Following the first round of the $100,000 WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular, Nick Haness and HH Elmo had enough of a lead that they could have played it safe in the handy round – but that just isn’t their style.

“I knew I could be kind of conservative if I wanted to be, but that wasn’t my plan,” explained Haness. “I really made a plan with myself before I went in to be very handy.”

As the pair entered the ring at the Desert International Horse Park on Friday, November 4, HH Elmo let the spectators know that he also was not there to just take it easy.

“He’s a big personality horse; he came in the ring tonight, and he whinnied,” said Haness. “He comes in and lets the crowd know he’s here, and he’s here to party and here to win!”

Nick Haness and HH Elmo were presented as the winners of the $100,000 WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular. Photo by ESI Photography

And that’s just what they did. Haness elected to execute multiple slick, inside turns around the Skip Bailey-designed handy track, ultimately earning him and HH Elmo a second-round score of 89. That score, combined with an impressive first-round score of 91.5, would clinch them the victory with an overall total of 180.5.

“Winning this class here tonight is very special to me,” said Haness, who hails from Temecula, CA. “Being that I’m from California and a West Coast supporter, this is really exciting to win this class here on the West Coast. I’ve never won this class before, so it’s a big win for me in my career.”

Finishing in second place behind Haness with scores of 87.5 and 85 for a 172.5 total were Katie Taylor Davidson and L’Con Reyes, owned by Bravado LLC.

Nick Haness and HH Elmo. Photo by Tori Bilas for the Desert International Horse Park

“We had an option to go around this decoration at the end of the ring or to go inside; I think most riders went around,” explained Haness. “Our reserve champion, Katie Taylor Davidson, went inside and had really high scores. So, I wanted to try to do that turn, which was a bit of a challenging turn, but I did that turn with Elmo. He followed me great. He’s just been phenomenal to ride.”

Haness has had the ride on HH Elmo in the professional hunter divisions for the past two years, after owner Lindsay Maxwell made the decision to transition the now 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding from the grand prix jumper ring to the hunters.

“He always gives a ten out of ten, and he’s just so much fun,” said Haness. “He’s very brave and obviously very scopey with the jumper background. So, this is a fun stage for him to demonstrate all his talents. Lindsay Maxwell shows him in the amateur-owner hunter division as well. He’s just always been a spectacular partner and a horse that comes in and wants to win every time.”

For full results of Friday’s $100,000 WCHR West Coast Hunter Spectacular, click here, and to learn more about the Desert International Horse Park, visit deserthorsepark.com.