MHAO Youth Newsletter!

Happy February everyone! We are now in 2026 and another year of fun shows! Please send in pics to us to post of our youth members!!!

The Youth Committee is working hard to grow participation, improve communication, and create more exciting opportunities for young riders across Oregon!

Meet Your Authors!

Kyndle Cummins (above) has been a member of MHAO for 8 years and has been a member of the MHAO board for 5 years. She shows her Morgan mare Raindrops on Roses (Reba) in Western Dressage, Showmanship and Western Pleasure. Contact Kyndle at kyndlecummins@gmail.com or by messaging the MHAO Youth Facebook or Instagram pages.



Cami Nicholson (above) has been an MHAO member for 6 years and has been a board member for 3 years. She competes with her Morgan mare Amberfields Flame in Western Pleasure, Western Dressage, trail and In-Hand. Camryn is currently serving as the 2025 MHAO Youth Director and Youth Committee Co-Chair. You can contact her at camrynnicholson7@gmail.com or by messaging the MHAO Youth or Instagram pages.

New Membership level proposal:

The MHAO Board is proposing a new, affordable youth membership level that members will soon be voting on. Here is the general idea. This level is to be offered for students involved in:

• 4H
• FFA
• OHSET or other high school equestrian teams
• Maybe more, still under discussion.

This membership will include:

• Access to our Youth of the Year program
• Eligibility for our Scholarship Program
• Youth & Regular MHAO Newsletters

There will be more discussion at the February Board member on February 17th at 7:30pm via conference call. Board meetings are open to all members of MHAO. If you would like to attend, let President Kathy Christensen know via an email to, mikekak33@gmail.com.

Spring Clinic info:

MHAO has donated funds to a Spring Clinic facilitated by experts in the Saddle Seat and Saddlebred world. If you have ever been curious about Saddle Seat riding, here is your chance to learn more. For those without a saddle seat type horse, horses will be available for you to ride, but register early. Those rides will go quickly. Discounts for MHAO members & MHAO Youth are offered. There will be a chance to meet the facilitators on Friday evening, a clinic on Saturday, and a schooling show on Sunday. You will have a chance to test out what you learn! Lots of fun things are included with this event on March 6-8 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds historic arena. More information is available at the links below. Come join the fun!

Auditor options are also available.
Click here to download a flyer, or go to the links below:

https://signaturespringwarmup.rsvpify.com/

https://www.saddlehorseleague.com/

More information can be found in the February Stable Sheet The MHAO General Membership Meeting will take place on Sunday over the lunch break for the schooling show.

Happy Valentine's Day!! Lets get some fun cute pics of all of our Morgans that we love sooo much!! We love to see what the youth is up to both in and out of show seasons!

Scholarships for throughout the year!

To support our programs, MHAO will be using $500 from the Nancy Falk Trust, which was donated specifically for youth. We have also applied for a $300 grant from AMHA to help support our Youth of the Year (YOTY) contest at the Oregon Morgan Classic (OMC).

Alex Mooney Memorial Scholarship:

Last year we did not have any submissions for this scholarship, so this year we want to promote this program more. $500 is available to MHAO members of any age, and can be applied for over multiple years. Don't miss this opportunity! Applications need to be submitted by May 15th to Sara Breyman at tripledjb@aol.com. For more information, go to the MHAO website, click on Programs, then Alexandra Mooney Scholarship Program. The recipient winner will be announced at the Oregon Morgan Classic.
www.morganhorseoregon.com

This editions featured scholarship is the Western Dressage Association of America (WDAA) Youth Educational Scholarship Program. This scholarship is for anyone under the age of 18 who is an active member in WDAA and USEF. There are 3 scholarship opportunities each for $500 and you can apply in December, April, and August. For more information check out their website! 

WDAA Youth Educational Scholarship Program

The second scholarship for this month is a USEF scholarship titled US Equestrian National Youth Sportsman's Award and it opened as of December 1st to youth 17 years and younger. This scholarship goes for youth showing in any breed for their affiliation with the breed. Here is the link to the scholarship where you can learn more about it and apply!

US Equestrian National Youth Sportsman's Award

From the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA), there is the

My Morgan and Me program: This is a program where you can log all your hours spent with your amazing Morgan's and in turn get recognition and prizes! More info can be found below

https://www.morganhorse.com/programs/my_morgan/

Youth of the Year!

We are working to increase participation in the Youth of the Year contest at the Oregon Morgan Classic.

Last year we had zero participants, so please sign up!

What is youth of the year?

Youth of the Year contests are for you, the youth to show off your skills and knowledge of the Morgan horse. Youth of the Year contests consist of four parts: a written exam, an oral presentation, a judging contest and a horsemanship pattern. Each section of the contest is worth approximately 250 points. Many contests offer divisions for the leadline, walk-trot, and junior aged exhibitors. Expectations for these divisions are modified to be appropriate for the age of contestants. 

Here is a link to all the information for youth of the year at the Oregon Morgan Classic! Youth of the year info