Fellow Kentucky Morgan Horse Breeders:

I am writing both as a breeder of Morgan horses and as president of the Kentucky Morgan Horse Association. My message is simple: either we unite in support of the Kentucky Morgan Horse Breeder's Incentive Fund and the Kentucky Morgan Horse Association, or we lose both. I am not generally so direct and unequivocal in my communication, but after grappling unsuccessfully with multiple more diplomatic approaches to this issue, I opted for the "short and sweet" version.

Our Morgan community has received $56,000 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky in direct payments to breeders and owners of Kentucky-bred Morgan horses. Several thousand more, over 90% of our KMHA budget, has been returned by KMHA to Morgan horse exhibitors showing in Kentucky show venues, and in support of Morgan activities in our state. Virtually all KMHA revenue (membership and nomination fees) is immediately reinvested in our Kentucky Morgan community.

Clearly, $60,000 is not "huge" money. Neither is it small in our little part of the equine world. Please ask yourselves if you want to throw away the future of our Morgan horse in this innovative program.

In a recent e-mail message forwarded to you from the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), we were advised that Kentucky voters recently elected all pro-equine industry candidates in the May primary. This vote is unprecedented and may finally represent the change we need to affect significant legislative measures designed to preserve and promote Kentucky's signature equine industry. If we hope to have future legislative support, we must demonstrate our immediate support of programs already established for us by our Kentucky legislators. If we do not, how can we expect their continued recognition and support of the non-race breeds? The legislative battle for the Kentucky non-race breeds breeder's incentive program was hard fought. Are we going to let this victory slip away from us?

Your participation is required now if our Morgan horse is to maintain its place in this program. Annual membership in our organization is only $35.00. Lifetime nomination of your stock is a bargain at $50.00 per horse.

You know how many horses you have nominated and whether or not you have joined or renewed your membership in KMHA. To those of you who have faithfully supported this program, I extend sincere personal and official thanks. To those of you who have not, I assure you that if participate KMHA will dedicate the funds to support of Kentucky Morgan show venues and to other promotion of our wonderful Kentucky Morgan horses. We would like to support the Blue Grass Morgan Classic every year with class sponsorships, high point awards, and hospitality. We can provide only as much as our currently meager budget allows.

As president of KMHA, I am responsible for preparing semi-annual progress reports on our Morgan breeder's incentive program. Our next report is due July 1. It is my hope that I will be able to report that both KMHA memberships and Morgan horse nominations are strong and we are thus maintaining a viable program.

Your support is essential. For your convenience, I have enclosed membership and nomination forms. Please join me in support of the Kentucky Morgan Horse Breeder's Incentive Program and KMHA.

Thank you,

Judith A. Barager-Kemper, President, Kentucky Morgan Horse Association
Paradigm Morgan Horse Farm

Kentucky Morgan Breeders' Incentive Program
Latest Nominations

Dawn MacNamara of Quail Mountain Morgans in Smithfield Kentucky, recently nominated three youngsters to the Kentucky Morgan Horse Breeder's Incentive fund. They are:

NAME	SIRE	DAM	GENDER	FOAL DATE
Quail Mtn Ranger	Quail Mtn Joshua Chambrlin	Hillsong Megan	Stallion	April 17,2009
Quail Mtn Comanche	Quail Mtn Joshua Chambrlin	Sandrock Susie	Gelding	May 21,2009
Quail Mtn Amanda Rose	Quail Mtn Joshua Chambrlin	Karenza Danielle	Mare	March 12,2009

For more information about these young Morgans, please contact

Dawn MacNamara:

Quail Mountain Morgans

2001 Hieatt Lane

Smithfield,KY 40068

Email: dawn@quailmountainmorgans.com

A First in the Morgan breed!
World Equestrian Games 2010

Morgan horses are making a bid to represent the U.S. Team at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, Kentucky this fall. A four-in-hand team of Morgans has recently qualified at three Combined Driving Selection Trials and are hoping to be selected as a member of the U.S. Driving Team. While the actual members of the WEG U.S. Team will not be officially selected and notified until early September we've begun to reach out to our Morgan Community for support and encouragement along the way. In a recent press release from The American Morgan Horse Association it was noted that this is " a first in the Morgan breed!".
Click here to link to the AMHA Press Release

More details can be found on our Morgan Team's webpage.

Morgan Show at the KY State Fair - 2010

It's most unfortunate but due to poor attendance over the past four years, it has been decided to not hold the Morgan Horse Show at the Kentucky State Fair this year.

Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Program
Awards for 2009

Class I

Dragonsmeade Icon - First place

Dragonsmeade (owner/breeder) $3,459.00

JW That Special Flaire - Second place

Fran Pugh (owner) $1,730.00

Whitney Farm (Breeder) $576.00

Bellerophon - Third place

Steven Handy (owner) $865.00

John and Judi Kemper (breeder) $288.00

Better Be Good To Me - Western pleasure

Sally Ann Lyle (owner) $575.00

John and Judi Kemper (breeder) $192.00

Class II

HVK Priceless Gem - Open competition

Frank and Judy Gassman (owner) $2,052.00

Herbert V. Kohler (Breeder) $684.00

Class III

No competitors in 2009

Three of our five winners are first time "awardees." Also, for the first time we have a winner in the amateur western pleasure division. This horse is the first competitor to earn all of her competition points at the regional level, evidence of a well-designed program.

