Stable Sheet - April 2019
Stable Sheet - April 2019
"An American Legacy - The Morgan Horse"
From The Board
Mission Statement for your Board of Directors:
"To promote & preserve the Morgan Breed, serve MHAO members,
& support the Unity of the Morgan community."
President's Message
Winter has finally lost its grip on us, something I hope is true for everyone in the Northwest. Welcome Spring and I wish a wonderful Easter to all of you. I'm finally done with my taxes... something it is always good to have behind me.

We had a very successful Stallion Service Auction and Spring Clinic. See more information later in this newsletter. Be sure to click the link at the end of each section to move on to the next one. There are 4 sections in all. Now to switch into full gear for all the goals & activities that lie ahead for MHAO.


As we move forward, my heart is heavy for Sara Mooney-Breyman, Mike Mooney, Neil & Sally Plumley and all in their family. Alex Mooney passed away on April 2nd. We have all watched this wonderful young woman battle Cystic Fibrosis with such tremendous courage & personal fortitude. She never gave up in her fight. Her family and many friends walked right along with her. She inspired so many people. Please join me in sending your regards to all who were close to Alex. And if you are willing, I hope you will make donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help in the elimination of this disease. It was Alex's request of us all.

The family is planning to have a Celebration of Life for Alex in Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, & Oklahoma City. I will share information as I hear more .

See a tribute to Alex in Section 2 of this newsletter
Board Meeting Minutes
General Membership Meeting
March 9, 2019
Board Members Present: Gay Adams, Julie Nygaard, Karen Breckinridge, Kathy Christensen and Erin Silver
Not Present: Paula Hague, Shirley Champion, John Shaver, Nancy Eidam, Grace Martin, Martha Woodland, Natalie Woodland and Diane Pixlee
Board quorum not present

Meeting was called to order by the President Gay Adams at 1:40pm
Treasurer’s Report:
Financial Report as of February 28, 2019 – Karen Breckenridge
$4,215.19 General Checking Account
$25,491.16 Savings Account
$4,505.82 Futurity Account
$13,765.00 Nancy Falk Trust donation-Restricted Funds
$8,693.38 OMC Account
$159.88 Paypal Online Payments
$273.00 Misc.
$2,837.97 Fixed Assets
Total Assets after reconciliations $59,941.40

Background on the Nancy Falk donation was covered with attendees and how it is to be used (Colorful Morgan Award and Youth of the Year activities at OMC). Accounts Receivables are down from $632.00 last month to $400.00 this month. Fantastic collection work from Karen!

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Hi Point Committee – Erin Silver
Erin talked about the divisions offered for Hi Points.  3-Divisions Amateur, Youth and Open. 5 shows, (Key, BC, OMC, C-Fair and PNW) and Grand Nationals are tracked for points. This is a huge job to gather results from the shows. To help with the tracking, please register with Erin to make sure your points are counted.

Education Committee- Erin Silver
Todays Ranch Riding clinic was our event for education this year. The clinic was a huge success.  Thank you to all of the hard work by the Bullard family, the Silvers, Kathy Christensen and many others that helped set up and clean up. Lunch was great and the cookies were delicious. Erin is open for ideas for a project to offer next year.

Youth Committee – Gay reported for Diane Pixlee, Grace Martin and Natalie Woodland
Grace and Natalie are working on a newsletter for the Youth, and they are looking into cyber shows that are open to Youth, Amateur, & Academy riders. You do a posted pattern for the show by video and send it in via the internet. There is a judge and you receive notice of your placings & feedback.

Stallion Service Auction – Gay Adams
Gay thanked Leslie Arnould for her wonderful networking that helped in getting such a fabulous line up of Stallions this year. There was a lot of focus on advertising earlier which helped. We have 22 phone in bidders registered to participate. After this general meeting the Auction will end with some online bidding. Volunteers are needed to man the phones.
Sidenote: I loved helping out with this… so exciting! From Gay: Thanks to everyone that helped!

Futurity -Gay Adams
A lot of work needed to get more to renew their nominations. Not many have come in yet which is a concern. Gay will follow up with participants after the auction is finished. We have two new foals entered so far. Goal would be to have a total of 50 participants this year after renewals and new nominations.

Promotion – Gay reported for Martha Woodland
A $300.00 grant was received from AMHA to help with promotion for the breed. Planned projects are 
(1) to have a function the day before the OMC show that will include 4-H, FFA, OHSET and our youth.      
(2) Participate in the Harrisburg 4th of July parade
(3) Have horses show at the State Fair in August to showcase our beautiful Morgans

Membership – Kathy Christensen
Kathy reminded everyone to re-new their memberships. You don’t need to own a Morgan to be part of our club. Everyone is welcome. A thank you letter is sent to all who join or renew. If letter not received yet, you need to renew.

Ride/Drive Program and Open Incentive Program – Gay for Shirley Champion & John Shaver
Both programs were discussed briefly to educate the general membership. 
For the Ride/Drive Program, remember to log non-showing minutes in the saddle at Morgan shows. You can report all hours at Non-Morgan shows.  Everything else counts; daily rides, lessons, clinics, parades, trail riding, etc…   The website is where you can find the forms. 
Open Incentive allows our members to get reimbursed for up to $25.00 per show or event that is attended to a maximum of $100.00 each year.

Website/Stable Sheet – Gay Adams
It was stated that we need to do a better job of keeping a good history of our Club and our Morgans. The Stable Sheet needs help, so if anyone has some time it would be greatly appreciated.

OMC Show Committee – Gay Adams for Paula Hague
The judge for the OMC show will be Mathew Roberts from Arizona. The show will be from Wednesday through Saturday this year; June 19-22, in Eugene Oregon at the Horse Center. Working on changing the schedule to Thursday thru Sunday for next year by member request. Donations needed for class sponsorship. Premium booklets will be in the mail soon; they are being prepared now. A discussion was had about sponsorship and what is offered to entice them; such as a continuous advertising on a TV Loop by the Sponsorship tables at the show. Tony Lee has offered to do this again for us. It was also noted that we need lots of volunteers to make this show run smoothly.

New Business -
Gay is working on creating a new entity associated with MHAO that is a 501C3 or charity organization. Things that it could include would be OMC, Education, Youth activities, SSA, etc. This could help more companies and individuals be willing to be Sponsors in the future. We are also looking at establishing a scholarship program.

Open discussion with membership –
There was a lively discussion about the USEF Safe Sport topic. The main concern seems to be liability for trainers and members. Mike Silver mentioned that currently if an allegation is made it goes to ex-law enforcement people. They can exonerate you but you could still be banned from USEF. AMHA has currently decided to stay with USEF because of the costs of insurance & what it would take to police ourselves.   Bob Bullard also brought up the time it takes for the testing. As an amateur he resents all the requirements, but is supportive of the intent. Testing can take up to 3 hours to complete.  Gay said that AMHA and other groups have joined forces and written a letter to USEF about their common concerns.  There is a copy of the letter in the last Stable Sheet. 
  
Meeting was adjourned in record time at 2:26pm
Next meeting is scheduled for April 17th, 7:30pm via conference call
Respectfully submitted,
Julie Nygaard, MHAO Secretary   
Scandia Morgans. Vince & Kathy DeFazio.
Thank You Peggy Bond-Heath
for a Very Successful Spring Clinic!
And Thank You to Our Wonderful Hosts-
Shelley & Bob Bullard at
Northwest Morgans
We didn't take our picture early enough! - several attendees had already left. The turnout for the clinic was great and our facilitator, Peggy Bond-Heath did a wonderful job. Everyone learned a lot whether riding or auditing the course. Thank you to Kathy Christensen for bringing in the snacks and lunch. There was plenty of good food to go around. Our hosts pulled out all the stops providing a heated seating area and a well groomed arena. Everything was nicely laid out and beautiful. Thank you so much Shelley and Bob Bullard.

After the Clinic and the General Membership Meeting, the phone crew for the Stallion Service Auction headed to the house to take care of all our bidders. The results of the auction are shown below. Good job everyone! And thank you for your help. We couldn't have done it without you!! A bonus was we got to see the results of a recent remodel by Shelley & Bob. So beautiful!

Again, thank you to Shelley & Bob for all their hard work to get ready for the event. And thank you Erin Silver for all your work in organizing the event. Karen Breckenridge was there to handle registration and any payments. Lots of hands helped with any additional set-up needed and with the take down and put away function. Well done! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we received all good comments.
Even SA Kashmiri (or Kash) seemed to enjoy the informative yet concise General Membership Meeting.
MHAO Stallion Service Auction
Auction Results
2019 Summer Camp Available
Are you offering a Summer Camp, or do you offer lessons using Morgan horses?

