Category Archives: Articles

Articles, Jackie's Training Tips

Your Two Year Old, by Jackie Brittain

Your 2 year old Morgan

Many people like to start a young horse’s formal training and show careers at two years old.  But in my opinion, it is critical to consider developing a training time frame according to maturity, growth stage and the mental capacity of the individual.

I think so many young horses fail, or are disappointments, due to starting training too soon and too hard. It is important to look at the overall factors as to the time to begin formal training.

First of all, the breed. Some breeds of horses are very early maturing and others are not. It is still important to look at this aspect on an individual basis. It takes an experienced eye to pick out an individual that is ready for training.

2 yr old Morgan, HanahSecondly, the type of training work to be performed. For example, jumping, galloping and similar impact types of work need to be carefully considered. Bone growth plates that are not completely formed can lead to injury and soreness.

Thirdly, a time frame that allows the young horse to gradually gain strength and fitness for a particular type of work. It is a fine balance between physical fitness and mental fitness to perform work with confidence.
2 yr old Morgan, LuckyIf the training program fits the individual, then you can rest assured that the time is right for the best effort that your horse can produce based on talent.

Personally, I like starting formal training at three years of age. Usually, 60 to 90 days of training with a break of 30 days is really beneficial to a young horse.

Remember the goal is to have a well mannered, sensible and confident horse to ride and show and own.

Jackie Brittain, Merriewold Morgans Trainer

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Articles, Equine Tributes

Merriewold Mare Featured in TMH Article

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Majesty My Fair Lady featured in TMH's, "My Blue Hen Mare" articleWe are honored and pleased to announce that the popular equine magazine, The Morgan Horse, featured one of Merriewold’s broodmares, Majesty My Fair Lady, in their February Mares Issue in the article entitled, “My Blue Hen Mare – Queen Mums”!

Wikipedia says the term “Blue Hen” means “a mare who has proved herself exceptional in producing high quality foals, almost regardless of which stallion might be the sire. These sons and daughters would also have an impact on the breed.”

For the February mares issue of The Morgan Horse we asked some owners and breeders to write about their own “Blue Hen Mare.” Some of these mares are already legendary, others, we learned when we plumbed the registry database, should be.

To know horses by their show record or their production record is not the same as knowing a horse at home. Here is a close up, first person glimpse into the lives of a handful of the most consistent and predictable producers in the Morgan breed

.

 

Click on the .pdf link below to read and/or print the article.

Read the full article here… (.pdf)

 

Letter from Majesty’s breeder, Linda Rohr:

 

Hi Diana and Jackie,

A Morgan friend of mine emailed me the article that was in the Morgan Magazine about “Queen Mums”.  Majesty My Fair Lady was featured with a delightful write up.  So, I immediately emailed AMHA for a copy of that issue and it arrived today.  I also went to your website and was pleasantly surprised to see photos of some of her produce.

 

There is a fondness in my heart for “Lady” as we called her.  She was always pure elegance and class.  My husband and I are so pleased that she became a valuable brood mare, after her show career.  We had “donated” her to UVM, when we made the decision to find homes for all but two of our Morgans.  It was a difficult decision, but a good one, since she produced UVM Farrah, and others, from that time forward!

 

Congratulations on your breeding program.  I am excited to see that Robert Hughes bought Merriewold Flaire Lady and it will be interesting how her show career develops.  Or is she being used as a broodmare?  Do you know?

 

We have an interest in the Morgan Sport Horse too!  My first Morgan who taught me everything was a stallion, named Mehlwood McKylo, who later went on to be a three time World Champion Jumper and one time Reserve World Champion in the late 80’s.  He also showed at some open shows in Del Mar!  He was my best friend for 24 years when he died at the age of 31!  I truly miss him and the other Morgans that became a part of our family.

 

Our daughter showed Intrepid Bay Ruler, during her junior exhibitor years in English Pleasure.  Arrow Hill Adonis was our main stallion who won many regional Grand Championships in Hand and Park Harness, but never was a winner at the Nat’ls.  Third place seemed to be his “forte”.  We had a lot of excitement with him.

