AMHA News from the 2023 UPHA National Conference
The American Morgan Horse Association Annual Meeting of Members and Awards presentations were held at the Renaissance at SeaWorld Orlando in conjunction with the UPHA National Conference January 4-8th, 2023. This location proved successful again, as many attendees brought their families for all the amenities the Renaissance and the Orlando area provided. Activities at the Convention included various forums with discussions on ongoing topics in the show horse industry as well as various meetings for the different membership sectors of the featured organizations. The event kicked off with a Welcome Party at the Red Coconut Club at the Universal CityWalk which gave everyone a chance to catch up with various members of the industry. Awards were presented during two dinner celebrations: a luau-themed dinner on Thursday evening, and the Magical Awards Dinner and Gala, featuring various Disney characters, closing the activities Saturday evening. AMHA presented several awards at the UPHA Awards Luncheon on Friday and held its Annual Awards Luncheon on Saturday afternoon. Overall, everyone in attendance had a great experience catching up with new and old friends, enjoying the sunshine in Florida, and celebrating all things horses! The Convention set the stage for the excitement of the 2023 show season.
Photos of the event are courtesy of Howard Schatzberg Photography
Check out the AMHA Annual Report HERE
Annual Meeting
The 2023 AMHA Annual Meeting of Members was held Friday, January 6th at the Renaissance at SeaWorld Orlando in conjunction with the UPHA National Conference. The meeting was open to the public for all interested in the future of the Morgan horse. USEF President Tom O’Mara spoke on the quality of the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show® as well as The Morgan Horse magazine. He stated the success in the Morgan horse is evident in the people who show their devotion to it time and time again. Registry Committee Chair Harlan Grunden presented the Registry statistics which showed an increase in registrations and continuing growth of our breed. The Finance Committee report, presented by Steve Handy, showed that the Association is in good financial standing with plenty of future plans to promote the Morgan and continue the rise of memberships and registrations. The AMHA Board presented outgoing President C.A. “Tony” Lee, III with a Certificate of Appreciation, an honor well deserved for everything he has done for the Morgan horse and the AMHA.
Prior to the start of the meeting, voting was open for in-person voting as well as proxy voting for those who were unable or chose not to place their votes electronically or via mail. Voting closed at 10 AM and a quorum was confirmed for the election of the Eastern, Central, and Western Region Directors. C. A. “Tony” Lee, III was elected for another term as the Eastern Region Director, Kelly Kraegel was elected for another term as the Central Region Director, and Dallas Bolen was elected to serve a second term as the Western Region Director. It was also announced that the new Board of Directors will be led by Steve Handy as AMHA President with Tony Lee serving as Vice President. Ashleigh Wood will serve as our Vice President of Finance.
For those unable to attend, all information presented at the Annual Meeting can be found HERE. (Please note, this is available to current members by logging into their online website account.)
Annual Awards
Congratulations to our 2022 AMHA Annual Award winners, many of which attended and were recognized for their achievements with video slide shows provided by AMHA. These will be available on the website soon HERE.
Hall of Fame
Ann Anderson
Bill Parker
Breeders Hall of Fame
Arboria Morgans, Dale Farabee
Green Meads Farm, Jeffrey Morse
Hylee Farm, Jackie Sweeney
Professional Award
Shirley O'Gorman
Show Horse Hall of Fame
Contagious
Longview Sundance
Montana Jubilee CH
WH Zimbabwe
Person (People) of the Year
The Superior Sale Sweepstakes Committee
Golden Reins
Mary Cockriel
Kurt Hufferd
Dwayne Knowles
Michael Pereillo, Jr.
Cecil Brown Sportsmanship
Mike Goebig
Dr. Albert Lucine Promoter
Lori Sargeant
Young Person
Adam Lagosz
International
Gunnar and Ann-Sofie Lidmer (Sweden)
Therapy Horse
JVT’S Passion
Judges Service Milestone
Cheri Barber - 40 Years of Service
Larry Bolen - 40 Years of Service (2021)
Nancy Becker - 30 Years of Service
Jonalyn Gwinup - 30 Years of Service
Joyce Swanson - 30 Years of Service
David Earehart - 25 Years of Service
Tami Johnson - 25 Years of Service
AMHA Clubs
Iowa Morgan Horse Association - Champion - 2022 Promotional Event of the Year
Show Me Morgan Horse Club - Reserve Champion - 2022 Promotional Event of the Year
Show Me Morgan Horse Club - Champion - 2022 Educational Event of the Year
In addition to the awards above, AMHA also honored those receiving Star Awards and Open Competition Awards!
Learn more about the AMHA Annual Awards presented HERE.