Send me information about what you do.
We want to create a list of places in the Northwest
where riding lessons or driving lessons are available.
Do you have an Academy program?

Let Us Promote You!

Send to Gay Adams, sunstonemorgans@comcast.net
or call me at (503) 936-4276
American Horse Council
Launches a New Pilot Program
Time To Ride
Wow!
We have bee needing a way to draw new people into our Horse World.
Take a look at this!

Here is a possible answer that dovetails nicely into an Academy program, OHSET, and developing new Equine enthusiasts. Let's get involved so that new riders from this program are introduced to the Morgan Horse and the Morgan community.

Time To Ride®, a program of the American Horse Council’s Marketing Alliance, is now accepting applications for its 2019 pilot program.
The new Time To Ride program is designed to introduce school-age children to horseback riding and horse care in a safe, welcoming environment. The goal is to familiarize school-age children with horses through an initial series of lessons that include basic horse care as well as riding. 

Equine facilities and instructors must meet specific requirements to be considered for the pilot program. All instructors must either hold a current professional membership with one or more national breed or discipline associations, be certified as an instructor through a recognized program such as Certified Horsemanship Association or licensed as a riding instructor in the state in which they teach.

Barns and instructors meeting the program’s standards will be designated Time To Ride Program Facilities and be given marketing tools, techniques and assistance to help in reaching out to their local schools, youth groups, recreational departments and similar organizations to provide a set of six to eight introductory lessons. The program emulates the golf industry’s The First Tee, in which school-age kids are introduced to golf through a series of lessons at a local golf course. The First Tee has reached 15 million children since its start in 1997.

For 2019, Time To Ride will select 20-30 facilities from across the US to participate in the pilot program, representing a cross-section of breeds and disciplines. 

Facilities selected for the pilot program will receive gifts and discounts from Marketing Alliance member companies and organizations, including a free one-year Professional Membership from United States Pony Clubs, free Fan Memberships from US Equestrian, a coupon for a free bag of Purina horse feed, a complimentary copy of Platinum Performance magazine, discounts on purchases from Certified Horsemanship Association, Troxel Helmets, Weaver Leather and more.

To learn more about Time To Ride,
review the requirements
and apply for the pilot program.
Preference will be given to applications received by May 1, 2019.

About Time To Ride
Time To Ride is managed and funded by the American Horse Council Marketing Alliance. The Marketing Alliance was founded by a consortium of equine-related corporations and organizations to encourage and support the growth of the U.S. horse industry. Current members of the Marketing Alliance include: Active Interest Media/Equine Network, American Horse Council, Morris Media Network, Platinum Performance, Purina and Zoetis. Additional support is provided by the American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Paint Horse Association, American Quarter Horse Association, National Reining Horse Association, Troxel Helmets and Weaver Leather. Educational support is provided by Certified Horsemanship Association, US Equestrian and United States Pony Clubs.

For more information contact Molly O’Brien, Time To Ride Program Manager: ttr@horsecouncil.org ; 202-891-7971.
There’s no connection like the one your child will make with a horse.
Time To Ride® is here to help young people learn to ride and care for horses, and
experience the unique bond between horses and humans.
Learning to ride and care for horses teaches many things, including responsibility, patience, perseverance, and how to set and achieve goals, while also providing physical activity. More than that, children experience the emotional bond that comes from caring for and riding a horse – a partnership with another living being like no other.
The purpose of Time To Ride is to sustain and grow the equine industry by creating the next generation of knowledgeable, dedicated horse enthusiasts and owners while also teaching children valuable life lessons. We accomplish this by introducing school-age children to horseback riding and horse care in a safe, professional, welcoming environment.
A Plea From Your MHAO President!

MHAO is a member of the Oregon Horse Council which is an affiliate of the American Horse Council. Time To Ride is an important program and offers a way for us to bring new people into the equine way of life; something that is very important for horse owners & enthusiasts, and to those who serve the horse Industry.

Please take a look! This is so needed!

H elp this Program succeed! If appropriate,
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT IT OFFERS!
MHAO Breeders' Cup Futurity
Get your 2019 Foals Nominated To The Futurity!

Announcing a few changes -
Nominations are open for 2019 foals either before you show them this year or by year end
at $45 each (no more late fee if after OMC).

The due date for re-nomination is changing to
March 31st each year.

