Hunters Take to International Ring During World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Week at Wellington International
From across North America, the top horses and riders in the hunter discipline flocked to Wellington, FL, this week for World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Week at the Winter Equestrian Festival. The sixth week of competition shines a spotlight on all divisions of the discipline and gives amateurs, juniors, and professionals alike the chance to qualify for Saturday night’s $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular.
Over one hundred of the country’s best performance hunter horses took center stage in Wellington International’s International Ring. Two champions were crowned in the California Split Rein Family 3’6” Performance Hunter division. The two tricolor awards were presented to Scott Stewart of Wellington, FL, and Nick Haness of Temecula, CA, for their top placings.
For Haness, the victory is extra sweet as his winter season has been planned around this very week and he has committed many hours in flight to dominate the hunter ring on both the east and west coasts.
“This week was definitely on my radar being that I won the WCHR Pro Rider Finals at Capital Challenge last year which gave me a bye into Saturday’s class,” he explained. “I have been back and forth between Wellington and California every week for the past five weeks; I typically take the red eye on Monday night and land Tuesday morning to come straight to the horse show. I’ve had an incredible season so far though, and I’m feeling strong going into Saturday night’s event so it’s all worth it.”
Haness’s partner, the 12-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Glade Run Farm, LLC, Queen Celeste earned top ribbons over the two-day division including the win in the stake class as well as the win in the Section A under saddle.
“She has the best jump and way of going,” Haness stated of the mare. “She’s a seasoned horse who has spent her whole career with very good people in her corner. She’s always been an eye-catching judges’ favorite, so I feel special to be partnered with her.”
His time with the mare started roughly one year ago when he was asked to catch ride Queen Celeste for the 2022 $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular.
Read more: