Shelburne, VT - The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Board of Directors voted unanimously at its February 2012 meeting to grant International Reciprocity to the Swedish Morgan Horse Association (SMHA), effective April 1, 2012. This agreement eliminates the need for Morgan horses foaled in Sweden to be registered with AMHA and SMHA, removing the financial burden of this double registration process. Morgans being transferred into or out of Swedish ownership will be processed through AMHA.

"We are so pleased that the Swedish Morgan Registry now has reciprocity with AMHA," said Kathy Newcomb, immediate past Registry Committee Chair. Their remarkable dedication to the Morgan breed is obvious, and has earned them the distinction of being the first registry to establish reciprocity in nearly 25 years."

The AMHA Registry Committee developed an International Reciprocity Agreement and Handbook and the final version was approved in 2010. SMHA submitted their Application for Reciprocity for review in February 2011 and has been working closely with the AMHA Registry to ensure all requirements were met.

SMHA is the third organization to be granted International Reciprocity. AMHA granted International Reciprocity to the Canadian Morgan Horse Association in 1985 and to the British Morgan Horse Association in 1988.

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.