Shelburne, Vt. - The 2016 Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® is shaping up to be another monumental event in the show's 43-year history. Nearly 1,000 of the world's finest Morgan horses from across the United States, Canada, and overseas will meet in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, October 8-15 to compete for $250,000-plus in prize money.

Since 1973, this show has represented the pinnacle of achievement in the Morgan horse world. Matt Kwapich of Bernalillo, New Mexico, again joins as the show's manager, and this year, Cindy Mugnier of Belchertown, Massachusetts, serves in the capacity of show chairman.

Oklahomans can be proud to know that all eyes from the Morgan world will focus on Oklahoma City in October, as the city displays some of the best athletes of America's first breed. The Morgan community is honored to call OKC home since 1975.

Kwapich, with a dedicated and hard-working show committee and staff, joins an impressive list of sponsors, officials, and volunteers to make this year's show the best ever.

Competition begins Saturday, October 8 with three shows daily through Saturday, October 15. Show times are 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 7 p.m., daily. Admission is free throughout the week.

For those who are unable to attend in person, the show will be webcast live from start to finish for free at www.mgnlive.com beginning Saturday, October 8 at 9 a.m. local time.

The Morgan, America's first breed, was founded on a sire named Justin Morgan. His offspring have contributed to every other American breed of horse. Today, Morgans win in nearly every type of competition, from trail and jumping to reining and dressage. Today the Morgan horse is many things to many people, from a working range horse and scholar of obedience to an animated creature of precision unparalleled in equine beauty, he excels in and out of the show ring; under saddle or in harness; or as a trail horse, roadster, or jumper.

Founded in 1909, the American Morgan Horse Association is a non-profit organization serving more than 50,000 Morgan horse owners, breeders, exhibitors, and enthusiasts throughout the United States. AMHA serves as a parent organization to more than 70 recognized Morgan horse clubs and national service organizations. It also provides an important link to foreign Morgan horse registries and clubs.

The Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® is owned by the American Morgan Horse Association and licensed to the American Morgan Horse Educational Trust, a not-for-profit organization committed to education and scholarship.

For more information and updates on the Morgan Grand National, go to www.morgangrandnational.com or visit them on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MorganGrandNational/.