Shelburne, VT — Alida D'Angona, 24, from Bolton, MA, recently was crowned Miss Massachusetts 2011, and will be a presenter at the American Morgan Horse Association's annual awards banquet on Saturday, February 26 in Boston.

Born in California, D'Angona traveled with her family as a child across the world to live in Hong Kong before settling in Bolton. With an interest in music as well as the sciences, D'Angona quickly became involved with a local 4-H horse group and spent many days learning about Morgan horses, breeding, public speaking, and showmanship at Nancy Ela Caisse's Townshend Farm. Her persistence, dedication, and desire to succeed motivated her not only in the show ring, but also gave her the confidence to begin modeling and continue with public speaking. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Gordon College and currently works as a research associate in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Genzyme Corporation. D'Angona competed for the title of Miss Massachusetts 2010, earning fourth place, and went back to the stage and was crowned Miss Massachusetts 2011 in November. In June, she will compete in the Miss USA contest held in Las Vegas.

Despite her busy schedule and new accolades, D'Angona's commitment, loyalty, and love for the Morgan horse finds her at Townshend Farm five days a week doing chores. She continues to ride and drive Morgans and is looking forward to her competitive years ahead in the horse world.

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 90 recognized Morgan horse clubs and national service organizations.

For more information on America’s original horse breed, contact the American Morgan Horse Association, Inc., 4066 Shelburne Road, Suite 5, Shelburne, Vermont 05482; (802) 985-4944; www.morganhorse.com.

ENDS