IN THIS ISSUE:

- Mass Morgan Horse Show.... 2014- Trotting in with news from: MMHA Clinic! - Bay State Morgan - 15th Eastern Regional Trail Ride - Mass Morgan Horse Show -Youth of the Year 2014

*President's Message *Committee News *Membership Update *Chuck Wagon *Ask the Expert

July - December, 2014

MASS MORGAN

NEWSLETTER

!

President’s Message

Season's Greetings from the Mass Morgan Horse

Association.

As we reflect on the past year...our horse show, clinics and banquet, we would like to thank our members, exhibitors,

trainers and the many volunteers for making this year

a great one !

Wishing you a Happy New Year and a successful 2015 show

season !

Melissa Miskiv Keene

Committee News

Youth: Congratulations to Katelyn Houghton... Winner of the 2014

MMHS Youth Contest ! Congratulations to Kayla Candage... Winner of the 2014

Anna Ela Memorial Scholarship !

• MMHA Anna Ela Memorial $2000.00 Scholarship is posted on www.massmorgan.com. There is a new format. Completed applications must be submitted by August 1st.

• The Youth Council is looking for active members. Plans are again being made to bring all Youth together at the 2015 Mass Morgan Horse Show. Members are needed to help coordinate activities during the show. Anyone interested can contact Sue Therrien at sue.therrien@gmail.com.

Communications: • We want to hear from you! If you have a question you

would like us to answer, please send it along. If you have a special event you would like us to post on our calendar, let us know. Please submit questions/events to Chris Delude at kdelude3028@charter.net or Judy Candage at jcandage@cericfab.com.

Membership: • Have you renewed your Mass Morgan membership???

You can renew at www.massmorgan.com, or email Judy Candage at jcandage@cericfab.com for a membership application.

Banquet: * Save the date ... Saturday, March 14, 2015 MMHA awards banquet at Cyprian Keyes ! For more information go to www.massmorgan.com

Horse Show: 2015 * The show committee is planning another fun and exciting show ! Go to www.massmorgan.com for more details !

End of the year awards are also being posted !

Mass Morgan Horse Show, 2014Submitted by: Chris Delude

They came from near and they came from far, all to participate in the Mass Morgan Horse Show held on August 13 - 16, 2014 at the Eastern States in West Springfield, Ma. The MMHS is recognized as a competitive and fun show by both trainers and competitors and this year was no exception !

Every year the show hosts a different theme which adds to the excitement and energy at the show. This year's theme was Dr. Seuss and from center ring to the barn aisles, from youth activities to the riding and driving classes, the theme was celebrated. Even the judges and the ringmasters couldn't resist dressing up as their favorite Dr. Seuss character.

And they came to show with almost 400 horses ! Judges Sally Lindabury and Greg Ferguson were very busy judging in the main ring in the coliseum with many classes being large and very competitive. Some classes were so big that they needed to be split.

Judge Lindabury called for a 10 horse workout on the rail in the Youth Hunter Pleasure qualifying class. The Classic Pleasure Saddle and Driving Classes as well as the Western, Pleasure and Park classes had good numbers and quality horses.

Many participants came to show their carriage and dressage horses, including western dressage, during this show. The weather was beautiful, with the exception of one very rainy afternoon, and carriage judge Melissa Boyd was kept busy judging the numerous carriage classes. A new X-Pro division was added this year with a Progressive Obstacles X-Pro class being held in the coliseum on Friday night. Everyone, from the crowds of people that watched to the professionals and drivers that participated, seemed to thoroughly enjoy this class. Dressage judge, Judy Dannemann also had a nice group of dressage horses to judge as well.

The MMHS takes a great deal of pride in the Silent Auction that is held during the horse show. Over 60 items, all very generously donated, were hotly contested and bid on. This year the proceeds went to the Anna Ela Scholarship Fund and also the UMass Equine Program which is trying to bring back their Morgan breeding program. On Saturday night the 2014 Mass Morgan Scholarship was awarded to a very excited and grateful Kayla Candage. Dr. Cassie Uricchio from UMass accepted a check for over $3000 for the Equine Program.

The Youth Contest, an annual event at this show, had good participation. There was much camaraderie between contestants and the barns they represented. In addition to the contest itself, all throughout the week, activities such as scavenger hunts and coloring contests were going on. There were many smiling faces at the trophy booth where the children came to pick up their prizes for completing the activities. A large group of riders also participated in the Academy classes that were held on Saturday afternoon.

It seemed like all too quickly, Saturday evening came and as the show drew to a close, it was time for the Best in Show ribbon to be awarded. There were many outstanding horses to choose from including the winners of the Open Park, Pleasure and Hunter Divisions, in addition to the winners of the Amateur divisions. Judge Lindabury and Judge Ferguson selected Millennium Force from the Open Pleasure Driving Division, owned by Roxanne Sardelli Greenway and trained by Anne Benson Stables. What a way to end a truly incredible horse show with such a bold and energetic force !

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2015 MMHS !