Have you re-nominated your futurity horse for 2019?
This year only, we have extended the due date to April 30th. Send it in now to avoid a late fee.

Click here to download a 2019 Certificate of Foal Nomination.
Click here to download the updated Futurity Rules.

For assistance, contact Gay Adams
(503) 936-4276, sunstonemorgans@comcast.net
Scandias Springtyme Lady and her filly, Sunstone Uptown Lady by Town Assets
Sunstone Morgans, John & Gay Adams
Why Horses?
We all need to find a way to answer this question in ways non-horse people can understand. The horse industry is disappearing. We are the only ones that can keep this from happening by encouraging more people to get interested in & involved with horses.
Here is a recap of an article that appeared on the HorseNetwork website. It is taken from the book: 

We all need to get better at telling people why they should ride, or why they should get their kids involved. Are horses expensive? Yes. But because horses are prey animals that strongly connect to people, they can teach us things that no other animal or sport can.
It is up to us!
The horse is still very important to our world. We need to be ready and able to share the reasons why. We need to do all we can to help the Equine industry survive and grow.

Gay
Photo courtesy of Stephanie Lockhart Collection.
Equine Therapy
Youth, Addiction, Horses and Healing
Sam Butler was born and grew up in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His mother and father got divorced when he was seven, so every week Sam traveled back and forth to live with both parents.

He was the youngest of four boys and in trouble almost from the beginning, getting kicked out of third grade for refusing to do his homework. He started using cocaine at 12, dropped out of the eighth grade, and was sent by his parents to a military academy for troubled teens in the United States.

As a 13-year-old freshman at the academy, Sam found himself in a class with a number of 19 and 20-year-olds who had been left behind. He had never liked violence, and whenever the older boys beat him, he never fought back.

Sam was five foot ten and weighed 150 pounds. One night he was forced by some of his classmates to fight a kid named Joseph, who was six foot two and weighed 300 pounds.

Sam told me, “Something happened that night. I felt trapped. I still don’t know why, but I snapped; it was like I was a different person. I ran at Joseph and hit him hard in the face. I hit him with a lamp and a chair, knocked him to the floor and strangled him until he passed out. After that I fought a lot. I broke my wrists and my hands, but I never lost a fight.”

Sam’s parents brought him back home and told him he had to see a therapist. He refused to go. They put him in a Windsor prep school. Sam hated it. He started dealing drugs, carrying knives, was often violent, and once almost got killed by a Russian gang over a drug deal gone bad.

Sam said, “It was bad, I was out of control. I was high all the time and surrounded by violence. I hated my parents. I hated living in two places. One night I came home and swung at my dad. He grabbed me and held me down on the floor. I felt I couldn’t move; I felt trapped. It was the same feeling I had in military school when I fought Joseph. I head-butted my dad and broke his nose and one of his teeth. He pushed me away. I fell down the stairs and got knocked out, with a concussion. My dad’s girlfriend called 911; they came, strapped me down, and took me to the emergency room. When I came to and realized I was strapped down and couldn’t move, I went crazy. They had to tranq me.”

After two months of agonizing soul-searching and exploring therapeutic options, Sam’s father and mother brought Sam to In Balance Ranch Academy, a therapeutic boarding school outside of Tucson, Arizona, to begin a one-year cocaine-addiction rehabilitation program.
Dr. William Parker, the therapist who would be in charge of Sam’s recovery program, felt that the divorce of Sam’s parents had contributed a great deal to his emotional difficulties and the struggles he was having in relating to his family and other people. Because his interpersonal guardedness had repeatedly made it difficult for him to establish a genuine relationship with a therapist, Dr. Parker decided to begin Sam’s recovery with equine therapy.

At his first session Sam’s equine therapist Keri, asked him to walk into a corral of six horses, choose one, and walk him back to her. Although Sam had never ridden or been around horses, he took a halter and rope and calmly walked into the corral as if it was something he had done his whole life. He looked around at the small herd, walked over to a buckskin quarter horse mare named Cricket, and gently petted her neck.

Keri asked Sam to lead Cricket to the other end of the corral and then walk with her in a space between the corral’s wood-rail fence and a three-foot-tall blue plastic barrel that stood about four feet from the fence. Sam led Cricket and was halfway through the space between the barrel and fence when Cricket stopped and wouldn’t walk any farther.

