Starting in 2010, the AMHA Youth of the Year National Finals will host a new offering of awards for the Youth of the Year winner.

The Youth of the Year winner now will have an opportunity to create his or her own award package by choosing options from three award categories. The first category, Rewards, includes opportunities to create a custom riding or driving Apparel, scholarships, and other reward-based honors. The second category, Stewardship and Education, includes internships at equine-related businesses and Morgan farms as well as trips to attend national equine conferences, symposiums, and conventions. Lastly, Ambassadorship, allows the youth to act as an ambassador for the Morgan breed of his or her own tailoring, such as attending the USEF Youth Convention or the American Youth Horse Council Symposium as a representative of the Morgan breed.

AMHA Youth Programs Coordinator, Amanda Ryan, explained the impetus behind the change. "In today’s trouble filled world, a month-long trip abroad without parental supervision, was dangerous for the youth and a liability for AMHA and the foreign hosts. Seeking input from the AMHA Youth Council, they suggested new award offerings that will have many more choices and flexibility than before. Future Youth of the Year winners will be able to tailor an experience to suit their goals and desires."

The new award categories directly serve the original intent of the Youth of the Year Program and will allow the winner to improve his or her horse knowledge, learn the benefits of hard work and dedication and most importantly, experience a positive atmosphere in which young people and adults who share a love of the Morgan breed can interact.

For more information on AMHA's Youth of the Year Contest, go to www.morganhorse.com/youth/contests/ or contact Amanda Ryan at (802) 985-4944 ext. 18.