Trotting in with News from : MMHA Clinic... November 1, 2014The Fall Clinic hosted by Mike Carpenter Stables was well attended and very informative. Carolyn Sebring and Stephen Longo shared their expertise on how to "Dress for Success" in the show ring. Dave Ribeiro, an equine dentist, From The Horse's Mouth, spoke about how dental problems in a horse could impact performance. Dr. Laura Carmel-Spengler, DVM from Stonewall Equine discussed some of the most current recommendations for worming and suggested items that should be included in a horse medical emergency kit.

After the speakers were done answering questions, Mike and his clients hosted a delicious luncheon. It was a cold, rainy day and the homemade soup that Stephen made was just perfect to warm everyone !

When lunch was over, the attendees were treated to a Presentation of Show Horses. A dressage horse, carriage horse and a park harness world champion horse were presented. A few lucky and excited observers were even treated to their first carriage ride with Tim Morrell, as the whip.

A special thank you again to Mike Carpenter and his clients, Stephen Longo and all of our guest speakers for making this such a memorable, fun filled event.

The Bay State Morgan

Submitted by: Elizabeth Pelis

Everyone knows the Morgan horse originated from Justin Morgan's little bay horse, Figure. But where does the Bay State Morgan come from ?

For obvious reasons, the United States Calvary's favorite breed was the Morgan horse. With the breed's incredible work ethic, strength, and temperament it was a clear choice. In 1907, the U.S. Government established a Morgan breeding farm in Middlebury, Vermont. This is where the Government Family line of Morgan's was born. Breeding at the farm occurred from 1907 through 1951. The U.S. Government selected horses to meet Calvary requirements - testing young stock and aggressively culling to achieve its goals of an ideal war horse. In so doing, they tended to produce large animals with good confirmation and qualities. Today's descendants of the original Government line tend to look like smaller, prettier European Warmbloods - and why not ? Those Warmbloods descended from war horses too !

In January of 1951, the General Assembly of Vermont voted to reduce its U.S. Government breeding herds, keeping 20 mares and four stallions for the University of Vermont and offering first refusal on the remaining horses to be dispersed to five land-grant colleges: University of Massachusetts - Amherst, being one of them.

UMass had previously used mostly Percherons for aspects of their agricultural program. These hardy little Morgans that arrived were more cost efficient and

easy for college students to handle... a trait to this day... that makes the Bay State Morgan a good choice for use in all kinds of equine classes. The horses that were bred at UMass were named alphabetically with the "Bay State" prefix. Horses such as Bay State Flintlock, Bay State Rabture, Bay State Ole, Bay State Bonfire and Bay State Yankee were born.The University has gone through the alphabet twice already, coming up with creative names. For 2015, the names will begin with the letter "K". ( Bay State Yankee pictured ! )

Dr. Tony Borton joined the University in the 1960's and started using Morgans for many of his classes in equitation, first in saddle seat, and later in hunt seat. In 1989, H. Jerry Schurink joined the program with ideas for a bigger equine

program. At that point there were only 24 horses in the barn, 20 of them Morgans. The barn was located north of the campus, and not equipped for expansion. The early 90's saw the purchase of the current horse barns - Hadley Farm, a 131- acre farm adjacent to the Amherst campus. Along with the purchase came the biggest push for breeding the Bay State line since the 50's and 60's. For a decade there was a great influx of wonderful Morgans. These horses were used in equine classes, as well as to teach skills such as breeding and foaling out, handling and breaking young stock, and how to incorporate them into lesson programs. In addition, students learned how to teach with them and skills needed to further pursue careers such as veterinarians, farriers, etc. The equine program flourished and over 60 horses were on the farm, with about 40 of them being Morgans.

The turn of the millennia brought a decrease in foals produced. The older stock aged and a decline of mares available for breeding went unaddressed. Other breeds outnumbered Morgans at the Hadley Farm.

There is still hope for the revival of the Bay State blood line. Dr. Cassandra Uricchio, current Director of Equine Management for the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Bill Mitchell, Assistant Dean of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, both have a desire to see a herd of Morgans that will bring the Bay State name back. With support from the Morgan community and UMass alumni, there is a push to re-establish the Bay State blood line.

The UMass Equine program was one of the recipients of the proceeds from the Mass Morgan Silent Auction in 2014 !

Congratulations to Cindy Mugnier the AMHA Woman of the Year! Recognition for her continued support of the breed!

Congratulations to Harry Sebring for being inducted to the AMHA Hall of Fame!

Melissa Wise riding Jubilation Briarwick !

15th annual Eastern Regional Trail Ride

On November 2, 2014 at the North Brookfield Sportsmen's Club in North Brookfield, Ma., over 90 riders from several New England states competed in the annual regional trail ride.

The Mass Morgan Horse Association Championship Jacket and Cooler was won by:Melissa Wise of West Dover, Vermont riding Jubilation Briarwick !

The Reserve Championship Jacket was won by:Roberta Shaw of Weare, New Hampshire riding Hidden Hollow El Tigre !

Information on MMHA year end awards program for members can be viewed at: www.massmorgan.com.