Sam turned around and quietly stood for a moment, looking at Cricket. Her head was up in the air, pulling back on the rope, the muscles in her neck looked tight, and he could see the whites of her eyes. Sam walked back, stood next to Cricket for a few minutes, gently stroked her neck, then turned and began to walk forward again. Cricket followed him through the space, and they walked back to Keri.

Keri asked Sam why he thought Cricket had stopped at the barrel. Sam said, “I don’t know, but she looked a little unsure, y’know, a little scared. I just figured I’d pet her and let her know everything was okay.”
Keri said, “You’re right, Cricket was a little apprehensive. As a prey animal on the lookout for predators, all horses need to know that they can run anywhere, in any direction, in order to feel confident and safe. If any of their paths of escape are blocked, they become a little anxious or fearful. By asking Cricket to go between the fence and the barrel, you were asking her to go into a place that would eliminate two paths of escape: one to the right, blocked by the fence, the other to the left, blocked by the barrel.”

Sam was looking at Keri and listening intently to what she was saying. When she finished, he stared at Cricket and said, “Wow, I know just what that feels like. I hate feeling trapped. If I can’t move, I go crazy.”
As his stay continued, Sam asked if he could spend more time in the equine therapy program. One afternoon Sam returned to the corral after riding all around the ranch. He got off Cricket and sat down on the ground next to Keri. He said, “Y’know, she’s afraid of just about everything. We were riding and she spooked at one of the mailboxes. What a stupid thing to be afraid of.”

Keri said, “All horses are hypervigilant. They’re always on the lookout for predators. When they come upon something they don’t recognize, they will often spook and think about running. If they realize it’s not a bear or a mountain lion, they’ll relax and continue on. It may seem stupid to us, but it makes perfect sense to a horse. If Cricket doesn’t get ready to run and the mailbox is really a strange-looking predator, she could get eaten. Sam, can you think of anything that frightens you that maybe you don’t need to be afraid of?”

Sam thought for a moment, looked up at Cricket, then back at Keri. He said, “I’m always afraid of what people think of me, y’know, like their opinions of me. Maybe that’s stupid. Cricket is so much like me. I guess if she doesn’t need to be afraid of a mailbox, I don’t need to be afraid of what someone is thinking about me. Horses aren’t stupid, they’re just really cautious—they don’t trust so good.”

During his time at In Balance, Sam worked on healing his feelings of rage and low self-worth. He also accepted the fact that before he’d arrived at the ranch, he had become addicted to drugs and alcohol, and so he started attending AA meetings, which were held at the ranch daily.

The last time I spoke with Sam, he had finished his stay at In Balance and had moved to a halfway house for three months. I asked him how he was doing and about his experience with the equine therapy program.

He said, “It’s like I have a totally different relationship with my mom and dad. I know they love me and want to help me. I didn’t know anything about horses when I got there. Now I love them. I don’t know if anyone could have taught me what and why I was doing and how I was messing up my life. Cricket taught me to be okay with myself.”

Horses don’t care who you are, what you’ve done, or what you believe. They care only about how you behave with them. This enables them to give unconditional acceptance to a troubled teen who is revealing his or her true self. This acceptance creates a feeling of self-worth, which can often be hard to obtain with the typical rehabilitation methods of traditional psychotherapy and/ or prescription drugs.

Equine therapy has become one of the most beneficial and cost-effective programs for today’s At Risk Youth. To think that millions of emotionally wounded teenagers can get a second chance at a healthy and meaningful life is heartwarming. The idea that this can be achieved from a breakthrough in self-awareness that occurred from simply interacting with a horse is extraordinary.

This story is adapted from Tim Hayes’ book  RIDING HOME – The Power of Horses to Heal  and appears in Chapter 4 ~”Horses Don’t Get Divorced…Today’s Youth at Risk.”  It is this amazing power of horses to heal and teach us about ourselves that is accessible to everyone and found in the pages of this book. To learn more about the book, visit:  www.ridinghome.com .

Every book ordered will benefit children of families in need, veterans with PTSD and children with autism.

To contact Tim Hayes and for articles & blogs by Tim Hayes go to

Reprinted from: www.horsenetwork.com
Scandias Carribean Queen and foal, Scandias Ms Congeniality
Scandia Morgan Horse Farm, Vince & Kathy DeFazio
From MHCWS On Their Shows
Update On The Key Classic
The prize list for Key Classic is now online!!!

