Diamond and I attended the 11th Annual PMHA Morab National Championships.
At the PMHA Nationals, Diamond and I tried out many classes, including new ones for us, like Show Hack and Arabian Halter, and we did very well. It was our first A-rated Arabian show (no Dressage). We qualified for Nationals in Sport Horse In Hand, Sport Horse Under Saddle, Sport Horse Show Hack!
It was our first time in Show Hack ever! We had a blast in the big arena and really enjoyed trying for the collections and extensions and hand gallop even though it feels like we're really just beginning to learn it. We placed second each time and got Reserve Champion! That "huge" indoor at the horse park seemed awfully small after a hand gallop in a class.
We won the payback Sport Horse Under Saddle class! Wow! We'd tried SHUS once at Regionals, so this was our second time ever. We entered Hunter Pleasure for the fun of it, our first time, and won Amateur Owner! And, again for the fun of it, we tried Arabian Halter! Good thing Diamond is a quick learner and loves treats! I showed him in one halter class and a friend took him to a Reserve Championship! Congrats! I also shared Diamond in one of the Sport Horse In Hand classes - we both got nearly identical scores.
It was a fun weekend, thanks to my friends who were there to share it with me, and the helpful show staff and exhibitors. See the photos here.
I recently received a box in the mail - it was an award from PMHA - the Adult Amateur High Point Award!
We were included in the January 2009 issue of the ArabianNews magazine:
BAHA Member brings home the Hi-Point Adult Amateur Award at PMHA 2008!
BAHA Member Jen and her grey Arabian gelding BHR Black Diamond earned the Hi-Point Adult Amateur Award this year at the 11th Annual PMHA Morab National Championships held October 25-26, 2008 at the Kentucky Horse Park, in Lexington, Kentucky!
To win the Hi-Point Adult Amateur Award, the pair competed together in 3 distinctly different disciplines, and the highest score of each of those 3 disciplines was used to determine Hi-Point Standing.
"I want to say 'Thank you' to PMHA and the show staff. I'm honored", says Jen. "It was a fun weekend and I met a lot of great people at the show."
PMHA offers 3 Hi-Point Awards: Adult Amateur, Junior, and Exceptionale (Morab horses only) at their National show. The PMHA Morab National Championships is a three-breed Class "A" show for Morabs, Arabians, and Morgans. It is USEF and AHA approved, and is a Region 14 qualifier for Arabians. The 2008 show included over 155 classes, including Performance, Halter, Sport Horse, IABS, Youth, and Fun classes for all 3 breeds. More information at the Purebred Morab Horse Association website: http://www.puremorab.com