Morgans in Dressage Timeline

Morgans in Dressage - A timeline

Editor’s note: This timeline chronicling highlights of Morgans competing in dressage was originally compiled by Morgan historian Gail Perlee. If you would like to add information to this timeline of high-level accomplishments by Morgans in the sport, e-mail us at info@morgandressage.org.

1962

High Pastures Samson (Ethan Eldon x Lippitt Ramona), a 5 year old gelding owned by Harriet Hilts places 3rd in ASHA Dressage B2 at USET headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. He is trained and ridden by former Dutch Olympic rider H L M Van Schaik of Cavendish, Vermont. Samson becomes one of the first Morgans to be trained in classical dressage.

1963

Van Schaik and High Pastures Samson give a dressage exhibition at Morgan National Show.

1964

Van Schaik and Samson win Open Dressage at Woodstock, VT.
The first dressage competition is held at Eastern National Morgan Show.
Prince of Pride (Dickies Pride x Utah Queen) a palomino WWF stallion owned, ridden and trained by Mary Woolverton wins the dressage class at Western National Morgan Show.
Two Morgan stallions, Parade (Cornwallis x Mansphyllis) and his son Broadwall Drum Major (x Debutansque) owned by J Cecil Ferguson are invited by Colonel Alois Podhajsky to tour the US & Canada with the Royal Lipizzan Stallions.

1966

Margaret Gardiner's stallion Kennebec Archbrook, trained and ridden by Dr Van Schaik, won the Second Level dressage class at York, Pennsylvania. He was the first Morgan to win at that level.

1968

Broadwall Felicity (Triumph x Arribonita), a 15 year-old mare ridden by her owner Lee Ferguson wins her class at the Readington, NJ Dressage & Combined Training Show. They also win 2nd Level Dressage at the Eastern National Morgan Show.

1969

Lee and Felicity are 2nd Level New England Regional Champions.

1970

Lee and Felicity are 3rd Level New England Regional Champions.

1971

There are nine Morgans among the 19 participants in a Thomas Poulin dressage clinic held in Jamesville, NY. Poulin uses the Morgan stallion, Meadowbrook Dancer as his demonstration horse.

1978

Gwen Stockebrand and her half Morgan/half Tennessee Walker, BAO are named the USET Dressage Team.

1979

Stockebrand and BAO place 16th in the World Championships and 3rd in the Musical Kur. They win a Silver Medal at the Pan American Games.

1980

At the Alternative Olympics at Goodwood, England BAO and Stockebrand are 2nd in the Kur, and the highest placed Americans at both Goodwood and Rotterdam. The same year they win the US Grand Prix Championship.
Lee Ferguson is awarded a USDF Bronze Medal for 1st through 3rd Levels.

1981

There are almost 20 Morgans at the Stoneleigh Burnham Dressage Show. First and 2nd at 4th Level are Madeline Swircek and her 14.2h black stallion, Bald Mt Con Man (Bar-T Vigilman x Bald Mt Connielect) and Lee Ferguson on her gelding Broadwall Jazz Time (Broadwall Tempo x Especially). Both place above Lendon Gray on Mariupol. The Pas de Deux is won by Mona Sansoucy on Big Bend Doc Davis and Lee Ferguson on Broadwall Jazz Time.

1982

Mrs. Bruce (Lee) Ferguson is named AMHA Woman of the Year for her work in promoting Morgans in Dressage.
Big Bend Doc Davis, a 15.2h stallion, and owner/rider Mona Sansoucy are Northeast Regional Sweepstakes Reserve Champion at 3rd Level.
In Canada the Morgan stallion WAW Beau Heir (Beckridge Beau-Field x My Donna Gal C) owned and ridden by Trudie Northcott is third in Prix St George and 2nd in Intermediate I at the Pacific Division of the Canadian National Dressage Championships. The pair ranks 10th in Prix St George and 5th in Intermediare I in the Canadian national standings.
Kathy Theissen of Maple Plain, MN and her 16.2h gelding Just Fine Fortune (IL Supreme x Sunflower Countess), AKA “Bullwinkle”, wins the AHSA Zone 6 Championship at 3rd Level.

1983

Mona and “Davey” are again Northeast Regional Reserve Sweepstakes Champion at 3rd Level and achieve the USDF Bronze Medal for First through Third Levels.
Kathy and “Bullwinkle” (Just Fine Fortune) win the ASHA Zone 6 Championship at 4th Level.