Judges Announced!
Key Classic Benefit Horse Show 2019 Show Officials: 
   Rick Davis, Judge
   Donna Longacre, Dressage
   Carrie Olson, USEF Steward
   Avalon Photography, Photographer.

New classes added!
Trail, Hunter over Fences, Sport Horse, Ranch Riding/Pleasure,
Adult Equitation and Bridle Path Hack!

Calling all youth 21 and under!!!
We are excited to once again offer the Youth of the Year Contest at Key. There will be four divisions; Senior, Junior, Walk/Trot, and Leadline (must be able to lead and will be asked to perform a simple showmanship pattern).
Come join the fun!!
Meet other youth, make new friends, and have fun while earning the title of the years Youth of the Year at the show.
Stay tuned for more information,
and let us know who’s interested.

Make sure and save the dates and
we’ll see you at the show!!!

Why is being a Sponsor/Advertiser of
Key Classic so important?
Your entry fees and fees for tack rooms, stalls, bedding, and office staff do not cover the entire cost of putting on our show.

Sponsorships help cover the costs of what makes our show SPECIAL :
Ribbons, Purses, Trophies, Youth Activities and Special Events

Help us make Key Classic SPECIAL!
Here’s how:
*Sponsor classes
*Advertise your business
*Support our youth
*Step up and become a Corporate Sponsor.

Send in your Sponsorship today!
****Thanks for your support of the Key Classic Benefit Horse Show****

Click here for sponsorship information
Update on C-Fair
Kent Swalla, Judge
Avalon Photography, Photographer
News From BC Morgan Horse Show
May 30 to June 2, 2019
 
 NW Washington Fair and Event Center,
Lynden, Washington
 
Our Prize List is now available at https://www.bcmorgan.com/events . We would like to emphasize that with increased demand this year, we strongly advise getting stall reservations in early with increased demand anticipated. Stalls are only guaranteed with payment. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!
 
Please stay tuned for more updates as we work on our Prize List  and continue our planning for this fun, family friendly show!

Morgan Medallion Announces
New Dates & Location

The Morgan Medallion Classic has changed both its dates and its location for the 2019 show.

It will now take place July 18-21 at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center, located in Las Vegas.
This fully air-conditioned facility is one of the premier equestrian facilities in the West and is located inside the South Point Hotel and Casino. This year's show manager is Kent Moeller.

Kristin Stivers is the judge.

The Medallion show committee is excited to move to this great venue!
 For more information on this year's show go to http://www.morganmedallion.com/.
Oregon Morgan Classic
Let the Morgan Celebration begin!

The OMC show will be bigger and better than ever this year!

Again all under one roof, there are dozens of classes offered for Morgans
and Saddlebreds, enthusiasts in open, amateur, junior, walk-trot,
dressage and carriage driving.

Great Awards, High Points. Special activities, Youth of the Year,
Annual Bouncing Ball Relays and Progressive Dinner on the Mezzanine.
Morgan Owner & Trainer $500 incentive drawings.

Restaurant on site.
Put June 19-22 in Eugene, Oregon on your calendar.
Show Premium books will be out soon.

Contact show chairman Paula Hague at
Editionltd@aol.com for more information.

See you there!
Annual Update to Morgan Judging Standards
The clocks have made their spring ahead, the promise of warmer temperatures and longer hours of sunlight is upon us and show season 2019 is here. As USEF judges, the decisions you make have a direct effect on the future of the Morgan breed. Your selections are used as guidance by breeders, exhibitors and spectators alike. This update is designed to keep you “up to speed” with show ring trends, both good and bad, so the decisions you make should be in the best interest of our breed.
The Judging Standards Manual states: 

“We believe every exhibitor has an absolute right to expect his or her horse to be judged against the same criteria regardless of who is judging or in what part of the country the show is held. It is the function of the committee to establish this standard…devise and recommend to the Board ways to see that it’s universally accepted and adhered to…and research methods to generally upgrade the quality and consistency of our Morgan horse judging.”