 

I just wanted to let you know how happy we are that Lady (Majesty) has such a good home.  Is she at Saralin now in retirement?  She must be about 24 or so?

 

Good luck with this year’s show season.  I’ll keep a watch out for Merriewold and Majesty’s produce.  Please let me know if anything else exciting happens with any of her young ones.

 

Thanks,

Linda Rohr

 

 

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Articles, Photo Contest

2011 Merriewold Morgans Photo Contest

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2nd Annual Merriewold Morgans Photo ContestGrab your cameras! Flip through your photos! Join in the fun and win great prizes! A photo contest celebrating the Magnificent Morgan Horse is being held by Merriewold Morgans. Entry is FREE and will be judged by 2 professional Fine Artists. Download Promo Flyer.pdf and/or Download Rules Flyer.pdf

Work will be judged on the following criteria
  • Effectiveness in conveying the beauty or unique character of the Morgan horse
  • Artistic creativity (Unique vision in perspective, action or feeling in the photograph.)
  • Natural theme (We are not looking for conformation shots.)

All entries will be displayed at the Merriewold Media Center Gallery. Prizes will be awarded for the top three images. *You can view all the entries at the Photo Contest Gallery any time during the contest.

 

 

1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
1st Prize - Original watercolor 2nd Prize - Digital Photo Frame 3rd Place prize is a grooming tote
Entera Samy's Camera Merriewold Morgans

Prizes:

  • 1st Place – An Original watercolor of your Morgan by artist, Entera. (*Winner provides reference photos.  $300 approx. value)
  • 2nd Place – A 9″ Digital Photo Frame by Samy’s Camera.  (*$140 approx. value)
  • 3rd Place – A Grooming tote for horse owners from Merriewold Morgans.  (*Embroidered with contest title.  $50 approx. value)

How to Enter:

 

Submit via email by September 1, 2011, 1-3 of your images in the format stated below in the rules. Submit to: (
photos@merriewoldmorgans.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
)

 

 

Rules:

  1. Amateurs only. (‘amateur’ means you do not get paid for your work.)
  2. Morgan horses only. (Horses can be at liberty or under saddle.)
  3. Photography only. No “graphics”, logos or Photoshop-type entries allowed. Minor adjustments such as light/contrast, cropping, etc., is allowed using your favorite graphics/image program.
  4. You may enter up to 3 images.
  5. Entries must be received before September 1, 2011.
  6. Email digital files only. No snailmail entries.
  7. Entries must be .jpg and minimum 400 pixels wide and maximum 600 pixels wide at 72 dpi.
  8. Your full name and photo title must be included in email. Name your file with title of your photo. I.e.,  attachment file: myprettymorgan.jpg

Schedule:

  • April thru September 1, 2011: Entries received.
  • During the month of September:  Winners will be notified by email.
  • October, 2011: Winners announced in the Fall Newsletter issue. *Sign up for our Newsletter here.

Legals:

  1. Subscription to our Newsletter is not required to enter.
  2. Merriewold Morgans, it’s partners nor sponsors are not responsible for any copyright infringement concerning the entries submitted by you and posted on the http://merriewoldmorgans.com website.
  3. Email submittal of your entries warrants and guarantees that you are the original creator and owner of each entry image.
  4. No monetary award will be afforded in lieu of prizes.
  5. By submitting your entry, you acknowledge and give consent for the display of said images on the http://merriewoldmorgans.com website indefinitely and without monetary consideration. Consent also applies to any winning images that “may” be used in advertising campaigns; media promoting or reporting on the contest for this, or coming years.

Judges:

Bj. deCastro – Bj. is an award-winning California Fine Artist and owner of deCastro Studios. The studio does work in fine art publishing, photography, videography, graphic arts, promotional product, web development, marketing, advertising and copy writing/editing. All of these creative venues are born from the heart of a true artist. Her paintings can be seen at http://bjdecastro.com

Entera – Entera is an award-winning artist and sculptor. You can purchase a painting, sculpture or contact her for a commission at the website. She draws caricatures at your event, as a gift, party favor, or get cartoon portraits from photographs which you provide. She does decorative work for your home, such as, murals, faux wall effects, etc. Entera also does illustrations in any medium for any occasion. Visit http://entera-theartist.com.

