A $10,000 Double Whammy In The Amateur English Pleasure Championship
Monday, August 9, 2004
Saturday night's grand finale of the 65th New England Morgan Horse Show was grand indeed. The highly coveted $10,000 winner take all Amateur English Pleasure Championship brought exhibitors to New England from coast to coast and fulfilled the hopes of everyone involved. Remember November sale coordinators Peggy Alderman, Rick Stevens and Rick Lane envisioned a class of this caliber when they pledged some of the proceeds of the sale to fund this class for three years - 2003, 2004 and 2005. "We (Alderman, Stevens and Lane) made a commitment when we ran the sale that we were going to donate all of the profit back to the Morgan industry," said Peggy Alderman. "This class exemplified what we were trying to do by offering the prize money in this class. The competition in this class and the record level of competition at the show were everything we had hoped for and more." The Saturday night crowd also benefited as spectators got the chance to see a world caliber class with 15 of the nation's top Amateur English Pleasure teams vying for the $10,000 check. After a thrilling class, judge Ken Swanson needed a little more...he requested five entries return to the rail for a classic New England workout of epic proportions. Cheers went up from the crowd as announcer Bill Carrington asked #127 No Doubt and Debra Hurst Walters, #181 Reuben-Ide Celebrates and Tara Lindeen, #286 HVK Man About Town and Kevin Schengrund, #802 CCR's Outrajus Corajus and Karie Miller, and #901 Whispering Whammunition and Elizabeth Melanson to return to the rail for a workout to decide the championship honors. The horses and riders had more room to maneuver and try to make winning passes as judge Swanson asked the entries to walk, trot and canter both ways of the ring. It was the team of Whispering Whammunition and Elizabeth Melanson who performed an amazing double whammy to earn the title and the check for $10,000 for a second year a row. The winning team was met in center ring by trainer Michael Scanlon along with Peggy Alderman, Rick Stevens and Rick Lane to present the big check. After Melanson had a chance to catch her breath and absorb the magnitude of the victory she informed everyone that, “I am so honored to own him…he was just so on tonight. He wanted this.” Peggy Alderman, Rick Lane, and Rick Stevens followed the winning team back to Hyland Farm to personally deliver the winning check. The Remember November sale has agreed to sponsor the Amateur English Pleasure Championship again next year. The hope is that after that another sponsor will pick up where they have left off. A ring full of champions from coast to coast certainly made this a class to remember. Reserve honors in the competitive championship went to HVK Man About Town with Dr. Kevin Schengrund in the irons. Third went back to the West Coast with an exciting performance by CCR’s Outrajus Corajus and Karie Miller. No Doubt and Debra Hurst Walters earned many new fans with their Northampton performances as they garnered the white ribbon. Reuben-Ide Celebrates represented the mares in the competition earning the pink ribbon to close out a memorable show for Tara Lindeen.
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