Haness is a Triple Threat in USHJA National Hunter Derby at Desert Circuit 2

Nick Haness and Reese’s. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo

Edited Press Release

With three rides in Friday’s $10,000 Adequan® USHJA National Hunter Derby – Open, Nick Haness dominated the podium, taking the win aboard Reese’s, second with Crowd Pleaser, and third with Notorious, all owned by West Coast Equine Partners, LLC.

“He’s one of my favorite horses,” Haness said of Reese’s, a 10-year-old Warmblood gelding. “I bought him in Europe as a 5-year-old. He’s a true partner in the show arena. He thinks what I think. He just follows what I’m thinking and knows what I’m thinking at all times. He’s super smart, and he’s a competitor. He definitely knows the difference between the schooling ring and the show ring. He changes his whole demeanor and wants to show off and impress the judges, which he always does. He’s a great partner, an amazing horse, and he’s been horse of the year in the national derbies so he’s used to these classes and so great at them.”

The courses for the day presented new and unique challenges, one of which included a box of two double combinations at one end of the ring. “It was pretty fun,” Haness said of the handy course. “On my first horse, Notorious, I decided to take an inside turn to the first jump, which I wanted to test on him to see how it would play out for my next two horses. It was very tight and it was a hard turn so I chose to go around on my next two.”

Putting in the flair and style he needed, Haness earned a score of 92 in the handy round to combine with his 94 in the first round, awarding Reese’s the lead with a 186 total. “Reese’s was in really good shape today,” he remarked. “He followed me everywhere really beautifully and landed all his leads perfectly.”

Nick Haness and Reese’s, joined by Crowd Pleaser and Notorious. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo

Though the course did not present many opportunities for inside turns, Haness knew exactly where he would make up those necessary handy points, taking full advantage of the angles the course presented and letting Reese’s open his stride to hand gallop to the last. “I always like to be bold and gallop almost the whole course with [Reese’s],” Haness continued. “He likes a bit of pace and jumps better. There weren’t too many places to make inside choices so I tried to make up for handiness in my pace and meeting the jumps on an angle.”

Hunter and jumper rings alike feature many new fences this week custom built by Mihai Simion. “The ring looks beautiful,” Haness noted. “The new jumps are great, they’re very interesting, and I think it’s nice to refresh and have a new look in the arena for the horses.”

Avery Glynn was the big winner in the $10,000 Whittier Trust USHJA National Hunter Derby – Junior/Amateur, taking top honors aboard Prost, owned by Hope Glynn. Her sky-high first-round score of 94 put her in a convincing lead,and her handy round score of 90.5 sealed the deal.

“I was second on [Prost] week one, to another horse we had,” Glynn shared. “I say it’s a joke that he was sad he didn’t win the first week. This week he was the winner!”

Glynn’s relationship with Prost, or “Doodle” in the barn, has grown over the past few months as the horse has been in her stable.

“I know Doodle pretty well because my Mom owns him, and he’s the sweetest and most honest horse ever,” Glynn, 17, continued. “I was lucky enough to have another ride that went early in the class, so I had already gone around the course once. I just wanted to stick to my plan of forward and flowing around the course. He’s really good about landing both leads, which I would say is helpful in derby courses where there are lots of bending lines. I think he likes when the jumps are a little more full, like the wall. It is something new.”

Glynn is making waves in the jumper ring as well, welcoming a brand-new partner to the horse park, and the country, this week. “My mom generously just bought me a jumper in Europe, who just got here,” Glynn shared. “That’s an early 18th birthday present for me, and I’m so excited to meet her! I’m hoping to bring her down here towards the end of the circuit, get to know her and maybe compete in some of the Junior Jumper classes.”

Final Results: $10,000 Adequan® USHJA National Hunter Derby – Open

1. Reeses / Nick Haness / West Coast Equine Partners, LLC / 94 + 92 = 186
2. Crowd Pleaser / Nick Haness / West Coast Equine Partners, LLC / 92 + 93 = 185
3. Notorious / Nick Haness / West Coast Equine Partners, LLC / 89 + 94 = 183
4. Honorably / Karli Schroeder / Jean K Reichle / 88 + 91 = 179
5. My Oh My / Morgan Thomas / Allison Talbot / 87 + 82 = 169
6. First Class / Skylar Wireman / Nick Haness / 84 + 84 = 168
7. Barclay Square / Erin Duffy / Volant Stables / 80.75 + 87 = 167.75
8. Jackpot Lee / Chad Mahaffey / Brighton Farms / 86 + 77 = 163
9. Kona / Alexis Taylor / Nicole McNichols / 81.5 + 81
10. Picnic / Katrina Karazissis / Lisa Hankin / 85 + 48 = 133
11. Django / Grace Belmont / Grace Belmont / 82 + 49 = 131
12. Fair Enough / Alexis Taylor / Aleron LLC / 81 + WD = 81

Final Results: $10,000 Whittier Trust USHJA National Hunter Derby – Junior/Amateur

1. Prost / Avery Glynn / Hope Glynn / 94 + 90.5 = 184.5
2. Juan Carlos / Irene Neuwirth / Irene Neuwirth / 92 + 91 = 183
3. Paperboy / Julia Greenspan / Brighton Farms / 86 + 89 = 175
4. Jadebridge / Jacqueline Attwood-Dupont / Jacqueline Attwood-Dupont / 88 + 86 = 174
5. Gran Cornetto / Peyten Seltzer / Alora Sporthorses LLC / 87.5 + 85 = 172.5
6. Swipe Right / Sophia Segesman / Mavis Spencer / 86.5 + 85 = 171.5
7. Totoka Fuji / Madison Nadolenco / Ingenium Farm / 85.75 + 84 = 169.75
8. Coconut Grove / Irene Neuwirth / Irene Neuwirth / 89 + 79 = 168
9. Four Point Oh / Kyle King / See Jane Edit LLC / 87 + 80 = 167
10. Arvantos / Greenley Achuck / Greenley Achuck / 84 + 82 = 166
11. First Mate KF / Jenna McAmis / Jenna McAmis / 82 + 77 = 159
12. Constantinos / Sophia Segesman / Georgy Maskrey-Segesman / 85.5 + 73 = 158.5

This Post Brought to You by: 

The Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association (PCHA)

The Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association (PCHA), a non-profit corporation, has as its main purpose the promotion and development of the sport of horse showing, primarily in the Hunter/Jumper, Western and Reining disciplines. These objectives are accomplished by setting the standards for showing on the West Coast and approving shows that meet these criteria. 

Founded in 1946, the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Association promotes the interests of owners and exhibitors, cooperates with exhibitors, officials, and management of competition, publicizes and advertises PCHA sanctioned shows, encourages and assists owners, exhibitors, and breeders of horses to maintain, develop and improve the quality of horses of the Hunter, Jumper, Western and Reining divisions.

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