The 2003 New England Morgan Horse Show will be held Monday, July 21 - Saturday, July 26 at the Three County Fairgrounds in Northampton, MA. Show manager Fred Nava and chairman Molly O'Brien have announced two very exciting recent additions to the show's Friday evening schedule.
The New England Morgan Horse Show (NEMHS) is very excited to announce that the Remember November Sale is sponsoring a $10,000 "winner take all" purse for the NEMHS Amateur English Pleasure Championship for three years, beginning at this year's show. That's right -- the Amateur English Pleasure Champion at New England in 2003, 2004 and 2005 will take home $10,000!
In a tremendous show of support for the Morgan show horse industry, Peggy Alderman, Rick Lane and Rick Stevens, organizers of the Remember November Sale, are donating all proceeds from the sale to the industry. In addition to the New England show, other recipients of their generosity include the Morgan Breeders Sweepstakes and the AMHA Judges Education program. The sale organizers decided to allocate $30,000 to the New England show, and developed the concept of sponsoring the $10,000 purse for the Amateur English Pleasure Championship for three years. The proposal was gratefully and wholeheartedly accepted by the New England Morgan Show Committee at its meeting in early February.
For competitors and spectators alike, this promises to be one of the most exciting events of the year. The 2003 NEMHS Amateur English Pleasure Champion will be crowned during the evening session on Friday, July 25, so start planning now to be there!
The second not to be missed performance on Friday evening will be the official retirement of the multi-titled park harness and park saddle World Champion HVK Courageous Flaire. A ceremony honoring this great horse will be held on Friday, July 25 during the evening session, with a party celebrating his illustrious show career to be held immediately following the completion of classes that night.
Owner Heidi Kunkel and trainer Rick Stevens of Stonegate Farm are already hard at work with NEMHS Manager Fred Nava planning this very special celebration. While recognizing that this retirement is a bittersweet event for all who have thrilled to HVK Courageous Flaire's tremendous show ring performances through the years, NEMHS is nonetheless honored to have been selected as the site of his retirement ceremony.
In other news, the 2003 Combined Prize List (CPL) featuring the six all-Morgan shows on the New England circuit (Vermont, Connecticut, Granite State, NEMHS and Mass Morgan) are complete and have been mailed. Anyone wishing to receive a CPL or more information on the New England Morgan Horse Show can contact Fred Nava, PO Box 188, Kingston, MA 02364, phone (781) 585-9006, fax (781) 585-2449, e-mail [email protected].
In addition, the New England Morgan Horse Association website features pertinent information and regular updates on the New England Morgan Horse Show. Please visit the site at www.nemha.com and click on the "Horse Show" tab.