Thermal, Calif.—March 7

When Nick Haness is sitting on Cavaletto Loma Z and he sees the words “hand gallop” written on a course map, he gets excited.

“When they say hand gallop, I take it to heart,” he said.

“When I saw that final hand gallop jump, I just said, ‘Let it rip!’ ” he continued. “I made the final turn and told him, ‘Cavaletto, we’ve had a great handy round. Let’s finish this strong.’ I let him gallop down, and of course, he took care of me—he flew over the last jump.”

Last to go in the second round, Haness encouraged West Coast Equine Partners LLC’s 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Chellano Alpha Z—Ula-La Sparkle Loma) to go for it to the last jump of the $49,500 USHJA International Hunter Derby held during Week 9 of Desert Circuit, which paid off with the highest scores of the round and the blue ribbon in the. In second place, 20 points behind Cavaletto Loma Z, was Karli Postel and Full Moon Fever, who won the $49,500 USHJA International Hunter Derby during Week 6 of circuit. Dana Vollbracht’s Hulla-Ballou and Michael Dennehy claimed third over the Skip Bailey-designed course.

“Going into the final round sitting on top after the first round adds a little pressure, but I don’t like to play it safe with ‘Cavaletto,’ ” said Haness, Temecula, California. “He actually thrives under pressure—he loves a little bit of a dare and challenge, probably because of his jumper background. He’s so smart; he can turn and, in just one stride, spot a fence he’s comfortable with and jump it in rhythm. He’s like a cat—he just explodes off the ground, so typey and beautiful. The more I ask of him, the more he gives. Handies are really fun for him.”

Cavaletto Loma Z hasn’t had a busy season so far this year. He skipped the USHJA international hunter derby during Week 6 of the Desert Circuit as he wasn’t quite fit enough, but he made his presence known today in the Grand Prix Arena.

“We’re setting up for next week, which is the WCHR Hunter Spectacular, so this derby is sort of a nice temperature check for the horses to see how they like the atmosphere and how they’re feeling,” he said.

At the end of 2022 Israeli show jumper Ashlee Bond told Haness that she had a jumper she thought was stylish and pretty enough for the hunter ring. Haness tried him at her farm in Wellington, Florida, in 2023—the past few years he’s been showing on both coasts—and knew he would be a great horse. Gail Ellis of West Coast Equine Partners agreed, as did her trainer Shari Rose, and the horse came to California, where he’s evolved into a reliable hunter.

“He’s a horse we’ve developed patiently, but he’s always been brilliant,” said Haness, who started the horse in the 3’6″ green hunters before moving up to 3’9″ greens and, this year, the high performance division.

“He’s just a horse I think the judges love because he has this brilliant expression,” he added. “He goes into the ring, picks up the gallop, ears pricked forward with his cute little face, and when he gets to the jump, he just gives so much height. He puts in so much effort—not just with his front legs, but with his hind end as well.”

At home at Hunterbook Farm in Temecula, Cavaletto enjoys lots of turnout, and is one of the few show horses who doesn’t bat an eye at Haness’ petting zoo animals, including the camels.

“He’s actually one of my only horses that isn’t afraid of them; he’s very brave,” Haness said. “He’s particular about what he likes and doesn’t like, but the camels don’t bother him. We try to keep him comfortable and happy. When it’s time to get serious, he knows. He comes into the ring and always gives his all. I don’t think he’s ever let me down. He rises to the occasion, even when I doubt if he can do it. If the jumps look huge and the turns are tight, I think, ‘No way,’ and he says, ‘Yes way!’ ”

Find full results here.

Check out more from Desert Circuit in the April issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. Follow along with the Chronicle on Instagram and Facebook.