Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar: Equine Article: Morgan News: July 2004 07/01/04

Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar: Equine Article: Morgan News: July 2004 07/01/04 article search Features Breeds Arabian Appaloosa Dressage Driving Eventing Hunters/Jumpers Morgan Paint Pinto Quarter Horse Saddlebred Affilates Calendar Classifieds Directories Subscribe Back Issues Editorial Advertising Photo Gallery Contact Us Featured Ad Morgan News: July 2004 by Nicole Morrison Fred Merriam and Gaitwood Lightwing. Morgans topped the list of USEF Driving Selectors. The entire 2004 World Singles Driving team that will compete at the World Singles Driving Championships in Astorp, Sweden on July 22-25 will be composed of Morgan horses. Among those will be Gaitwood Lightwing, a nine-year-old Morgan driven by Fred Merriam of Newfane, Vermont; Bethesda After Dark, a ten-year-old Morgan driven by Scott Monroe of Sharon, Connecticut and Collector's Right Stuff, a thirteen-year-old Morgan driven by Scott Padgett of Southern Pines, North Carolina. What a great testament to the versatility and athleticism of Morgan horses! Best of luck to each of them - we will be rooting for you! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And the good news for Morgan enthusiasts just keeps rolling in! Recently the American Driving Society (www.americandrivingsociety.org) reported that the Morgan horse is the most popular driving horse among their membership. A recent ADS demographic survey indicates that the Morgan horse is owned by 17.4% of their membership who returned their demographic survey. This is quite an accomplishment for the Morgan breed since there are only about 80,000 living Morgans in the world. The other piece of good news for the Morgan breed is that the demographic survey indicates that 21% of the members plan to buy a new horse in the next year. Hopefully their choice will help the Morgan breed continue to expand its market as America's Driving Horse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Show season is here, meaning the Morgan Youth Contests are back in action! Just a reminder, Granite State Morgan Horse Show will be holding its annual Youth of the Year Contest on Thursday June 22, 2003 at 11:00 am. Granite State Morgan is held at the Deerfield Fair Grounds in Deerfield, N.H. All Youth are welcome to participate. If there are any questions please contact Sarah Foy at 603-642-4125. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Foxwin Farm is proud to announce the birth of the first of two foals expected this spring. Foxwin Storm Chaser (Stormy) arrived May 8, during a severe thunderstorm, hence his name. He is sired by Pat's long time open dressage partner, Foxwin Jericho, and his dam is Foxwin American Maid. Stormy is a bold, beautiful bay with a small star, and already "owns the farm and everyone on it". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Usually when you hear Samantha Sargent's name you associate it with Morgan horses, but Sam isn't only a talented equestrian, but is also an All Star Cheerleader! Sam participated in the 2004 National Cheerleader of the Year Scholarship Competition last month. The competition was held at Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Sam was one of the 50 cheerleaders chosen of the 130 who tried out. To participate in this competition Sam had to submit three letters of recommendation, be nominated by her coach, hold a GPA of 3.1 or above, and all competitors had to be a junior in high school. The competition consisted of three parts: an interview, a creative cheer, and a technical cheer, and both cheers had to be put together by each individual. Sam was able to meet girls from all over the country, including some fellow cheerleaders from Oklahoma City, and plans to meet up with them in October at the Morgan Grand Nationals. Stable mate and good friend Melissa Grubbs also got to come along to the competition and be part of Sam's stunt crew. The competition also held a convention that offered seminars, stunt demonstrations and hints for college tryouts. Sam's mother, Lisa Sargent, reports that Sam has been cheering since sixth grade and is currently the captain of the cheering squad at Sanborn Regional High School in New Hampshire. While in North Carolina they took a few extra days to tour colleges. Congratulations, Sam, on this great achievement! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Brown/Klein family is sad to report that their beloved mare, Maybelinda, passed away last month. When you hear Sasha Klein's name mentioned you can't help but to think of her companion of eight years, Maybelinda. The Brown/Klein Family purchased Maybelinda in 1996 for Sasha's 8th birthday, and from that day on they were a great pair. Sasha and Maybelinda dominated the Walk Trot division in 1997 and 1998. Then the two moved on to the Junior Exhibitor Hunter Pleasure and Huntseat Equitation divisions in 1999 and 2000, where they also were a dominant team. During their years together they received many Grand National and Regional titles. In the fall of 2000 Maybelinda was retired to the pasture at Waterford Farm, and remained under the care of Lynn and Kathy Peeples. Maybelinda is one of those horses that people just won't forget; she will not only be missed by Sasha, but by the entire Morgan community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Our condolences also to Margaret Gardiner of Kennebec Morgan Horse Farm in Woolwich, Maine on the loss of Kennebec Count (Kennebec King x Helen May) at 34 years of age. Kennebec Count demonstrated the true versatility of the Morgan horse from twitching logs and hitting the trails