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“It was marvelous to see
the master stallions displayed so prominently,” she said.
“Some of them are legendary. You see General Jackson and
understand why Junior created a registry around him. And to
see Dock! He is like a horse god. I even fell in love with a
new master stallion, Snowy River. What a horse! It’s a once
in a lifetime opportunity to see all those amazing animals
together in one place.” he 19 horses were stabled
in Barn 7 amid lavish decorations. A photo area at the end
of the barn was often occupied by members from across the US
who wanted their pictures taken with the famous sires that
founded the breed. The Master Stallion Parade in Thursday
night brought screams, smiles and tears as the stately
animals were either ridden or led around the arena. They
were simultaneously videoed and displayed on the big screen
on the stage. “I often watched the big screen because I got
a better close up view,” Annette said. Her one criticism was
the length of Saturday night’s show. “I had to catch a plane
early the next day, so I couldn’t stay until the end,”
Gerhardt said. “I’ll plan for that next year, but I’ll bet a
lot of folks left before it was over because it got so cold
and ran so late. But, for a first show, that’s a small
matter when the quality of the horses and the entertainment
was so fantastic.”
Mel and Debbie Kuhlman
traveled 2,600 miles from Stride Right Farms in Issaquah, Wa.,
to participate in the event. “I thought they did a great job
of putting the show together and I thought the judging was
good,” Mel said. “I have absolutely no complaints. For a
first event this was outstanding.”
Wendy Jordan, Holtwood,
Pa., showed and spectated. “I really appreciated that the
classes ended by 9 or 10 p.m. during the week,” she said. “I
thought the show was definitely well run. My son’s favorites
were the videos that Pat Sipes shot of the general
activities and people every day that were shown on the big
screen. I liked the big screen, too. But, my favorite was
the master stallion parade.”
Barbara Weatherwax, author,
judge and KMSH examiner, Washoe Valley, Nev., agreed.
“How could I keep the tears
from running down my cheeks?,” she said. “Moving in front of
me was the line up of Master Stallions. They took my breath
away. Not simply because I was privileged to view the
plethora of outstanding horse flesh – but it was knowing
that these spectacular stallions are in fact the foundation
of our precious registry.”
The judges also praised the
inaugural show.
“The quality of the horses
was outstanding,” said Dale Seidel, Milton, Pa. “And, the
show was well run. These mountain horses are the best
product in the horse industry. The people need to quit
fighting among themselves and promote this wonderful
animal.”
Jim Belcher, Monrovia, Ind.
really enjoyed judging the horses because of the various
classifications. “I’d have like to have seen the country
trail pleasure horses looking a little more country
trail-not quite so up in the bridle,” he said. “It was great
to be able to look at the drawing in the book of each way of
going to see right away if the horse was in the right
division.”
He also appreciated the
quality of the horses. “It was really tough – especially
when it got down to the first and second place horses –
because they were all so good,” he said. “Probably my
favorite class was the lead line. There were 12 kids in the
class and that’s our future. I thought the show overall was
fantastic.”
Johnnie Kinkade,
Brandenburg, Ky. Offered praise and advice. “Overall, I
thought most of the horses were of show quality,” he said.
“There were a few that needed more practice time. “The two
areas I think can be improved for future shows are the
manners in the conformation classes and being able to trail
walk both ways of the ring in the park classes.”
He was most impressed by
the horses’ dispositions. “I liked the ability of the
mountain horses to do the pleasure gait and come down to a
relaxed trail walk regardless of which division they were
competing in,” he said. “Another was the number of horses
that gaited well in the pole bending class.”
Mr. Kinkade praised the use
of various divisions. “The different divisions and not cross
entering is one of the best ways to run a show for any breed
of gaited horse,” he said. “Some horse’s and some
exhibitors’ style of riding seem to come together in one
particular division. This way, some very good country trail
horses get their recognition as well as the good horses in
all the other divisions.” He also was impressed with the
juvenile classes. He said they were very competitive. “There
were some good horses and some of the young riders did a
great job of presenting them and enjoying being there,” he
said. “I noticed in the juvenile bareback class the horses
gaited well and were well mannered in the line up and backed
very quietly. There are some excellent exhibitors in today’s
shows who will be showing as adults tomorrow.”
Savanna Pelfrey,
Winchester, Ky., was very enthusiastic about the inaugural
show. “The show was exceptional and it was put on
beautifully,” she said. “The horses represented the gait and
quality that are the breed that is my first love.” She said
exhibitors in the trail obstacle course could improve their
performance by going into the course with a plan on how they
would approach and maneuver the various obstacles. “The show
proves this breed has a bright future,” she said. “I was
honored to be a part of the very first international show.”
There was more to do than
just watch the horses. The upper level of the arena was
packed with vendors. Their offerings ranged from a variety
of tack and clothing to exquisite jewelry, iron work,
crystals, computer programs and horse health items.
Friday night’s exhibitor’s
party above the arena brought together hundreds of horse
lovers. They swapped stories over food and drinks before
dancing to a live band until the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday night’s
festivities began with a moving presentation of our nation’s
colors by the National Color Guard. The audience also was
treated to an outstanding performance by the KMSHA Juvenile
Drill Team.
The big screen added
another dimension to the horse show by broadcasting the
classes live as well as the montages for the various
memorial awards. A 1 1/2 hour collection of the show’s
highlights, the memorials and the grand championships is
available for $15 from the KMSH office.
Pictures and narration
detailed the history of Jr. Robinson, KMSH founder, Carson
Masters, Al Prewitt, James Powell and General Jackson, the
first horse ever registered KMSH.
Shannon Lorance earned the
Carson Masters Juvenile Versatility Award. The Al Prewitt
Versa-tility Award went to Barb’s Stormy Knight, owned by
Bob and Nancy Copland. The James Powell Trainer Award was
given to Robert Lawson and the General Jackson Ama-teur
Owned and Trained Award went to Brenda Ekstrand.
Barb’s Stormy Knight, owned
by the Coplands, was also honored with the Jr. Robinson
Memorial Award. The 1,172 exhibitors were whittled down to
only the top contenders in each of the grand championship
classes Saturday night. Little Ann, ridden by Travis
Robinson and owned by Triple K&S Stables, won the Trail
Pleasure Grand Championship, Fearless, ridden by Vernon
Stamper and owned by Gordon & Ann King, won the Classic
Pleasure Grand Championship, Barb’s Stormy Knight, ridden by
Charlie Deatley and owned by the Copelands, won the Western
Pleasure Grand Championship, Turnner’s Secret Angel ridden
by Tim Little and owned by Falling Star Stables won the
Country Trail Pleasure Grand Championship, and L.A. Bud.
Ridden by Vernon Stamper and owned by Heather and Ashley
Leslie, won the Park Pleasure Grand Championship.
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