2025 Grand National Youth of the Year Contestants

My name is Alyssa Beach, and I am 22 years old and live in Clinton, Michigan. I have been showing horses for nine years and riding for my whole life. I have had the opportunity to be involved with a variety of equine events, including birthday parties, camps, and working lessons. These experiences have helped me hone my horsemanship skills; It has been a privilege to help young girls and boys begin their horsemanship journey and share my knowledge and passion for Morgan horses with others. This will be my second year competing for Youth of the Year at Morgan Grand Nationals! The Morgan horse has played an incredibly important role in my life, and I look forward to continuing to be an ambassador for our Morgan breed and equine industry.

Hi! My name is Hannah Stetson, I am from Westmoreland, NH, and I have been involved with horses my entire life. Starting in 4-H and local shows, in 2021 I transitioned into showing hunter pleasure in the Morgan world, and haven’t looked back since. I have been gifted with many opportunities to work with different trainers, ride different horses, and show in the hunter pleasure, hunt seat equitation, and for the first time this year, the western pleasure divisions! This past winter I graduated from the Oklahoma Horseshoeing School, and have been thankful to have been able to observe and work with numerous farriers since graduating. This will be my fifth year attending the Morgan Grand Nationals and competing in the youth contest. This year, as always, I plan to put forth my best efforts into the contest, in hopes of improving since last year’s competition. Being the outstanding Morgan Youth of the Year would be an amazing opportunity,  and I will give everything I’ve got into this contest, and have fun along the way. Good luck to all of the contestants, and remember, having fun is the most important part!

My name is Andrew Cooper. I am 15 years old. I am an 11th grade homeschool student with a passion for horses, entrepreneurship, and leadership. I’m the oldest son of Toni and Aron Cooper and proud big brother to Seth. Back in 5th grade, I made the leap from private school to homeschool. It was a decision that transformed my learning experience and opened the door to unique opportunities. This year, I was elected to serve on the student council at our Homeschool Academy (attended by 200 kids). Campaigning and interviewing for this position helped me grow as a leader and communicator. In this role, I help organize events, lead service projects, and build peer relationships. I first discovered my love for horses in 2018 while visiting friends in Texas. By 2021, I began competing with my horse, Cooper. He’s been an incredible forever partner, loyal and hardworking. I volunteer at the barn twice a week, where I ride, lunge, drive, and care for the horses. I have gained hands-on experience in everything from vet visits and shoeing to taking care of horses. The barn has been one of the best classrooms. Outside of academics and horse riding, I’m driven by creativity and innovation. I compete in Jiu-Jitsu, work in home construction with my uncle, and run my own 3D printing business. My parents taught us to think like entrepreneurs. Instead of earning money through chores, we create value and invest in what matters like horse competitions.

Last year, my brother and I raised $5,000 to help fund our trip to the Morgan Grand National Horse Show. We organized a mini “Shark Tank” event, inviting executives and entrepreneurs to hear our pitch for supporting our journey. As a thank-you, I designed specialized 3D printed gifts for each contributor. This experience not only helped us reach our financial goal but also taught me valuable lessons in pitching ideas, building relationships, and delivering on promises. One of my biggest personal challenges has been participating in the Youth of the Year program. At first, I was hesitant: Public speaking? Tests? No thanks. Over time, I’ve grown more confident and open. While I still get nervous, I’m learning to communicate with clarity and purpose even when it is outside my comfort zone. 

I’m pursuing the Youth of the Year title because I want to be an ambassador for the Morgan Horse community. As someone relatively new to this world, I’ve discovered so much that I want to share with other youth. Many of my peers weren’t aware of the opportunities offered by AMHA, and I’m passionate about helping them get involved not just by competing, but by contributing to the community. Horse shows have introduced me to amazing friends from all over the country, and Youth of the Year gives me a chance to bring us all together in a bigger way. I’m excited to keep learning, keep riding, and keep helping others discover what makes this community so special.

My name is Madeline “Rosie” Tylenda and this is my 3rd year competing at the Grand National Youth of the Year Contest. I’ve recently successfully completed my UVM Morgan Horse Farm Apprenticeship year and am privileged to continue for a 2nd year as a Senior Apprentice. I’ve learned so much already and am looking forward to more opportunities to not only learn more myself, but to also mentor and teach others in the coming year. It has been an honor to serve as a steward of the breed in this capacity, and to have my time spent here written into the history of the Morgan breed at the oldest continuous Morgan horse breeding program in the world. While I spend most of my time in Weybridge, VT these days, my “home barn” is Blackrose Morgans in Colchester, VT. My now very happily retired Morgan, Illegal Motion, is living his absolute best life under the care of my trainer Angie Maple. I love to visit as often as I can to help around the barn and spend time with all of my friends and family, both two and four legged. While my time to show this season has been very limited with my home team, I enjoy attending all the local shows to braid the hunters in our show string so help make sure they are turned out with perfection in the show ring, and cheering them on, of course! Becoming Youth of the Year has been a goal for several years now, and this year I am very proud to represent the Mass Morgan Youth Contest as their Senior Champion. Simply qualifying for Nationals is a win, and I absolutely can not wait to step out into the new OG&E Coliseum this year, no matter how I place, because I know the amount of work it takes to get there. The most important thing to me is to be a good role model for my younger peers back at Blackrose, and I hope to inspire them to work hard, be brave, and follow their dreams!