Congratulations to all winning owners and breeders for this year. For those who participate in this program, the opportunity is clearly there. May the comming year bring a more complete list of award winners.

Kentucky Association of Fairs and Horse Shows

The Morgan Horse is recognized in the Kentucky Association of Fairs and Horse Show High Point Award Competition. The only thing you have to do to be in this organization is to become a member of the Kentucky Association of Fairs and Horse Shows (KAFHS), show at the KAFHS affiliated shows, and keep up with your points. All members turn in their points on November 1 and then a High Point winner is awarded at the annual banquet in January. To be a member, fill out the INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION at KAFS Web site . When you become a member you will be sent a Horse Show Directory (The Green Book) that lists all the shows, rules, and members.

The Points shall count as follows: First-10 points, Second-7 points, Third-5 points, Fourth-3 points.

BAHA Spring Blast

Shelbyville Kentucky - April 25, 2010
Contributed by Stephanie Mahoney

The Bluegrass Arabian Horse Association puts on an OPEN horse show every spring. They have added MORGAN ENGLISH PLEASURE MORGAN WESTERN PLEASURE
AND MORGAN PLEASURE DRIVING.
They are KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION of FAIRS and HORSE SHOW members so their classes count towards the Morgan Horse HIGH POINT awards at the end of the year. They will continue to have Morgan classes if we can get at least 3 entries per class so can you spread the word?

This is a wonderful practice show for clients. We have been doing their winter shows and our riders have reported that the shows are great experiences. I have extra class lists if you want them. Here is the show info:

6th Annual BAHA Spring Blast Open All Breed Horse Show
and 5th Annual BAHA Breeder's Futurity Show
April 25, 2010
Shelbyville Fairgrounds
Shelbyville, KY

THANKS FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT ROYAL ACRES MORGANS
EMail:Stephanie R. Mahoney 

Morgan Pavilion Ground Breaking Event

Kentucky Horse Park - August 28, 2009

Ground was broken for the Morgan Horse Pavilion, to be located in the Kentucky Horse Park. Designed by the well known architect, Kee Fu, the building is to be completed in time for the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Many supporters of the American Morgan breed were on hand to celebrate the occasion.

Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Approves
Non-racing Breed Incentives
Eleven groups to receive funding

FRANKFORT, KY - (Feb. 10, 2009)

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) today voted to provide ten applicant groups of non-racing breeds with funding from the Kentucky Horse Breeder's Incentive Fund (KHBIF) for the period covering 2009-2011. A total of sixteen applications were submitted to the Commission. Applicants were selected based on the criteria set forth by the KHBIF statutes, regulations and mission of the fund.

"The non race advisory committee met to review and discuss the applications and I applaud their due-diligence," said Jamie Eads, director of the Division of Breeder's Incentives. "The KHBIF was thrilled with the added interest from so many breeds and is excited to continue working together to ensure the strength and growth of the horse industry in Kentucky."

KHBIF will use the same formula established in the first period (2006-2008) for splitting the monies proportionally among the breeds. This formula is the number of horses certified by each national registry residing in Kentucky divided by the total number of horses submitted by each affiliate's national registry. The resulting percentage will be multiplied by the monies collected to give the breed their total dollar figure award from the fund. This percentage will cover the three-year period of 2009, 2010, and 2011.

The Commission approved the following applicants (applicants new to this registration period appear in italics):

• Kentucky Appaloosa Owners Association
• Kentucky Arabian & Half-Arabian Breeders Association
• Kentucky Miniature Horse Association
• Kentucky Morgan Horse Association
• Kentucky Paint Horse Club
• Kentucky Paso Fino Horse Association
• Kentucky Quarter Horse Association
• Kentucky Rocky Mountain Horse Association
• Kentucky Saddlebred Owners & Breeders Association
• South Central Hackney Association

The following applicants were denied for KHBIF funding for the 2009-2011 period. These applicants did not meet the criteria established by the KHBIF and Non-Race Advisory Committee.

• Kentucky Belgian Warmbloods of Kentucky
• Mountain Horse Breeders Incentive Fund (AGHA, KMSHA, MPH, UMH)
• Purebred Morabs of Kentucky
• Kentucky Pony Association
• Kentucky Shayga Arabian Horse Association
• Walk Horse Alliance of Kentucky

The Commission elected to defer the Kentucky Walking Horse Association application to be reviewed by the Rules Committee and re-submitted to the Commission at a later meeting.

For more information, please visit our website www.khrc.ky.gov or call 888-KYBREDS.
Dick Brown
Executive Director
Office of Communications and Public Outreach
Public Protection/Energy and Environment/Labor Cabinets