Thermal, CA – March 7, 2025 – With a strong hand-gallop to the final fence, Nick Haness and West Coast Equine Partners’ Cavaletto Loma Z galloped their way straight to the top of the leaderboard in the $49,000 Bridgeport Farms USHJA International Hunter Derby on Friday, March 7, at the Desert International Horse Park.
After already leading the way in the first round with a score of 192, Haness and Cavaletto Loma Z clinched the win with handy round scores from the two judging panels of 92 and 93. Those scores – coupled with all four high option bonus points and additional handy bonus points – earned them a second-round total score of 203 and an overall score of 395.
Karli Postel and Full Moon Fever, owned by Jack Strang, finished in second place with a score of 375. Postel was closely chased by not one, but two pairs. Nicole Bourgeois with Mc Queen and Michael Dennehy riding Hulla-Balou each finished with a score of 373. However, with Dennehy earning the higher first-round score, he and Hulla-Balou took home third, and Bourgeois and Mc Queen finished in fourth.
“The course was just phenomenal,” Haness said. “I particularly love when I see ‘hand gallop’ on the course map; it’s exciting for me. When they say hand gallop, I take it to heart!”
With a show jumping background, Cavaletto Loma Z also takes full advantage of a little room to stretch his legs.
“When I saw that final hand-gallop jump, I just said, ‘Let it rip!’ 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,” Haness said.
While Haness can now appreciate the 11-year-old grey gelding’s need for speed, his show jumping background initially made him hesitate.
“I was in Florida, in Wellington, one season when I got the phone call that Cavaletto was possibly for sale,” explained Haness. “In fact, my partner, Ryan, and I had seen him in Traverse City competing with Ashlee Bond. He was previously a jumper, and Ashlee said to us in the schooling ring, ‘Hey, this one jumps so beautifully. He’s got such a good, pretty face. I think he could be a hunter.’
“I looked at her like she was crazy because he was all fired up,” continued Haness. “I thought, ‘There’s no way that horse is going to make a hunter someday.’ But she was right. We were wrong, and he’s been a fabulous horse for us ever since.”
The Zangersheide gelding’s bold and daring nature paid off in Friday’s International Hunter Derby.
“Going into the handy round, there were a lot of nice riders and horses competing. 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,” Haness said. “He actually thrives under pressure. He loves a little bit of a dare and challenge, probably because of his jumper background.”
Haness and his team have taken their time producing Cavaletto through the classes, a strategy that has paid off in dividends.
“He’s a horse we’ve developed patiently, but he’s always been brilliant. We had him as a first-year horse, then moved up to second-years. We’ve done high-performance. He has made two Derby Finals debuts in Kentucky, where he placed in the top 10 both years. That’s pretty impressive for a horse that was doing his first rounds there,” Haness said, reflecting back on the horse’s career.
Haness describes Cavaletto as a “cat-like” and powerful horse that also requires a “particular” ride. “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,” Haness said.
“I know him very, very well,” Haness continued. “He’s a little bit particular. He likes to be set up a certain way, ridden a certain way. He likes a little bit of pressure but also some softness at the same time. So, I’ve learned to figure out what mood he’s in that day and give him the ride accordingly.”
While Cavaletto has relaxed since his days in the show jumping ring, he still knows when to put on his game face.
“When it’s time to get serious, he knows. He comes into the ring and always gives his all,” Haness said. “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!’”
Every partnership requires teamwork and respect. Haness and Cavaletto are no different. “That’s just the kind of horse he is – he’s got a big heart, and I really respect him,” Haness said.
Also recognized on Friday was the $1,000 YETI U25 Overlay winner, Skylar Wireman. With a seventh-place overall finish aboard Boston, Wireman was the top U25 finisher.
Click here to view the full results of the $49,900 Bridgeport Farms USHJA International Hunter Derby.
