[Amwrider]

The show started Saturday and there is a live webcast at www.mgnlive.com

They have three arenas going today. Busy day for me, I have five going today.

It runs through Saturday and show times are 9am, 1pm and 7pm Central time.

Enjoy the show!

[Daatje]

Thanks for the link! I love watching these live feeds. Can't wait till it starts!

[MajMeadowMorgans]

Good Luck to all showing! I have family and friends showing and wish I could have taken off work to groom again. OKC is the most fun!

[BigBayHanoMare]

SO pumped that a rider with a helmet on in the 11 & Under Walk Trot in the Coliseum just won World Champion!! CUTE horse, I love her suit, and she looked awesome!

[quietann]

It's quite a show. A friend of mine has two horses there and I'm rooting for them... a young Hunter Pleasure gelding, and a hot Hot HOT little (tiny, maybe 13.3 if she stretches) bay mare who used to be a Pleasure Driving horse (did I say hot Hot HOT?) and is being converted to CDE, showing in timed carriage obstacles classes at Nationals. She's done very well at CDE so far... a little iffy in dressage, because she's still learning what "walk" means, but she eats up the marathon courses and obstacles.

[Amwrider]

ahem (clears throat), if anyone was watching the live feed in the colisum this afternoon, that was me running into center ring for the saddle sea road hack class. My first nationals win!

my other riders this morning placed fourth in the gran national hunter class for 12 year old riders, and my walk/trotter placed 9th out of 27 in the world championship walk trot hunter pleasure class.

Two more to go tonight, hunter road hack and classic pleasure 15 year old.

[SmartAlex]

CONGRATULATIONS!

And good luck!

[wcporter]

LOVING the Morgans in the Hunter Ring!

[CDE Driver]

It's quite a show. A friend of mine has two horses there and I'm rooting for them... a young Hunter Pleasure gelding, and a hot Hot HOT little (tiny, maybe 13.3 if she stretches) bay mare who used to be a Pleasure Driving horse (did I say hot Hot HOT?) and is being converted to CDE, showing in timed carriage obstacles classes at Nationals. She's done very well at CDE so far... a little iffy in dressage, because she's still learning what "walk" means, but she eats up the marathon courses and obstacles.

Would that be Fancy? My friend is her trainer/driver and he texted me that they won their class this morning! If it's the same mare she is a hot tamale!

Small world!

[MajMeadowMorgans]

Congratulations Amwrider! That's a huge accomplishment! Good luck the rest of the week!

[quietann]

Would that be Fancy? My friend is her trainer/driver and he texted me that they won their class this morning! If it's the same mare she is a hot tamale!

Small world!

Sure is I get regular updates from Liz, who's the person who reminded me that I like Morgans way back when I was looking... This is the third horse she's had with Drew, and it looks like third time's a charm.

[Amwrider]

My riders seem to like placing 4th in their grand national classes and 9th in the world championships. My hunter walk trotter placed 4th in grand national equitation for riders 8 and under.

My classic saddle seat walk/trotter placed 8th in her grand national class for riders 9 and under (she is a 7 year old riding a strong former park horse that didn't want to flat-walk). She then came back in the 11 and under world championship in a huge class and placed 9th in world.....we worked her horse for quite a bit before the class and she still had to work hard to get him to walk...he goes in the ring and has a little too much fun, LOL.

My hunter road hack did not place - the class was crazy wild and he did not want to walk. The Saddle SEat Road Hack horse went back in the Classic pleasure class for riders aged 14 and 15. The class was a virtual who's-who in the Morgan world and we placed 10th. We did not go back in the world championship for the 14-17 year olds.

So far our little barn is doing well, our second year at Nationals and we only brought three horses and they have all ribboned in the top ten in the nation. Yay!

I am so proud of my girls and my great horse show moms and dad that have helped out.

[Griffyn]

Every right to be proud Amwrider! COngrats to your girls and you for all your hard work! SO amazing. WOnderful. and thanks for the link! Just tuned in..

[Griffyn]

Thanks to you I have all three rings going on my computer at once.

[quietann]

Thanks to you I have all three rings going on my computer at once.

Cripes, I think I missed Fancy's Carriage class in the performance arena. (Festival Fanfare, driven by Drew Callahan and owned by Liz Goldmann). She has a first and a second so far...