1984

Mona Sansoucy and Big Bend Doc Davis grace the cover of the March issue of the Morgan Horse Magazine.
1986. On June 28, during the first US competition devoted entirely to musical freestyle dressage, Mona Sansoucy and 11 year-old “Davey” win the Fourth Level and Above class and receive the high score of the day.
Trudy Northcott-Steele and 17 year old WAW Beau Heir are awarded the AMHI $2500 Grand Prix Dressage Prize for being the first Morgan to obtain four scores of 50% or above at Grand Prix Level.
Kathy and “Bullwinkle” are ranked 13th in USDF national standings at Intermediare II.
Button Baker riding Patti Broulette Barrett’s 16.3h mare, Malibu’s Fawnita (Las Posas Bravo x Waer’s Fawnette) wins the 4th Level Musical Kur at the California Dressage Society’s Regional Championship Show. They are named 3rd Level CDS champion and AHSA Zone Champion at 3rd Level. By year’s end the duo are tied for 13th place (out of 542 horses) in the USDF national standings at 3rd Level.
At the USDF National Young Riders Championships, 18 year-old Amy Husted and her nine year old gelding Jamori Troubadour (Fidddlers Georgetown x Mackinac Queen) are members of Region 2 team and, performing at Intermediare II, they earn an individual 6th place in the Consolation Test.

1988

At their first show at Grand Prix Level, the NEDA Freestyle Sweepstakes, Big Bend Doc Davis and Mona Sansoucy-Gaudet place 2nd and 4th in Grand Prix Musical Kur. Davey is the only American horse on the grounds and he defeats several horses long listed by USET for that year’s Olympics.
At age 15 Just Fine Fortune (Bullwinkle) competes successfully in Grand Prix dressage.
Button Baker and Malibu’s Fawnita win the $1000 Intermediare I Musical Kur at the California Dressage Society Championship Show. They finish the year in 4th place nationally in both ASHA & USDF at Intermediare I Musical Kur.

1989

Malibu’s Fawnita is ranked 3rd in USDF national standings at Prix St George and 11th at Intermediare I. She and Button Baker are selected as alternate to a USET team competing in Canada, becoming the first Morgan to win a place on a USET dressage squad.

1991

H L M Van Schaik, mentor to Morgan dressage riders for over 30 years, dies at age 92. An AMHI Morgan Dressage Scholarship is established in his honor.
Big Bend Doc Davis retires at the New England Morgan Show to thunderous applause from a standing room-only-crowd. His brilliant performance inspires a renewed interest in dressage within the Morgan community.
Browns Fiddle Dee (Dobson x Hoosier Holly) with owner Deborah Gyulay and Ten Penny Action (Applevale Voyager x Doverdale-Bambi-Jean) with owner Janet Moulding are the first to win the AMHA Open Competition Gold Medallions in Dressage, which requires eight FEI scores including two from Grand Prix.

1992

A 20 year old Morgan gelding, Delmaytion Gaylad (Corinth Renaissance x Gemini Centaurus x Tutor) becomes the first Morgan to be included in the USDA annual listing of stallions who have sired three or more recipients of USDA year end high-score awards. The three winning offspring he sired before being gelded were Foxwin Deja Vu, Foxwin Pirouette and Foxwin Sir Echo.
Beckridge Patrex (Merry Dexter x Beckridge Patora) with owner Deborah Dougherty and TRM ADandy (Casland Heberan x TRM Breezy’s Spirit) with owner Marilyn Anderson win the AMHA Gold Medallion in Dressage.

1993

Dougherty and Beckridge Patrex are 5th in the USDF national rankings in Intermediare I Musical Freestyle. A total of 77 horses nationwide competed in this category.
Mona Sansoucy wins the first Van Schaik Morgan Dressage Scholarship awarded annually thereafter through the American Morgan Horse Institute.

1994

Deb Dougherty is awarded a USDF Gold Medal, becoming the first to achieve this honor on a Morgan. She is one of only 94 riders to earn a Gold Medal up to the end of 1994. To receive a Gold Medal, a rider must earn two scores at Intermediare I or II and two scores at Grand Prix of 60% or better, in front of at least two different judges at two different USDF shows.
Alix Szepesi and her palomino gelding Triple S High Noon (Topside Eager Beaver x Triple S Soap Suds) win USDF Horse of the Year honors and are ranked 15th in the United States among all horses competing at third level.

1999

The Morgan Dressage Association is formed.
Cathy Echternach and Whippoorwill Ebony, aka “Black Tie”(Blackwood Correll x Whippoorwill Locket) are 21st in Intermediare II in USDF national rankings and earn the AMHA Gold Medallion in Dressage.

2000

EFM Desperado (EFM Odin x Woodside Celebrity), owned by James and Laura Smith, is the sixth Morgan to earn the AMHA Gold Medallion in Dressage and is retired at the end of the season.