President Letha Simmons
June 2012 Newsletter
Hello to all;
I hope this newsletter finds all of you enjoying your wonderful horses. Foaling season is probably
winding down for our “warm” area and the state of Arizona was blessed with several exquisite
Morgan foals. We were blessed with a wonderful gaited colt in March (LeDan’s Wind and Stone).
We are so enjoying him and watching him grow/learn. Those Morgans are so smart and such a joy to
work with.
This spring has sure been windy and hot all too soon. I hope everyone is out and about enjoying
their Morgans. I know many are showing and doing well,,,congrats to all those being pinned. Then
there are those that have youngsters and are having so much fun with those little ones. I cannot
leave out the trail riders as that is such a great way to enjoy your horse. Lastly, there are those that
drive....some day, I'll join the ranks of driving one of my horses. Need to retire first!!!
If anyone out there has a story, article, trip, etc. that they would like to share with the club, please let
me know. I know things are happening and it’s always a delight to read what others are doing and
accomplishing with their Morgans…be it the show ring, driving competitions, cow working
competitions, trail riding or just enjoying your best friend in the barn. Do not every feel that just
because you “trail ride” that it’s simple or mundane. A good trail horse is often one of the most
trained horses there are. I think all disciplines require sound, trained horses.
I had the pleasure of attending a Mark Russell “Natural Dressage” clinic in Cave Creek with Anne
Biggs. Boy did we have a great time and learned so much about getting our horses in balance. Well
worth the time and money. If I can get some free time, I'd like to write an article about this great
clinic.
I hope many of you are thinking of attending the “Pedigree Party” at Gail Perlee’s home in Phoenix
in July 14th. Great time to come in out of the heat and talk with Gail about your Morgan’s history or
look up something in her library of Morgan Magazines. She has an extensive library of old Morgan
articles that will just make your jaw drop when you read them. At least that was my reaction to
reading some of those early Morgan Horse publications. Please remember to RSVP to me so we
have an idea of how many to plan for. There will be a pot luck with this event also. It will be a fun
day for all. Check out the flyer for the pedigree party for further details in this newsletter.
Sadly we had to cancel the Wickenburg ride due to weather and low turnout. We plan on having that
ride at another time but it has not been rescheduled at this point in time.
Dan and I are planning some great camping trips with our horses this summer. We can hardly wait.
We will be returning to Monument Valley a third year in a row this coming September. (By the
way, be on the lookout for Dan's article in Trail Rider in the Sept. /Oct. issue on our Monument
Valley experience last summer where there were more Morgans than any other breed on the ride.
Over 40 horses so that was really something for a large trail ride.) I figure we aren’t the only
Morgan people out there camping with our horses. It’s such a great way to enjoy nature and get
away from the hectic lives we seem to live today.
I would like to welcome all new members to the club. Old and new members, if you have ideas for
what the club can do for you....please let me know. I'm always ready for new ideas and ways of
promoting the wonderful Morgan horse.
Don't forget we'll be doing the Tombstone Ride one last time and then we'll move on the following
year to another southern location. This year there will be a "Crazy Hat" contest on Friday night
along with the "Period Costume" contest on Saturday night. This is always a fun ride and the food
can't be beat. So keep the second weekend of September open for this event.
I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. Stay cool and enjoy your horses.
Have a safe ride/drive/day……
Letha Simmons
President, Arizona Morgan Horse Association
Election Results for 2012-Congratulations to the New Officers !!
President:
Secretary:
Directors:
Letha Simmons
Ed Biszantz
Bee Hannan
Connie Alexander
Vice President:
Treasurer:
Mike Ewens
Anne Biggs
Kevin Worsley
Shirley Henry-Biszantz
Sue McCullough-Worsley
Jim Crook
PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK OUR WEBSITE TO REVIEW COPIES OF THE
NEWSLETTER WITH COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND UP TO DATE
INFORMATION
www.arizonamorgan.com
Webmaster Sue McCullough-Worsley
Favorite links section:
www.arizonamorgan.com
www.morganhorse.com
www.actha.com
www.morgangrandnational.com
www.abovelevel.com
From The Rail
By Sue McCullough-Worsley
It is with great AzMHA pride that I am writing this column for the quarter. The American Morgan
Horse Association 2011 Golden West Region VII awards banquet was held in southern California in
conjunction with the May Spring Classic Horse show in Temecula, and six of our members and their
horses received top honors and/or placings! Region VII consists of Arizona, California, Nevada and
Hawaii. The awards are tallied from Carousel, Diamond Jubilee, Spring Classic (formerly Pomona)
Charity Fair, Mother Load, Labor Day Classic and Santa Barbara Regional.
Congratulations to the following horses and their owners. SUPER JOB!!!
Hunter Division:
SMC One Last Dance received a 2nd place award for Hunter Pleasure Open out of 23 horses
competing for top year end honors! This is a hugely competitive division, and he also received 4th
place recognition for Hunter pleasure horse in Junior Exhibitors 17 and under for owner Kathy
Smith. This was also an extremely competitive division with 15 youths competing for year end
points.