(In the meantime, I'm groovin' to the muzak version of "YMCA" in the Coliseum, WP Youth class... Morgan Western Pleasure is much more bearable than stock breed WP, and occasionally amusing when someone tries to get a nice forward-going Morgan to Slow Down Already.)

[clanter]

So far our little barn is doing well, our second year at Nationals and we only brought three horses and they have all ribboned in the top ten in the nation. Yay!

I am so proud of my girls and my great horse show moms and dad that have helped out.

That is the deal with Morgans, small farms and even backyard Morgans can step up to play with the best of the best...then go home to a kid's best friend .. just a wonderful all around done-anything breed

[cobsize]

Watching this really makes me want to start taking my Morgan to an occasional breed show.

I feel like I've seen a lot on these boards about stock horse breed showing, particularly quarter horses, but not much about Morgans.

What are the major differences between Morgan breed showing and your regular old rated shows? I'm primarily an eventer, but could conceivably show in the hunters [the over fences kind], dressage, or jumpers at Morgan shows, so would be interested to hear about these classes.

What is distinctive about the Morgan breed show "culture?" (Besides the yelling and cheering, which I find delightful.)

What should I prepare for/expect if I start breed showing? If you haven't guessed, I am not working with a Morgan trainer. In fact, right now, I am not working with a trainer at all. (I just moved to a new state and sadly left my dressage and eventing trainers behind.) Is it different enough that I would be a crazy person to show up and do this alone for the first time?

And, most importantly: How do I get my horse used to organ playing?!

[clanter]

Is it different enough that I would be a crazy person to show up and do this alone for the first time?

It can be done my youngest daughter took her Morgan to a Rev Champ Hunter... he never saw a trainer other than her

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...kinghunter.jpg

[Gloria]

Watching this really makes me want to start taking my Morgan to an occasional breed show.

I feel like I've seen a lot on these boards about stock horse breed showing, particularly quarter horses, but not much about Morgans.

What are the major differences between Morgan breed showing and your regular old rated shows? I'm primarily an eventer, but could conceivably show in the hunters [the over fences kind], dressage, or jumpers at Morgan shows, so would be interested to hear about these classes.

What is distinctive about the Morgan breed show "culture?" (Besides the yelling and cheering, which I find delightful.)

What should I prepare for/expect if I start breed showing? If you haven't guessed, I am not working with a Morgan trainer. In fact, right now, I am not working with a trainer at all. (I just moved to a new state and sadly left my dressage and eventing trainers behind.) Is it different enough that I would be a crazy person to show up and do this alone for the first time?

And, most importantly: How do I get my horse used to organ playing?!

How to get your horse used to organ playing? I think you will find it absolutely delightful to ride to the organ music. Just go in and have fun. The horses don't mind.

The pleasure classes are a bit tricky if you don't have a Morgan trainer, or at least someone who knows what the judges are looking for to help you. Anything else, dressage, jumping, trail, anything that isn't "pleasure" classes, you will be right in the alley. My Dressage instructor deals with Dressage only. She is not a Morgan trainer and we have done very well under her so far. Dressage is the fastest growing division within the breed, and they are expecting to expand it next year when Oklahoma City finishes the cover of the another monster arena that is currently outdoor. We would love for you to come.

Oh and start to practice how to whistle really, Really, REALLY LOUD, and use it in all Pleasure classes. That is one talent I wish I had developed. People whistle and cheer for their favorite horses, never mind nobody else knows which horses they are cheering for, and all horses get bigger and more expressive the more electric the atmosphere becomes. It is really fun to ride in there with all the noises and organ music going on. Absolute adrenaline rush I think.

[cobsize]

Thanks, both clanter and Gloria, for your insight.

I was sort of teasing about the organ music--I don't think my horse would mind it at all... and I think it's sort of wonderful and old-timey.

I would probably only do over fences classes and dressage--so no organ music there, it looks like, anyway. (Bummer!)

I should probably look up how all of this works in terms of qualifying at regional shows, etc....

I did look up the Morgan rulebook, and it looks like if he is only going in sport horse-type classes like dressage and jumping it's okay that he has a pulled/braided mane. So that's one thing I wouldn't have to worry about.

If folks have more insight into the Morgan breed show world I would love to hear more about it. It's entirely new territory, but it looks like a lot of fun.

Off to do more research on how to get involved....