It is said that the true test of mastering a second language is when one begins to dream in that language.

For Haven Mizutani, that second language is “Horse.” It seemingly has been ever since her mother Michelle first put the toddler on a saddle and “she screamed bloody murder when I tried to take her off,” Michelle Wong Mizutani said. “It’s really in her blood.”

DNA does not lie. Michelle Mizutani’s equine genealogy includes the legendary Purdy and Lindsey paniolo families. Her great-uncle Ikua was a world steer roping champion and inducted into the National Rodeo and Hawaii Sports halls of fame.

And 16-year-old Haven Anuheaokalani?

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t riding,” the Kamehameha Schools junior said. “It is a huge commitment and sometimes it’s rough when I can’t go out with my friends that often, especially on Friday nights when I have a competition the next day.

“But this is what I love. This is my first priority.”

It’s a passion that has been recognized and rewarded. At the recent Hawaii Horse Show Association’s annual banquet, Mizutani rode off with four awards and five perpetual trophy honors in English riding, five awards in Western riding and two for Extreme Cowboy.

Many came aboard her 5-year-old quarter horse Diamonds in Zion, which Mizutani has owned and trained since Zion’s birth.

Although she is accomplished in all the disciplines and enjoys the “rough and dirty” rodeo events, her favorite is the hunter class, which includes jumping fences. It takes a kind of fearlessness that Mizutani exhibited early.

“You cannot teach someone to be a good rider,” said Michelle Mizutani, a champion horsewoman and trainer out of Circle C Equestrian Center in Waimanalo. “Our two boys have avoided it like the plague but for Haven, it’s never been a question that it was in her blood.

“I saw it when she was about 8. She had such a serious face, such concentration and focus. She never had to be enticed. There was no need for that carrot. She’s fearless and has a lot of natural feel.”

It showed two years ago when Haven Mizutani competed at a horse show in Sonoma, Calif. Riding a thoroughbred loaned out by Riverside Equestrian Center, she placed top six in all eight events, including a blue ribbon on her last ride.

That success has opened the gate of possibilities. Mizutani is looking at continuing her education and competition after high school, majoring in equine studies and riding horses.

She appreciates the support that both her parents have given, adding that “I could not be where I am without my mom teaching me every day,” she said.

While she has time for little else, Mizutani did join her father Ron, a TV broadcaster, at Kailua Canoe Club last year for her first try at paddling, and is hoping to compete again this regatta season.

“She is a water baby,” Michelle Mizutani said of her daughter. “But the (horse) show season runs from March to September and, when riding at this level, you have to be 100 percent committed.

“She loves the water but she really loves her horses.”

And, obviously, Mizutani speaks their language.