Shelburne, Vt. – The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) welcomed nearly 1,000 Morgan horses to the 2018 Grand National & World Championship Horse Show®. Held at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Okla., from October 6-13, the best of the breed competed in a wide range of disciplines and classes running in three rings concurrently. Horses were shown in divisions including pleasure driving, English pleasure, hunter pleasure, in-hand, park, Western pleasure, jumping, trail, and more.
Excellence in equitation is valued by AMHA and is recognized through the AMHA Medal classes, held at local and regional Morgan and all-breed shows throughout the competition year. AMHA is pleased to announce the following riders as the 2018 Medal Finals gold medalists in their respective seats.
Saddle seat – Audra Lee (Binghamton, N.Y.)
Hunter seat on the flat – Alexandra Popper (Odessa, Fla.)
Western seat – Chloe Farischon (Arcadia, Okla.)
Dressage seat – Kaylyn Minnis (Odessa, Fla.)
Hunter seat over fences – Tori Wadsworth (Lee, Mass.)
Each year, the AMHA Youth of the Year program offers participants an opportunity to improve their skills in the area of horsemanship, sportsmanship, public speaking, decision-making, and judging. Seventeen-year-old Sophie Proctor (Newbury, Mass.) was named the 2018 AMHA Youth of the Year at the Morgan Grand National. This contest is composed of four rigorous tests. Components included are a written exam, an oral presentation and interview, a ridden or driven horsemanship pattern, and a judging division with a reasons portion.
The American Morgan Horse Association is a recognized affiliate of US Equestrian. Keep up with the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® on Facebook and with the Morgan horse all year long by following AMHA on Facebook and Twitter.
Visit the US Equestrian Learning Center to learn more about the Morgan horse with Tim Roesink in this video. Join the conversation and follow US Equestrian on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use #JoinTheJoy.
Photo by: Howard Schatzberg