If you’re looking for a horsey oasis in the desert, Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) is always the right place to fill your cup.

On Friday, it also became a great spot to fill your purse, hosting the $10,000 Premier Equine Rehab DIHP Hunter Under Saddle Championship. If that sounds like a lot of G’s for a flat class you’d be correct, because it is the deepest prize pool for any hunter flat class in the nation.

Before the thought of some “get rich quick scheme” that involves dabbling in the hunters starts running through your head, let us remind you that DIHP’s generosity comes with its own price. It was perhaps also one of the longest hacks in history, requiring the sweat of a champion’s brow to best an arena full of world class hunters.

After what was a nearly 30-minute class, it was Joie Gatlin (USA) and gelding Andover who took the extra victory trot, noting that its when the pressure cooker gets heated that it’s most important to keep your cool.

“It’s a hack marathon. It’s a long class and you just have to keep your cool and keep your horse motivated and keep him focused…he’s an easygoing fellow and really is just a wonderful horse,” said Gatlin.

Gatlin’s confidence comes down to how well she knows Andover, and the strength of their preparation for major tests like this one. It helps that the gelding has a solid track record she can default to.

“He wins the hack 99% of the time in his division with [owner] Cathy Morris-Schmidt. He’s 17 this year, and has been a junior hunter. He’s now Cathy’s adult amateur hunter, and he’s just a super horse. He takes great care of her in her classes and he’s fun for me to ride in a class like this,” said Gatlin.

The hand gallop is where the pair were really able to enjoy themselves, galloping past the judges with grins and forward ears.

“The highlights of the class I think are when they asked us to keep doing the trot and then the hand gallop. He’s a very even keel horse, so we can keep going and I know that he’s not going to blow up,” said Gatlin.

But no single pass or movement could put them a league above the rest, rather striking strides throughout the walk, trot and canter. To Gatlin, Andover is a particularly special horse to which these things come with a certain ease.

“He’s got perfect head carriage. He keeps his ears up most of the time. I don’t have to pull him on the mouth to get his head down. Getting a nice working walk, I think is important, and the judges want to see that. The trot is about getting that suspension that he has without going too fast, and he had some great passes at the trot,” Gatlin explained.

“The trot is extra special, and it’s a bit the same at the canter. He’s got that long stroking canter with that little bit of suspension. He just shows himself off so well. I think he kind of knows where the important side of the ring is, where the judge is watching. He always puts his ears up and is really put together in front of the judge.”

©DIHP/Tori Bilas

They had more than the judges to impress on Friday, with Andover’s owner and usual rider Morris Schmidt on the sidelines.

“When they called the other horse in and we knew we won it was super exciting. And Cathy was on the side watching. So it was a real bonus,” said Gaitlin.

The other bonus? The lion’s share of the $10,000 prize.

“The money is awesome!” said Gaitlin.

Feature image: ©DIHP/Megan Giese Photography