Sponsors:

Merriewold Morgans, 1015 Ditmas Way, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420, 805-473-2356

Morgan Sport and Show Horses for the Competitive Owner and Rider. Breeding Stock for the Quality Morgan Breeder. Family and Pleasure Horses for the Morgan Enthusiast.

Samy’s Camera, 614 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, 805-963-7269

At Samy’s Camera, we have all your equipment needs. Plus, we offer a wide range of photographic services, for the professional and amateur alike. From online digital prints, to wide format printing and even professional quality book binding. If it has to do with photography, Samy’s can help. In addition to our finishing services, Samy’s offers several photo classes and workshops.

Entera (See Judges)

Download Promo Flyer.pdf and/or Download Rules Flyer.pdf

Merriewold Morgans Samy's Camera
Entera - the artist

 

 

 

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Articles, Photo Contest

2010 Merriewold Morgan Horse Photo Contest Winners Announced!

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Merriewold Morgan Photo ContestSeptember brought to close the very first Merriewold Morgans’ photo contest. What a fun and enjoyable contest it was!

The Judges pondered hard and long on the selection, but in the end, stuck to the overall criteria set out in the rules…artistic creativity, a natural theme and effectiveness in conveying the beauty or unique character of the Morgan horse.

Other determining factors were the quality (the technical correctness of the image taken). They felt that if the lighting and focus were improved on some of the pics, they would have placed better.
Merriewold Morgans would like to thank the sponsors of the Magnificent Morgan Horse Photo Contest for their participation and donation of the fantastic 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes. Please visit their websites below, when you are shopping for their products and services.
 Another big thank you goes out to all the participants for submitting such great images! The Judges’ enjoyed them so much that they selected several Honorable Mentions. These contestants were surprised with a free organic tote bag from the owner of Merriewold Morgans, Diana Wold.
Congratulations to all the winners! Here are the contest results:

Spencer and Cassie - 1st Place Winner! 1st Place Prize went to Pat Prouty of Grass Valley, California.  She won a $250 gift card to Samy’s Camera for in-store or online use by the owner of our winning entry.First Place prize - $250 Gift Card from Samy's Camera Samy’s Camera 614 Chapala Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805-963-7269 http://www.samys.com
Spencer and Cassie – 1st Place Winner
 
Wes and Bourbon - 2nd Place Winners! 2nd Place prize - Personal Cartoon Portrait by Entera2nd Place Prize went to Laurel De Vries of Winnemucca, Nevada.  She wins a personal cartoon portrait of the Morgan and owner by Entera, the artist.Entera http://www.entera-theartist.com
Wes and Bourbon – 2nd Place Winner
 
Cherry2 - 3rd Place Winner! 3rd Place prize - An 11x14 custom print of winning entry on canvas.3rd Place Prize went to Hayley Lippman of Burt, New York.  She won an 11″x14″ custom print of the winning entry on canvas by Simi Valley Photo Labs.Simi Valley Photo Labs 660 E. L.A. Avenue, Suite G Simi Valley, CA 93065 805-584-8297 http://www.simivalleyphotolabs.com
Cherry2 – 3rd Place Winner
 

Honorable Mentions:

First Kiss - 1st Honorable Mention First Kiss  by Roxanne Key of Arroyo Grande, California Soluppgang - 2nd Honorable Mention Soluppgang  by Lasse Hallstrom of Slite, Sweden A Mother's Love - 3rd Honorable Mention A Mother’s Love  bySusan Walker of Kent, Ohio
Hello My Friend - 4th Honorable Mention Hello My Friend  by Jaynee Clark of Oberlin, Ohio Together - 5th Honorable Mention Together  by Sheri Beard of LaGrange, Ohio Flying Snow Angel Morgan - 6th Honorable Mention Flying Snow Angel Morgan by JC FitzGerald of Avon Lake, Ohio
To view all the contest entries visit the Contest Photo Album

To look at the contest rules and regs….click here

 

GET READY FOR THE MWM 2011 PHOTO CONTEST!!!

 

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