A. Hunter Pleasure
The hunter pleasure horse should appear to be carrying his body in a natural frame with ease of motion and without evidence of undue restraint. His motion starts from the hind end and progresses through his shoulders, which allows him to carry his head in the correct frame with quiet, relaxed collection. He should never appear to have his frame controlled by the bridle, be behind the bit, or appear to be pulling himself around on the forehand. Transitioning from the trot to the extended trot is a ground covering motion- Not go faster or higher! The canter and extended canter should follow the same progressive movement forward. The walk should be free-moving and relaxed, not tense or anticipating. When judging the Hunter Pleasure horse remember that although a Morgan naturally moves in the arch of a circle the Hunter Pleasure horse must exhibit elliptical movement as well. A Morgan Hunter Pleasure horse should travel with twice the length of stride as height, and should demonstrate SENSE OF PURPOSE!

Hunter Pleasure is the most popular section within the Morgan division. We as judges must be diligent in looking for the correct Hunter Pleasure horse that reflects the criteria of the Standard. When judging pay attention to the rule governing the length of shank on hunter curb and Pelham bits.

B. Unnatural Tail Carriage
Please stay diligent with your penalizing the unnatural tail carriage. “Unnatural tail carriage includes evidence of tail setting and/or break-over, dead tail, wry tail (wry tail is defined as twisted, carried askew or distorted). Judges have an obligation to see that tails carried vertically with an abrupt break-over are penalized. It must be noted that there has been great improvement in this area.

C. Suitability
As per the judging standards manual: “A horse placed first in a class judged on performance, quality and manners could justifiably be not placed against the same horses if the class were judged on manners, quality and performance.” Please remember, the order of performance criteria changes from class to class e.g.- Open, Amateur, Junior Exhibitor, Ladies, etc. Junior Exhibitor horses must have impeccable manners.

D. Classic Pleasure
This section of the Morgan division has grown and become one the most popular sections of the division. Please pay strict attention to the walk and transition from one gait to another when judging Classic Pleasure. It is imperative that the Classic Pleasure horse give the distinct appearance of being a pleasure to ride or drive with emphasis on the walk and smooth transitions.

E. Western Pleasure
The Western Pleasure section is a very popular and competitive section of our division. Judges must heavily penalize presentations which include long, loose, draped reins; heavy contact; snatching and jerking; sawing; pulling or evidence of intimidation. Remember: Anything in the horse’s mouth other than a legal bit is not permitted in the Western Pleasure section.

F. Protective Headgear
Judges must remember that protective headgear is allowed, and may not be penalized, in all Morgan classes. Individuals wearing protective headgear must not be discriminated against in any class.

G. Balance and Cadence/Laboring Action
The Judging Standards Manual states: “Judges shall seriously fault any horse that is laboring, pounding, landing on the heel, winging, or paddling, whether due to faulty conformation, extremes of length and/or angle of the hoof, weight, and/or balance of shoe. In all classes the gaits must be true and correct. Mixed gaits demonstrating improper cadence and balance must be penalized.

H. Park Saddle
The gaits of the Park Saddle Horse are: Walk, Park Trot and Canter. Not “Stand,” Park Trot, and Canter. You must penalize the Park Saddle horse that does not attempt to walk at all. Remember, it can be two beat as long as the horse demonstrates a degree of regimentation without undue restraint.

Thank you for your time and dedication to the Morgan Horse. Please feel free to contact any committee member with questions, comments or concerns.

Cindy Mugnier and Larry Bolen
AMHA Judging Standards Committee
Health Alert!
Equine events canceled, horses quarantined in Nevada amid EHV
     Three horses have been quarantined, horse shows and other events have been postponed or canceled, and horse owners in southern Nevada should keep their horses at home for a while to avoid equine herpesvirus, says veterinarian Wyatt Winchell. Veterinarians also recommend the EHV vaccine, and Dr. Winchell says people can prevent spreading EHV by washing their hands and clothing and changing their shoes after contact with horses that might have been exposed to the virus.
     Please note that these cases are confined to Nevada at this time. The National Reined Cow Horse Association Stallion Stakes at Southpoint Equestrian Center is still on but a previous event has been cancelled to allow for better biosecurity.  

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State Veterinarian and AQHA Postpone Event Due to
Equine Herpes Virus UPDATE:
The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) says due to the recent confirmed EHV-1 positive cases at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center this week, the state veterinarian of Nevada decided to postpone the AQHA West Level 1 Championships scheduled for April 17 to April 20 in Las Vegas.
 
