Thermal, CA – February 7, 2025 – The $25,000 CWD Sellier Nations Cup Hunter Team Challenge concluded on Friday, February 7 at the Desert International Horse Park with Team Brookway winning by a large margin with 347 points. Team members included Karli Postel and Carlios, Dane Anson aboard Franklin and Sophie Cohen on Christopher Robin.
Finishing in second place with an overall score of 336 was the Pink Pony Club, made up of Postel, Jack Strang and Gabriella Anzelc. Third place went to The GOATS, with team members Mitch Endicott, Desi Cyr and Hailey Eynon riding to a score of 334.
Team Brookway, made up of Karli Postel, Sophie Cohen and Dane Anson topped the $25,000 CWD Sellier Hunter Team Challenge. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
The Hunter Team Challenge is a class like few others. The unique format incorporates an atmosphere of teamwork into what is traditionally an individual sport. Teams consist of a professional rider and two other team members, who must be either an amateur or a junior rider. Each team member rides twice. The second round is a handy round, composed of five to seven fences set at 3’3”.
The top two scores from each team in the first and second rounds are added together. If the following total score is within two points of the leading team, a third and final round is required. In this case, a third round was not needed due to the 11-point margin between Team Brookway and the second-place team, Pink Pony Club.
14-year-old Dane Anson earned the first round high score aboard Franklin. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Postel and her team named their group after their home base of Brookway Stables, headed by Archie Cox. Postel chose her mount, Carlios, owned by Chloe Recknor, for the class as he “doesn’t ever let anyone down.” Her trust in the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding paid off.
“We just went for ‘smooth and steady’ for the first round,” Postel said. “Carlios jumped to an 85 which we were super happy with. Then my partner, Dane [Anson], went and got an 88 on his mount, Franklin, which was great. I thought the course was beautiful. They did a really nice job.
“What I like most about this class is that it’s a team challenge, a team effort,” Postel continued. “So much of this sport is individual in the sense that – yes, you have a partner in your horse – but we don’t often always get to compete with a fellow exhibitor so that’s kind of fun. It was fun to get to work with both juniors and amateurs and kind of come up with our plan together and tackle the class as a team.”
Karli Postel and Carlios. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Speaking of amateur riders, Postel’s teammate, Cohen, was the one who came up with the idea to create a team for the class.
“Originally, when I decided to do this class, I basically sprung it on the barn. Dane had no idea he was doing it until a couple days ago,” Cohen said. “Working as a team is always a really fun way to go into anything. I feel like a lot of my barn is juniors, so I don’t get to hang out with them other than on the side of the ring. So, to be able to kind of talk strategy and go into it together was super fun.”
Cohen rode her own 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Christopher Robin.
Sophie Cohen and Christopher Robin. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“Christopher Robin and I have been a team for eight or nine years now, and he’s fabulous. He’s a winner when I’m on it. He’s really trustworthy, and I knew it would be a fun way to get into the ring,” Cohen said.
The youngest member of Team Brookway was 14-year-old Canadian, Dane Anson, who rode his own Franklin, a 10-year-old gelding who previously competed in dressage.
“I’ve had him for about two years now. He’s 10 years old, so he has a little bit of experience. He was a dressage horse before and then we kind of started him in the hunters pretty much. Now he’s doing really well,” Anson said.
“The first round, I was a little nervous because it’s a big course in a big ring, but it worked out really well,” Anson continued. “I had an 88 – the highest score in the first round. It was a lot of fun. It rode nicely. It was really special.”
Like his other teammates, Anson also enjoyed the team atmosphere of the Hunter Team Challenge. “It was a lot of fun. It’s fun riding with your barn mates and celebrating together,” Anson said.
Click here to view full results of Friday, February 7’s $25,000 Nations Cup Hunter Team Challenge, sponsored by CWD Sellier.