Also in the Open Hunter Division getting recognition was Dominating Presence recognized for 5 th
place for her owner Sue Ewens. Great job!!!
Hunter Pleasure Jr horse recognition went to Lindsay Naas’ youngster Raynyday Final Salute for 6th
place.
Dressage:
Roy-Els Bell of the Ball received top honors in the Dressage Training level division. Great job
Lindsay Naas and her versatile partner, Bell.
Park Harness:
Mrs. Steven Rudy received top honors in the Park Harness Junior horse division for owner Mrs.
Kevin Worsley (otherwise known as Sue McCullough ;-)) This is one big mare in a small but mighty
division of 3 junior horses from California.
Pleasure Driving:
Lucky as Me tied for top honors in the Amateur Pleasure Driving for driver/owner Shirley HenryBiszantz along with Nevada entry VVM Dreamkeeper. With 12 entries competing for year-end
awards, this is a huge driving division. Shirley’s black stallion also received 4th place recognition in
the open pleasure driving division as well with a total of 9 competing for top honors.
English Pleasure:
Sue McCullough and Glory Days garnered top honors in the very competitive Amateur English
Pleasure besting a year end field of 10. Dreammaster Rare Image was in a three-way tie for 4th place
in the open division with a large field of 13 for owner Kevin Worsley!
Western:
With the largest competitive field of 26 for the entire region, Lindsay Naas and Roy-Els Valentina
received a very impressive second place honor! Also on her other horse, Raynyday Final Salute,
Lindsay tied for third place recognition in the junior horse western division.
Hope to see some of you in beautiful Del Mar, California for the fun Charity Fair Horse show in
June. Coming up in July is Circle J Regional in Colorado and locally is the very fun Flagstaff show.
Don’t forget to check out Santa Barbara in August – it is our regional with Western Dressage, trail,
regular dressage, Carriage, reining, as well as all the hunter, pleasure, park, harness and western
divisions. There will be wine, margaritas, progressive parties, and a formal night!
See you all on the rail!
It’s Pedigree Party Time!!!
July 14, 2012
412 West Siesta Way
Phoenix, Arizona 85041
Do you have a Morgan and want to know what “family” of Morgans
your horse came from???
Brunk, Western Working, Government, Lippett,,,and more
Do you want to see photos and articles of those horses in your horse’s
background?
So, bring a dish to share, bring a copy of your pedigree (if you have
one) and come to Gail Perlee’s home. Starts at 10:00 a.m. and goes until
2:00 p.m. (or possibly later).
Gail has cataloged all Morgan Horse magazines (yes, she has them all in
her library)…and she has the first registry books (which are most
interesting).
Please RVSP so we know how many to expect. If you can car pool,
please do so as parking will be a little limited. Directions will be
provided.
RVSP: letha.simmons@vaisala.com
or 520-247-4229. See you there!!!!
A Gaited Morgan at the Show
Mary Mels Glo-Girl
by
Dan Simmons
(First published in Morgan Single-Footing Horse Association Newsletter July, 2011)
This is the story of a gaited Morgan who placed very well at the Morgan Grand Nationals and World
Championships over a two year period, plus won and placed at several lower level shows in Roadster
classes.
My wife Letha and I discovered this story when we learned that the gaited mare Mary Mels Gloworm
was right here in Southern Arizona in Tucson practically under our noses. We had been searching
for quality gaited Morgan broodmare stock when we got a tip that she was here and available. We
immediately got in contact with the owner, Martha Miller, and made arrangements to come see
Gloworm.
We were very impressed with Gloworm and bought her on the spot; but that is another story. We
also got to meet and have become friends with Martha Miller, a Morgan person in our area we didn’t
even know was here. My wife is the current Vice President of the Arizona Morgan Horse Association
and we have been making efforts to find, meet, and encourage the Morgan owners in Southern
Arizona to become aware of each other and potentially more involved as a group. With our particular
interest and involvement in gaited Morgans and now the MSFHA, we were even more excited that all
three of Martha’s Morgans were gaited. In addition to Gloworm, Martha has a five year old palomino
gelding named Mary Mels Yellow Tyke by Mary Mels Swanee out of Mary Mels Golden Rod, and a
coming two year old chestnut filly out of Gloworm by Mary Mels Brandy; her name is Glo-Girls May
Day Belle. Martha was introduced to Morgans by her 4th grade teacher Martha Vernon. Martha
showed some Morgans for others at the Circle J Regional in Estes Park, Colorado at the age of 16 or
so. The first Morgan of her own was Mary Mels Glo-Girl.
As we were getting the tour and meeting the other horses, Martha told us a little about Mary Mels
Glo-Girl, Gloworm’s dam, and showed us some pictures on the wall of her wearing ribbons she had
won in various shows including the Morgan Grand Nationals. This really intrigued us and we asked
Martha to tell us more about Glo-Girl, a gaited horse in the show world.