Click here to read the entire story

Thank you Shelley Bullard!
How to Bombproof Your Horse...SALE
Three things you should NEVER say when selling a horse!
Be cautious of the words you choose when advertising a horse for sale. Using the wrong words can leave you potentially liable.
Read this short article by our Equine Attorney, Rachel Kosmal McCart, to understand how some terminology can leave you open to a lawsuit.

www.equinelegalsolutions.com
AMHECT Awards Grants to
Morgan Shows

MHAO Received a $100 Grant from AMHECT for the Oregon Morgan Classic Horse Show.

Thank you AMHA!
This year, 5 percent of the net from the AMHECT/World Morgan Futurity Stallion Service Auction was made available for the AMHA grant program for financially challenged Morgan competitions.

The 2019 show grant recipients are: C-Fair Charity Regional Show , Central Region Morgan Horse Show, Key Classic Benefit , Morgan Medallion Regional , New York State Breeders, Oregon Morgan Classic , Silver Cup, Southern States Regional, and Tri- State All Morgan Horse Show.

For more information on the AMHA Show Grant Program, contact AMHA at (802) 985-4944 or go to http://www.morganhorse.com/competitions/grants/grants .
Joint Leadership Council
Working to fulfill its mission to bring about positive change in the governance of our sport, the Joint Leadership Council announces a series of public forums at spring shows across the country. Presenters will give a brief overview of the JLC’s activities, discuss the importance of effective governance for our breeds and then open the floor for questions, comments, ideas and discussion amongst the audience. While it is understood that SafeSport and its implementation will generate many questions and comments, the JLC encourages discussion of all matters regarding governance. To maintain our breeds’ proportional seats on USEF boards and councils, the JLC encourages individual members and horse shows to retain their memberships and affiliation with USEF as we seek better representation and positive change from our governing body. We hope that owners, trainers, exhibitors and fans of our sport will join us at these public forums and help develop a path forward that will unite and grow our sport and our breeds. Upcoming forums have been confirmed for the following shows, and we hope to add more in the coming weeks.

Gasparilla Charity
Raleigh Spring Premier
Carousel
Pro-Am
Pin Oak
Kerry Bay & foal, Kerry Treasure by RJM Pardon My French
Owned by Sharon & Shannon Harper, Kerry Morgans
MHAO Membership Renewals Needed
Help! We can't do it without you!
Have you renewed your membership in MHAO?

We are missing a lot of members. Without members we don't have the funds needed to support all of our programs.
Please renew your membership today!
We need your dues to help us complete our goals to promote the Morgan horse, to support our youth, and offer fun activities and recognition to the Morgan community.

Click here to download a membership form

Not sure if you are a current member?
Contact Kathy Christensen, MHAO Membership Chair
(503) 391-9047, mike-kak@Q.com
AMHA Enlarges Focus on Youth Programs
Jaxon Craddock and Dominic You
Kardia Equestrian Academy, Rhea Turner
Dwindling youth participation in equestrian sports has been a vital concern of all breed associations in recent years. As more areas lose their agriculture roots and other options for activities compete for a family’s time and resources, creating bonds between the next generation and our Morgan horse industry is a significant challenge.

In an effort to enlarge AMHA’s focus on Youth Programs, AMHA has retained two consultants who will focus on the improvement of both current and new opportunities. Nicole Scovotti will be serving as the Youth of the Year Program Consultant and Joyce Ackerman-Burroughs will be serving as the AMHA Youth Programs Consultant. Joyce and Nicole have years of experience in the AMHA Youth Programs and are uniquely qualified to serve as passionate and enthusiastic leaders of the AMHA Youth Programs. We are thrilled to welcome Joyce and Nikki.



For any matters related to local, regional and national AMHA Youth of the Year contests, please contact Nikki Scovotti at
nicole@morganhorse.com or (802) 985-4944, Ext. 404.
For any other Youth Program matters, please contact Joyce at joyce@morganhorse.com or (802) 985-4944, Ext. 403.
Stable Sheet Editor &
Reporters Wanted
Help Us Collect & Spread The News

Can you help?
The more reporters we have the better.

Contact Gay Adams (503) 936-4276

Click here to continue reading The Stable Sheet:
Included in the next Sections:
In Memory of - A Tribute to Alex Mooney
Advertising Thru MHAO
Classified Ads
How to become an MHAO Member
Oregon Horse Country
USEF News
AMHA News
Horse Show Dates
CDE Dates
Other Dates
Board Members
Board Meeting Dates
Gay Adams, Acting Editor | Morgan Horse Association of Oregon
(503) 936-4276 | sunstonemorgans@comcast.net