More on Team Morgan Competition Dates and Venue Change

Last week, AMHA announced that the 2009 Team Morgan competition against South Africa, slated for September 2-5 at the Jubilee Regional, had been moved to August 16-18 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

"As the deadline for applications approached, AMHA found itself in the awkward position of not having a large enough applicant pool to seat a competitive team for the September event," AMHA Executive Director Julie Broadway stated. "Faced with the possibility of canceling the competition, the Team Morgan Steering Committee started weighing alternatives. After talking with many of the youth who had requested applications, we learned that the September event coincided with the start of the school term for many of them and the competition adjoined one of the last major qualifying shows for the Grand National for these riders." 

Sara Foy, AMHA Youth Chair, added, "We decided to change the dates to accommodate greater participation, but that created some other obstacles. We had to work within the limited travel window available for the South Africans, and we had some economic constraints to deal with for the Team members and the Association. We soon realized it would be difficult for the event to be held at any AMHA regional show. So the Committee set about the task of finding a host stable with sufficient equitation horses on site for this event. After some sleepless nights and a lot of phone calls, we were so blessed when trainers Cash and Parker Lovell learned of our predicament and generously offered their facilities. We look forward to showing our Team Morgan's riding skills at this new venue!"

In addition to visiting the Lovells, the teams will visit with Flintlock Farms in Chapel Hill. "Pete and Gael Jaeger immediately stepped up and offered to host a cookout and provide a parade of Morgans," Broadway added. "We see this as a very special way to expose the South African youth to our great breed!"