Six young competitors earned the American Morgan Horse Association's (AMHA) highest equestrian honors for their wins at the 2008 Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show, held October 4-11 at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. Sponsored in part by AMHA, this annual showcase brings together top finishers from horse shows from across the country. Gold medals are awarded in the six equitation seats: saddle seat, Western seat, hunter seat on the flat, hunter seat over fences, reining seat and dressage seat.

Winning the 2008 Gold medals were Karlie Bagan of Rochester, WA, in Western seat; Jacqueline Beck of Aliso Viejo, CA, in saddle seat; Kayla Cooney of Shawnee, KS, in hunter seat over fences; Sidnee Pavel of Seward, NE, in reining seat; Kelsey Robinson of Columbia, MO, in hunter seat on the flat; and Kevin Schauer of Loveland, CO, in dressage seat. The six competitors qualified to attend the world show by placing at a regional or local Morgan horse show. All Gold medal winners receive a $500 scholarship to further his or her equine educational experience.

Equitation is defined as the art of riding a horse intelligently, gracefully, and with the greatest degree of comfort and enjoyment to both horse and rider. These classes are judged on the rider's skill more than on the horse's performance. Judges look for the rider to show his or her horse in a lively and controlled fashion.

Since 1973, the Morgan Grand National has been a successful facet of the Morgan world. This year's event brought over 1,400 exhibitors and more than 1,100 horses from 46 U.S. States, Austria, Canada, and Great Britain to compete in one arena.

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 125 recognized Morgan horse clubs and national service organizations. It also provides an important link to foreign Morgan horse registries and clubs. The headquarters, located in Shelburne, VT, also is home to the National Museum of the Morgan Horse and are maintained through the generosity of the American Morgan Horse Institute.

You can learn more about AMHA at www.morganhorse.com.