAC participants, horse and riders, who worked incredibly hard and placed as follows at our August show:

Lisa Uchiyama with Gavotta with 68.400% in Training Level Novice
Christine Dietrich with Chispa De Valor with 64.800% in Training Level Novice
Lisa Teske with Imperial with 70.139% in First Level Elite
Susan Sullivan with Brhody with 37.381% in Second Level Elite
Stephanie Gustafson with Corazana with 65.125% in Third Level Elite and with Goldenrod with 63.971% in Intermediaire Elite.

What does it take to qualify for RAAC?

First, the qualification is for an amateur rider and horse combination, not just for the rider. The RAAC required classes include two divisions:

Elite Adult Amateurs for riders that have competed at the FEI Level at a rated show.
Novice Adult Amateurs for riders who have never competed at the FEI Level at a rated show.

One of the RAAC shows was our show August 16-17, 2025 at EARL WARREN, SANTA BARBARA

Amateur Riders had to be current members of CDS and have a USEF Amateur Card. The qualifying period ended 12 calendar days prior to the show dates and the qualifying amateur rider can only compete in one regional competition. Scores could only count if the rider-horse combination completed in a CDS recognized show.

We are so proud of all our riders and excited that the chapter has been able to offer these incredible opportunities locally.