Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 16

As Nick Haness headed into the ring for today’s championship for the 3’/3’3” Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship aboard Odette, the sky darkened and lightning flashed in the distance, but he didn’t notice any of it.

“As you know horses can change their temperament regarding the weather, so that was in my mind for a brief moment. But once I went on course, I kind of tuned out the lightning in the background and just focused on the job, and it was actually really fun. I have to say there was a lot of pressure on my shoulder on Odette, but once I went in the ring it just kind of felt like an old partnership just coming together like it does every day.”

They laid down an unbeatable round with scores that soared up to 94 to score a decisive victory in the class for owners John and Stephanie Ingram LLC. Kate Conover claimed the next two spots with LSMB LLC’s Straight On and Shadow Ridge’s Courtside, respectively.

Riders competed in the Rolex Arena over a course set by Meghan Rawlins and Ken Krome.

“I loved the course today,” said Haness. “It really benefited an ambidextrous horse. There was a lot of jumps left lead, right lead. You had a two-stride on either lead on [opposite] sides of the arena, some long bending lines and some gallops. … One of my favorite things to do is to show off a nice loose gallop, especially to the single oxer.”

This win makes Haness the first rider to sweep both divisions in the Championship, having won the 3’6”/3’9” class earlier in the week on Circa. This year the 3’/3’3” horses qualified over two days of competition, with the top 10 horses from Day 1 receiving a bye to the championship class. Odette tied for the win that day with Straight On, on total scores of 274, and Haness and Conover left the ring with linked arms, joking that they were walking down the aisle together. Haness and trainer Tom Wright opted to skip Day 2 of qualifying with Odette to keep her fresh for the championship round.

“I think the past few days were magical with this horse,” said Haness of the 8-year-old Oldenburg (Casallco—Flying P). “I’ve probably never come across a mare as smart and as easy as she is. I think that the format is wonderful, that we could show the first day [when] she went great for us, and we were able to skip a day and come back in the third round fresh on a clean sweep and give her every opportunity to have the best performance. She’s a mare that does not require a lot of training or practice; she’s pretty much a nature freak all on her own. So the less that we do, the better.”

While Haness, Temecula, California, first rode Odette during the Winter Equestrian Festival (Florida) this winter, Conover’s had a much shorter tenure with Straight On, who is a catch ride for trainer Laurie Jueneman. Both horses competed over the 3’3” height.

Conover, who spends a lot of time in Europe sourcing hunters, recognized him from when he was there.

“I rode him in the warm up, which was Tuesday at the end of the day after the 3’6”/3’9” round and cruised around, and I trusted [regular rider Marissa Metzger],” said Conover, Ocala, Florida. “She knows the horse really well. She said the less we do, the better he is going to be. I felt super comfortable.

“He’s a quiet horse, and it was nice that we didn’t have to go both days because I felt today he was just as crisp as he was the first day for sure,” she added.

Dorrie Douglas tied for sixth place with MTM Gift Of Gab, the highest-placed Tier II rider. The horse, who was imported about two years ago, is owned by Ann Moody, who rides him in the children’s hunters.

“The whole Tier I and Tier II program is really fun,” said Douglas, Ocala, Florida “It’s a fun incentive for riders.

“He was trained by Mike this week, but normally it’s Patty Shoemaker,” she continued. “So I just want to give thanks tot hat family for sending a couple of horses with us this week. It was a really fun class to bring horses along, and he’ll definite be ready for his kid in the future.”

Find full results here.

Be sure you’re following along with the Chronicle on Facebook and Instagram @Chronofhorse. You can also read full analysis of hunter championship week in the Sept. 23 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine