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AMHA Club Newsletter January 2016

Published on 1/29/2016

AMHA News       

Morgans at The Super Convention!

Plans for The Super Convention are firming up and while it is a convention of four equine associations, the Morgan family will be celebrated in style!

The 2016 Super Convention will take place February 9-13 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. This is a first-time joint convention between AMHA, the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA), the American Hackney Horse Society (AHHS), and the United Professional Horsemen's Association (UPHA). A great line up of guest speakers will complement several industry professionals, which will be on hand to discuss the past, present, and future of the American Saddlebred, Hackney, and Morgan horse. You can see the entire Convention agenda by going to www.thesuperconvention.com.

Recipients of AMHA awards will be honored and celebrated in four different venues: the Thursday Annual Meeting of Members, Thursday's AMHA Luncheon, Friday evening awards ceremony, and Saturday's evening awards gala.

Among the awards distributed at the annual meeting of members include all AMHA club awards and the AMHA outgoing director awards. The awards presented at the Thursday luncheon include the Therapy Horse of the Year, Dr. Albert Lucine Promoter Award, Golden Reins, Show Horse Hall of Fame induction, Mabel Owen Media Award, and the AMHA Open Competition recipients. Also honored will be USEF Morgan judges.

Among the awards distributed at the Friday evening awards ceremony include the Cecil Brown Sportsmanship Award, the Young Person Award, and the Professional Horseman Award. Saturday evening will see in the Person of the Year honored as well as inductions into AMHA's Breeders' Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame.

All registration will be done online. Please go to www.TheSuperConvention.com to see all Convention details and room rates and be a part of this historic meeting!

AMHA Announces 2015 Awardees

The AMHA Awards Committee is pleased to announce the following individuals will be recognized at The Super Convention, which will take place February 9-13 in Boston. Congratulations to all!

The Breeders' Hall of Fame honors breeders who have produced Morgans that have had a significant impact on the breed. This year's honorees are Graycliff of Wisconsin, Indian Creek of Indiana, and Lynn Peeples of New Jersey.

Inducted into AMHA's Hall of Fame are Suzy Lucine of Pennsylvania and Sherry Cole of Indiana.

The Person of the Year Award honors the individual who has made particularly exceptional contributions to the support and preservation of the Morgan breed and/or AMHA. This year's honoree is Larry Bolen of Illinois.

Inducted into the Show Horse Hall of Fame this year are Legacys Viking and Noble Flaire. Shanna Gish of Indiana has been selected by her peers as the recipient of the Professional Award.

The Golden Reins Award is given to a Morgan professional who has had a 30-year career in training or instruction. Jeff Morse of Massachusetts is this year's recipient.

Jerome Parker of Massachusetts will be awarded the Cecil Brown Memorial Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes an individual who exemplifies sportsmanship in and out of the ring during horse show competition.

Ellen Di Bella of Colorado will be honored with the first Dr. Albert Lucine Promoter Award for her many years of going above and beyond in breed promotion.

Steven Handy of Massachusetts will be honored for his breed promotion and industry outreach with the Young Person Award.

One Morgan will receive special recognition for his work with people with disabilities. This year's honoree is Cairnbrae Shenanigan, a therapy horse at One Heart Equestrian Therapy in Iowa and owned by Cairnbrae Farm in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Brenda Tippin of Oregon will be honored for her body of work by receiving the Mabel Owen Media Award.

Educational Forums at The Super Convention

To take advantage of all four associations coming together for this year's Super Convention (AHHS, AMHA, ASHA, UPHA) to be held February 9-13 at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel, Boston, MA, a new format will be used for the traditional educational forums. Instead of breaking out into separate groups for different topics, there will be one two-day “conversation” regarding the Past, Present and Future of the American Saddlebred, Hackney Pony, and Morgan Horse.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, February 12, the respective associations will give a brief history of their breeds. From there the conversation will go into the "Present" with the noted equine promoter Patti Colbert leading the discussion. The American Horse Publications Association named Colbert the 2014 Equine Innovator of the Year. That afternoon the conversation of the "Present" continues with several industry related topics and professionals (vets, blacksmiths, trainers, breeders, media experts) leading the discussion and answering questions from the attendees.

On Saturday, February 13, the conversation will focus on the "Future" and that will begin with Jay Hickey from the American Horse Council updating us on legislation. Again, that conversation will take place in the morning and continue that afternoon.

All in all there will be six hours of conversation on topics such as:

• How technology has changed the industry, both for the good and bad.

• Trends: among other things, discussions on clothing, saddles, and "the look" for equitation. Also, there is a discussion on the importance of keeping up with the changing times without losing the tradition of our breeds.

• Marketability – the need to find more avenues for our show horse breeds to be useful. There is a look at opening up a better network within the breeds, but especially within disciplines to help find every horse an appropriate job, whether that is a show horse, a sport horse or a backyard trail horse.

• Lesson Programs – the future of the industry! How do we get more people to want to teach and not just want to be trainers?

• Breeding Programs – discussion on the trend of dropping registrations numbers with all the breeds and how to turn that trend around.

• Open Horse Shows – discussion on the importance of cohesiveness between the show horse breeds. How do we combine efforts so we all work together to grow the sport of showing horses.

• Self Promotion – discussion on how to promote to the general public and other horse avenues (racing, hunter/jumpers) to sell them on the romance of our disciplines.

• Public Perception – continue to find a way to educate others about the difference between us and breeds that are in the spotlight for cruelty as well as how to deal with the animal rights activists.

• Doing A Great Good – discussion on how to do a better job of "tooting our own horn" for all of the great work that has been done with programs like Ribbons Of Service for St. Jude's Hospital and the Pink Ribbon Program, which raised so much money for breast cancer research.

• Taking Care of Athletes – discussion on proper training and maintenance (vet work, shoeing, etc.) for both the horse and riders (workout programs).

These will be some of the highlight topics that will be discussed among the attendees and professionals. The idea to bring this all together as one continuous conversation came from several committee meetings and the idea that we should all be sharing in this knowledge in order to ensure the healthy future of our respective breeds and disciplines.

"This is everyone's chance to be heard and to share knowledge among our various breeds and interests," said Forums Chairman Gary Garone. "Instead of just lecturing on these subjects this will be a 'structured conversation' with various professionals there to give feedback and answer questions on the topics. The fact that it will be held over a two-day period in four different sessions will allow for attendees to discuss these topics in between sessions and come back with ideas. We invite everyone to be in Boston and be a part of the solution!"

To register for the Convention go to www.TheSuperConvention.com. Register by January 18 to receive the reduced registration rate.

Bid. Breed. EVERYONE Wins!

Breeding season has begun and the 2016 AMHA/World Morgan Futurity Online Stallion Service Auction is open! Have you gone online and placed your bid yet? This year, you'll find new stallions, returning stallions, and some world champions crowned at the 2015 Grand National!

Please note that this year's auction is entirely online; the top ten bids will NOT be auction off at The Super Convention. All bidding will close on Monday, February 29 at 12 p.m. EST with the winning bidder being that person with the highest bid on that date and time. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the World Morgan Futurity, Regional Shows, and AMHA's Show Grant and Marketing Programs. Go to http://www.morganhorse.com/media-events/service-auction/ and remember to bid early and bid often!

 

2016 Roster of Stallions

Astronomicallee
Balenciaga
BKC Valiant Star
CBMF Hitting The Streets GCH
Cedar Creek Flambeau GCH
Centerpiece
Cingate Revelation
Dragonsmeade Axios
Dragonsmeade Icon
Dragonsmeade Sea Dragon
ECP Anchor Man
Faragamo GCH
Futurity French Command
Get Busy
Graycliff Tony GCH
HollyBrook Stage Rage
HVK Man About Town
Jake Ryan
JDS Paladin Pazazz
Leonardo’s Cry CH
Lucky As Me GCH
Man In Black
Man In Motion
Mastroianni
Merriehill After Hours
Merriehill Home Stretch
Minion Millennium
MSV Shooting Star
Queen’s Glory Days
Roberto Cavalli
Rowenda Boogie On Down
RWJ Commanding Topic
SLB Da Vinci
Spellcaster
SpringMill Superstition GCH
SYP High Definition GCH
Town Assets
Treble’s Facebook
Treble’s Master Player
Treble’s Timepiece
Whispering War Chant
Wintergreen Beaufort
WRR Astro Boy

AMHECT Establishes Harry Sebring Memorial Grant

The American Morgan Horse Educational Charitable Trust is pleased to announce the establishment of the Harry Sebring Memorial Grant. Harry was a renowned Morgan horse trainer and the grant was created by his family in his memory, since he always wanted to see young adults excel personally and professionally in the show ring.

The grant is offered to young adults (under age 40) who are AMHA members and would like to further his or her equine education, skills, or proficiency and/or to provide equine-related experiences and education that will further the recipient's business endeavors. The application must be accompanied by a full proposal of the idea, budget details, and proof of any materials that will be used to promote the event and/or program.

AMHECT will award up to a total of $5,000 each year and will consider grants of all sizes. Checks may not be made payable to the individual, but to the clinician, institution, or business providing the services.

The grant application period opens Friday, January 1, 2016 and closes at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2016.

Inquiries about grant applications or the grant process are handled only by emailing execdir@morganhorse.com with any questions or comments.

USEF Morgan Judges Honored at Super Convention

Congratulations to the following USEF Morgan judges, who are celebrating milestone years in 2016!

 

25 Years
Loretta P. Brown
Clifford R. Swanson

30 Years
Scott S. Thacker
Gerry F. Rushton

40 Years
Stephen P. Davis

These judges will be honored at the 2016 Super Convention,
www.thesuperconvention.com.

Are You Competing in 2016? Have Your AMHA Membership Card Ready

The USEF Board of Directors recently approved the change that all owners (lessees), exhibitors, and trainers of horses participating at Federation licensed competitions in all Morgan sections must be current members in good standing AMHA. If you are not an AMHA member, a non-member fee of $45 will be imposed on the exhibitor.

A copy of your membership card needs to be submitted with all show entries. Don't have a copy? It's easy to download one from our website. Go to http://www.morganhorse.com/membership/cards to download it today.

If you plan on competing this show season, be sure you renew early! Go to http://www.morganhorse.com/membership/join to renew or call AMHA at (802) 985-4944.

USEF Approves Revised Morgan Rules

At its recent meeting, the USEF Board of Directors approved the proposed Morgan Rules changes that were reviewed in Morgan rules forums across the country last year.

You can read all the rules changes by going to http://www.morganhorse.com/upload/photos/613MorganApprovedRules.pdf.


 

AMHA Announces Job Opportunity

The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA), located in Shelburne, Vermont, is seeking a highly motivated, responsible, and qualified individual as an Associate Editor for The Morgan Horse magazine, AMHA’s official breed journal.

Published nine times per year, the Associate Editor, in conjunction with the Editorial Director, is responsible for development of both editorial material and advertising product with the view that both aspects of the publication are equally important as an intellectual framework and informational resource regarding the Morgan breed, the equestrian sports practiced with Morgan horses, and the community of people who have grown around the animal itself.

The position requires significant travel to cover events and conduct interviews. Compensation includes base salary and commission on advertising sales. This position may work remotely/ telecommute.

Resume, letters of interest, and salary requirements may be addressed to Julie Broadway, Executive Director-American Morgan Horse Association, 4066 Shelburne Rd, Suite 5, Shelburne, Vermont 05482; Execdir@morganhorse.com; no phone calls or drop-in visits please.

Deadline for application is February 12, 2016.

Is Your Youth Club Recognized by AMHA?

The date for club renewals each year is February 1. Clubs that send their renewal information by this date are included in AMHA listings. Return your Annual Application soon to allow AMHA to share up-to-date youth information with your club!

You can find the Youth Club Application on our website http://www.morganhorse.com/programs/youth/youth-clubs/.

Don't miss out; return your renewal right away! And don’t forget your club news!

For more information, please contact Katie Hodges, (802) 985-4944 ext. 401, Katie@morganhorse.com.

 

2016 AMHA Judges Schools Announced

In 2016, AMHA will be holding two judges' schools across the country. Judges schools are open to all, whether you would like to get a judge's card, renew your card, keep your card current, or would like to audit a school.

 

The 2016 judges' schools are:

 

Carousel Charity Horse Show
Scottsdale, AZ
March 10-12, 2016

New York Morgan Regional Horse Show
Syracuse, NY
September 15-17, 2016

Fees for the 2016 Judges Schools are:

Applicants & Carded Judges: $200
Applicants Second Clinic: $150
Auditors: $150

 

For more information on judges' school or to download an application, please go to http://www.morganhorse.com/media-events/competitions/morgan-judging/.

"Figure & Sons" Available Online

If you are an avid follower of the history of the Morgan breed, prepare to be dazzled with a free offering of some amazing reading.

Starting in the January 2015 issue of The Morgan Horse and continuing into January 2016, Morgan historian Brenda Tippin has authored a series of articles on the genesis of our breed. The series features a look at Justin Morgan himself followed by separate articles (with as many as 7500 to 10,000 words per article) on the prominent sons Woodbury, Bulrush, and Sherman and on the lesser known sons.

Due to the buzz the series has generated and as a service to the Morgan public, we are posting the "Figure & Sons" articles on the AMHA website where any and all may enjoy the content. Go to morganhorse.com/about/breed-magazine/figure-sons.

If you have missed reading these articles in print we strongly urge you to subscribe to The Morgan Horse so you don’t miss out on anymore of the diverse equine journalism practiced at the official breed journal. To subscribe go to morganhorse.com/about/breed-magazine/subscribe.

How to Contact AMHA

Do you know there are a variety of ways you can contact AMHA?

You can call the office during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern: (802) 985-4944 (or leave a message after hours).

You can email:
info@morganhorse.com
registry@morganhorse.com
accounting@morganhorse.com
magazine@morganhorse.com

Go to
www.morganhorse.com and click the "Contact Us" button at the top right-hand of the page.

Or, you can message us on Facebook!

Sharing Carrots: https://www.facebook.com/American-Morgan-Horse-Association-Sharing-Carrots-111766915152/

Say Hay Youth: https://www.facebook.com/American-Morgan-Horse-Association-Youth-Say-Hay-36894149023/

The Morgan Horse magazine: https://www.facebook.com/TheMorganHorse/?fref=ts

 

Industry News   

Michigan Stallion Service Auction Opens

The MMHBF Stallion Service Auction will be held during the Gala Event that will take place on February 27, 2016 at Bakers of Milford in Milford, Michigan, at 5 p.m.

Go to www.michiganmorganfuturity.com to check out this year's list of stallions. To bid on a stallion service or to review stallion contracts, contact Jason Huffman (517) 206-6854, jhuffman@gswins.com, Heidi Nichols, (517) 398-3457, Mavmorgans@gmail.com, or Debbie LaMay (517) 740-5230, equinecryo@hotmail.com.

 

4th Annual Indoor Equine Clinic

The Morgan Horse Heritage Foundation is hosting its fourth Annual Indoor Equine Clinic, to take place in Sharon, Vermont, on April 2, 2016.

 

Meet and learn from these experts!

Steve Davis, director and trainer at the University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm will speak on the latest methods on breeding and foaling.

Richard Boulé, manager-trainer at Taylor River Farm, will focus on introducing the horse to both harness and saddle work.

Dr. David Sequist is a veterinarian and equine specialist and was one of the first practitioners in Vermont to perform colic surgeries.

Lori Berger is a dressage instructor and will discuss the traditional discipline as well as western dressage.

 

The fee for the clinic is $60 and space is limited. The event will take place at the Sharon Elementary School in Sharon, Vermont. It is located at Exit 2 off Interstate 89. 

Send a check to Anne Brown, 1380 Old Stage Road, Westford, Vermont 05494. For more information, call Anne Brown at (802) 878-4128 or go to www.morganhorseheritagefoundation.com.

 

Summer Daze Regional Update

The Summer Daze Regional Morgan Horse Show is moving to the Hale Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, July 7-9, 2016. The AMHA Board of Directors gave the show a one-year exception to allow the show to take place outside of Region 6. The Kansas City location is centrally positioned to make the show available to many more Morgan exhibitors. The American Royal Complex is a first-class facility with a great feel, not to mention a completely climate controlled environment!  With Kansas City’s many restaurants, hotels, shopping, museums, and nightlife, the show committee feels this venue will be a great asset to expand the show.  

In addition, a comprehensive list of rail classes are being offered in the following divisions:

- Carriage

- English Dressage

- Opportunity Western Dressage

- Reining

- Ranch Pleasure

- English Trail

- Western Trail

 

If you would like more information about the show, please contact Brian Hadley at (214) 460-6988 or Cindy Becker at summerdazemorgan@gmail.com.

PVF Peace Of Mind Earns 2015 Horse of the Year Title
From the USEF Communications Department

On a night dedicated to the horse, one special Morgan athlete was recognized for her excellence in 2015 during the USEF's Year-End Awards Gala. In a year that witnessed equestrian athletes excel, PVF Peace of Mind reached the pinnacle of her sport and for her achievement was named International Horse of the Year. Voting was open to the public through January and this horse, already a fan favorite, was rewarded for her tremendous results throughout 2015 with support from voters.

PVF Peace Of Mind, the charismatic eight-year-old Morgan mare, reached unbelievable heights in 2015 and has proven to be unbeatable with owner Suzy Stafford. In the carriage, in an astonishing feat of competitive excellence, "Hunny" won in each of her three FEI combined driving events this year, including the CAI2* Hermitage Classic in Goshen, Kentucky, the prestigious CAI2* Kentucky Classic in Lexington, Kentucky, and a second consecutive win at the CAI2* Live Oak International in Ocala, Florida. Most importantly, Hunny's dominating performance in all three phases of competition at Hermitage earned her and Stafford the 2015 USEF Single Horse Driving National Championship by an incredible 14-point margin over their closest rival. Hunny has been undefeated in the dressage arena this year with Stafford. Demonstrating her versatility under saddle, Hunny was undefeated at First Level ridden dressage and crowned First Level Show Champion at the popular Massachusetts Morgan Horse Show this summer.

See the video honoring PVF Peace of Mind at the USEF Year End Awards Gala on USEF Network by going to http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/coverage.aspx?urlkey=2016AnnualMeeting&video=1_lzmhiq9z&playlist=1_5deuggfm.

Morgans Earn NATRC Year-End Awards

The Morgan breed earned several top honors at the recently announced year-end awards for the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC).

Windstorm Sienna and Wayne Tolbert are the 2015 Horse Hall of Fame inductee. This team has racked up many NATRC championships through the years and has been a great breed representative.  

Silver Valley Tate has earned the Grand Champion High-Average Horse honors with 98.653%. Tate was also the Competitive Pleasure National Champion for Region 6 and placed fifth in the Overall Competitive Pleasure Horse Championship.

NKR April's Jewel is being honored for the 2,000 High-Mileage Award, and Terradocs Oconee Belle for 1,000. And Morgan rider Sallie Kudra is honored as a 6,000-mile rider.

 

 

 

Christina Koliander
Communications Specialist/Clubs Liaison
American Morgan Horse Association
(802) 985-4944 ext. 402
www.morganhorse.com