to competing in the dressage arena and paving the way for Morgans in international combined driving competition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Granite State Mystical Morgans The club decided this year to remember longtime youth group supporter and Jamie Walton's grandfather, Bill Jerome, by raising money for cancer. Toward that goal, when Granite State member Anne Paquin organized a driving clinic and asked the club to run the food booth, the youth jumped at the chance! This was followed immediately by their annual fundraiser - a fun show held at CPM Stables complete with a huge food booth serving breakfast and lunch and an extensive raffle. The two events combined have raised over $500 to donate to "Grampy" Jerome's causes - The Oncology Clinic at Anna Jaques Hospital and the American Cancer Society. These kids worked very hard and were actually glad to get back to school! Mystical Morgans have plans to hold a badge day and a horseless horse show some time this summer too. Members have also been helping with barn chores at member Sarah Johnson's during Sarah's mother Pauli's hospital stay. If you would like to join in the fun with the Granite State Mystical Morgans, please contact club leader Sara Foy at 603-642-4125. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eight dressage riders competing on Morgans were awarded $500 training scholarships through the Morgan Dressage Association. This is the second group to receive scholarships from the proceeds from the association's annual stallion service sales. Applicants were asked to respond to questions that outlined their background with both Morgans and dressage, the challenges they face training for dressage, and how they would use their scholarship funds. Five independent dressage riders scored nearly 40 applications: the eight riders earning the highest scores were awarded a scholarship. Scholarship winners will use the funds for a variety of training experiences ­ including clinics, lessons, symposiums and educational materials. Among the eight winners were two AMHA youth, Emily Knight and Devon Shoemake. Junior/Young Rider Emily Knight of Hanover, New Hampshire said in her application that she "fell in love with Morgans as a little girl because I thought they were the most beautiful breed in my favorite horse book." She began riding Morgans when she was six and has competed successfully in many disciplines from the local to the national level, earning her AMHAY Bulrush, Woodbury and Sherman badges and participating in numerous Youth of the Year competitions. Now a student at Dartmouth College, she and current mount, Fortunes Maestro, have competed through fourth level, earning the scores necessary for Emily's USDF Silver Medal. Thirteen year-old Devon Shoemake rode her first Morgan when she was three, and has been competing in dressage on Morgans for the past three years. She has shown successfully in open and breed-show competitions in dressage, hunter and combined training and in 2003 earned her C-1 Pony Club rating with her current mount, a seven-year-old gelding, Spring Hollow Night Magic, which required them to ride components of training/first-level dressage tests, jump grids, stadium and cross country fences up to 2'9." Congratulations to Emily and Devon and good luck to them in the future! If you are interested in applying for an MDA Scholarship, please visit their website at www.morgandressage.org. Scholarship winners may not receive a scholarship in consecutive years, however they will be eligible to compete for a scholarship in future years if they have moved up a level. The application deadline for the 2004 program is October 1, 2004. Go to the application form for more information on how to apply. Winners will be announced in late 2004. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lippitt Club Morgan Youth are lucky that their 4-H leader, Laura Cranston, is also a Morgan lover and owner! On April 24th , Colleen Culver, Jackie Marshall, and Taylor and Moriah Cranston presented the ultimate in equestrian style during a fashion show at the Forest Park Zoo in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, which was followed by an educational session. A Lippitt Morgan, Barretown Diamond, even made the trip to serve as the official mascot! On May 2nd, the youth journeyed to Mount Holyoke College to attend an equestrian clinic teaching the basics of carriage driving. Finally, on May 8th, the club was invited to Karen Swanberg's Open Barn at Cherry Ledge Farm in Woodstock, Connecticut, where they were given space to promote the Morgan. We are indeed fortunate to have such wonderful ambassadors of our breed! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The fifth edition of the Kohler Sale featured some of the Morgan industry's biggest stars and brightest prospects. This "Sale of the Future" topped $1 Million when the gavel sounded for the final time on Saturday, May 22. Many horses sold for sums of 30, 40 and 50 thousand dollars. The high sellers were HVK Man of Distinction (2003 Ladies Park Saddle Gelding Grand National Champion) at $160,000. Richard Boule placed the winning bid for Vicki Bennett of Heath, Texas. The next highest seller was HVK Port Rush (2002 World Champion Four-Year-Old Park Saddle Horse) who went home with Holly Johnson of Tara Farm for $85,000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Upcoming Morgan Events: Granite State Morgan Horse Show in Deerfield, N.H. June 25-27, 2004. Maine Morgan Horse Show in Skowhegan, Maine, July 8-10, 2004. New England Morgan Horse Show and Region 1 Championships in Northampton, Mass., July 25-31, 2004. 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