Mass Morgan Youth of the Year... 2014

Katelyn Houghton was this year's winner of the Mass Morgan Youth contest. As the winner of this, Mass Morgan helped sponsor Katelyn's trip to the Grand Nationals, where she participated in the Youth of the Year ( YOTY) contest. She shared the following thoughts about her experiences in Oklahoma.

" The youth of the year was an exciting experience for me. I was showing at the nationals and thought YOTY would be a great way to occupy myself while I was there.It was so much more than I could have imagined.

This year the contest was a little bit different, with the test and pattern both being done at home. The speeches and the judging took place in Oklahoma on Wednesday and Thursday, while the awards' presentations took place on Friday and Saturday.

The YOTY contest was particularly good for me because I had a chance to meet kids who were in different youth groups other than in the New England circuit.Many of them had never been to the Grand Nationals. It was a chance to meet youth from all across the country who compete in events such as dressage, combined driving, jumping, etc. that I was not exposed to. It was neat to hear them talk about their events.

This was a great experience and I will definitely take part in it again next year."

WELCOME TO THE MMHA CHUCK WAGON

SHARE YOUR RECIPES FOR THE HORSE SHOWS,TRAIL RIDES AND ANYTHING ELSE HORSE RELATED !

CROCK POT CRANBERRY CHICKEN

This is an easy recipe and just perfect for the holiday season !

3-4 BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS

1 CAN WHOLE CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 PACKAGE DRY ONION SOUP MIX

1/2 CUP WATER

2 TABLESPOONS BROWN SUGAR

Put the chicken in a greased crock pot. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

Submitted by: Denise Pianka

Mass Morgan would like to thank all the folks renewing

and to welcome those joining for the first time! Memberships are coming in daily through the web site as well as coming in the mail! If you have any questions or difficulty with the web site, please call Judy Candage 978-265-8209

ASK The EXPERT???

Question: Could you tell me about the

X-Pro Carriage division? Mass Morgan

Horse Show had this division and I am

curious.

Answer: The X-Pro Division drew much interest and

excitement added to the Carriage competitors at Mass

Morgan. We emailed Jeff Morse, and this is what he had

to say:

"The division will DEFINITELY be in place for 2015.

One thing I noticed was that before the show and the main

ring class, the X drivers were begging for a pro driver

(professional trainer) to try to find one to drive with them.

*After the main ring class, the professional trainers were

searching for X drivers to do it with them in 2015!

We could not have asked for a

better cast of characters. It got

the crowd going. If folks want

to try it next year, they can

contact me any time. I can

help put some teams together."

You can reach Jeff Morse at

greenmeads@gmail.com .

NEW

Here is the excerpt from the prize list:NEW: X-Pro DivisionEntries are comprised of two drivers per entry, one of each, as follows:*Pro: Any equine professional qualified as a Maiden Carriage Driver, as defined by USEF Rules. (See GR 1306 and CP 126.2)*X: A driver having won at least 1 carriage pleasure driving championship at any level at any ADS recognized and/or USEF licensed Carriage Pleasure Driving competition.No driver may compete as part of another entry in this division; however, all drivers in this division may compete in any other classes at the show. Both drivers are to remain in the vehicle while competing. Any change of driver or horse constitutes a new entry. X-Pro Horses: There is no restriction on the horse or horses as long as they are otherwise eligible, except: horses in this division are not eligible to compete in any other carriage classes.X-Pro Vehicles: Any eligible vehicle suitable for the Carriage Division as described in the Prize List.X-Pro Classes: Entries to compete in 3 classes:

Class *Working*-A Working class modified as follows: X driver will drive

the first way of the ring. The Judge will call for entries to line up. Drivers

will exchange reins at the halt. Pro Driver will drive the second way of the ring.Class *Timed Obstacles*-A Timed Obstacles class modified as follows: X Driver will drive the course and be scored as per the rules. After crossing the Finish Line, Pro Driver will take the reins, at the Judge’s signal, drive the course and be scored as per the rules. Both drivers’ scores will be added together for a final score for the Entry.Class * Progressive Obstacles *-A Progressive Obstacles Class modified as follows: X Driver will drive the course and be scored as per the rules. The Pro will then take the reins and at the Judge’s signal, drive the course and be scored as per the rules. Both drivers’ scores will be added together for a final score for the Entry.

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: We want to hear from you!!!! If you have a question you like to to consider, please send it along! We want to hear what you would like to know: Horsemanship, nutrition, riding, etc. Please submit your questions to Judy Candage (jcandage@cericfab.com)

Massachusetts Morgan Horse AssociationPresident - Melissa Miskiv-KeeneVice President - Melissa Morrell

Secretary- Chris DeludeTreasurer - Jeff MorseClerk - Judy Candage

List of Committees:Development Committee: Melissa Miskiv -Keene Chairperson

Horse Show Committee: Jane Morrell - ChairpersonCommunications Committee: Chris Delude - Chairperson

Youth Committee: Susan Therrien - ChairpersonBanquet Committee: Melissa Morrell - Chairperson

Finance Committee: Jeff Morse - Chairperson