Versatility Showcase - Eventing

What kind of horse do you need to take part in an event which involves obedience in dressage one day, endurance and power over massive cross-country fences the next day and speed and agility over a stadium jumping course on the third?

If the answer is a superb athlete, consider the Morgan!

One Morgan who has proven himself in this sport is Minty's Stardust, a 15.1-hand gelding in New Hampshire.

"He is great at it because boldness and honesty are two of his top qualities," said his owner, Pat Fay. In 1993 Star won the Green Mountain Horse Association Preliminary Championship in Vermont. So impressed were the show personnel with the 15.1-hand Morgan's victory over his larger competitors that they played Aretha Franklin's "Respect" over the loudspeakers as he collected his winnings.

Yet another success story can be found in TJ Paddy O'Shea and his 16-year-old rider, Ariel Edwards, from California. The 15-hand gelding also proves that ability is not determined by size. In 1994 the pair finished in the top five placings five times out, giving Ariel the opportunity to enter him in the 1995 Young Riders Championship where they finished in seventh place.

LCM Challanger (Fiddler's Georgetown x Royalton Muffinette)—better known as Chally—and his partner Stayner Haller are very competitive with the warmbloods and thoroughbreds that compete in eventing. They started competing at the Novice level, but Stayner found it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep this horse slow enough for the times required at that level, so in 1996, he moved up to training level, which has faster speed requirements. He found these speeds much more to Chally's liking. Chally is also very well known for his fast and clear rounds in the stadium jumping phase of the competition. Stayner says, "You can hear other competitors groan when they know they're coming into the stadium jumping phase with scores close to ours because they know they'll never beat our time and seldom can outjump us."

In 2004, Stayner and Chally qualified to compete in the Open Training division at the 2004 American Eventing Championships held September 15–19, 2004 at the new Carolina Horse Park at Five Points in Raeford, North Carolina. Stayner remarked, "It was an experience of a lifetime."

If you look at the long list of accomplishments and awards Stayner and Chally have earned through the years, it doesn't take long to acknowledge the depth of heart and soul of these two athletes. In 2005, Stayner and 22-year-old Chally competed in seven events, finishing 2 nd to 8 th in each one. Their other notable accomplishments include winning the AMHA bronze medallion in eventing in 1998 and AMHA Open Competition reserve champion in eventing from 1999 through 2002. In 2001, Chally was the first Morgan to win the AMHA Silver Medallion for eventing, and in 2002, he and Cynthia Bayles' Roseridge Johnny Reb became the first Morgans to be awarded the AMHA Gold Medallion for this demanding sport. They continue to earn many high honors in the AMHA Open Competition program. For more information about year-end rewards and medallions that can be earned for eventing competitions, see AMHA's Open Competition guidelines at www.morganhorse.com/benefits/programs_competition.php