But first, let me give you some background on Glo-Girl. She was a Stellar daughter out of Irish Mist;
a chestnut foaled in 1972 bred and owned by Mel Frandsen until 1980. Martha says she was about
14.2 hands or so. Martha owned her from 1980 until 1990 at which time Martha made a career
change and went back to school and sent Glo-Girl back to Mel where she remained until her death
around 1997. Glo-Girl had ten registered foals in her life; Gloworm was the next to last in 1992, and
the last was Mary Mels Mystery in 1993, a stallion of some note which Letha and I very nearly bought
last year and is currently in Wisconsin.
In 1981 Martha found an Amish buggy and decided that it would be fun to train Glo-Girl for harness
so she could take the kids for rides. The closest trainer was Cliff Swanson, who at that time was in
Durango, Colorado. Glo-Girl did quite well, though it was tough to keep her in a trot at times.
They decided to take her to Salt Lake City in June of that year to the Rocky Mountain Morgan Show she had been in harness for only four months. She had 1st place finishes in two pleasure driving
classes, but Martha says she got mad in the championship round, reared up and nearly went over the
cart. Glo-Girl was notably faster in each of her classes and they decided to enter her in Roadster
classes in July of 1981 at the Circle J Regional in Estes Park, Colorado.
Glo-Girl’s first show at the Rocky Mountain
Morgan Show, Salt Lake City, 1981.
Glo-Girl in harness probably taken at the
American Royal Show in Kansas City, Missouri
in 1983.
She won a couple ribbons there but Martha can’t remember exactly what. She used to have all the
ribbons, but some have disappeared over the years.
Also in 1981 Glo-Girl went to the Kachina Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico and competed in the
Roadster Under Saddle class.
In 1982 Glo-Girl made her first appearance at the Morgan Grand Nationals and World
Championships. She competed in the Open Roadster to Bike class and finished in 6th place.
In 1983 she went to the American Royal Show in Kansas City, Missouri and won second place in
Roadster Under Saddle Martha thinks it was. Also in that year she won 1st place in Open Roadster
at the Dallas Big D Charity Show as the only Morgan against a field of Standardbreds and “she
stomped them” Martha says!
In 1983 Glo-Girl returned to the Morgan Nationals and she finished 9th in the World Morgan Roadster
Under Saddle Championship, and 5th in the Amateur Roadster Under Saddle Championship.
Cliff Swanson of Colorado was the trainer/driver/rider during all these events.
As good as Glo-Girl was in the show arena, Martha came to realize that she was not a happy horse
on the show circuit and Cliff had to work hard to keep her in a trot. At a Circle J show, Martha found
her lying down in her stall and allowing kids to crawl all over her—Cliff was sure the kids were going
to get killed, but Glo-Girl was letting them do it. Martha says the horse was obviously miserable and
she decided to pack her up and take her off to home and put an end to her show career.
Of Glo-Girl, Martha says she was amazingly athletic and great under saddle, both English and
Western, or in harness. She was also very easy to get along with, and virtually bomb-proof for
children; she used to take her infant daughter riding in a Snugly all over the desert when she lived in
Page, Arizona. Martha told me of another time when she used to live in the Flagstaff area and rode
in the mountains with a goat for company as she didn’t have a dog at the time. On one ride the goat
got tired, so Martha wrestled the goat up onto the saddle while Glo-Girl stood perfectly still and she
clambered on behind the goat. Glo-Girl walked them all home very carefully so as not to upset the
applecart.
Martha says Glo-Girl was never happier than when she was making babies and was the best mother
in the world, except for possibly Gloworm. One summer another mare foaled and Glo-Girl nearly tore
down the barn trying to get out to that foal in the pasture; Martha finally let her out before she hurt
herself and she raced straight over to the foal. Within a week she was lactating and took over the
foal’s care from the other mare who apparently wasn’t doing the job to Glo-Girl’s satisfaction.
The last thing Martha says she really remembers is riding in Sabino Canyon in Tucson on
Christmas Day 1987 with snow and ice. “I came down a trail that I normally went on, and
looked for a place to cross the raging river. We started across, and were soon
swimming....BRRRRRR - she [Glo-Girl] clambered up the other side, over rocks and boulders
and through bushes, snorting and steaming like a demon, with both of us covered in ice - and
nearly ran over an astonished couple who were out taking a walk! There was nothing that I
couldn't do with her.”
During Glo-Girl’s time back with Mel after 1990 was when Gloworm and Mystery came along
and Glo-Girl was doing what she was happiest at, making babies.
It seems to me Glo-Girl epitomizes the qualities of the Morgan horse; very versatile and
capable of doing almost anything, with great minds to match. She was a gaited mare, yet she
was able to excel in the trot and win and show in the arena. She was great in harness or
under saddle, English or Western, and was a pleasure to ride with an infant or even a goat
aboard. It is amazing how many times I hear stories about Morgans who have the intelligence
and mind to distinguish the difference between an adult and an innocent child and treat them
with tenderness and care, even adjusting their actions to take care of and accommodate them.
I think Mary Mels Glo-Girl is a horse who deserves to be remembered, and her story known
and told when we Morgan folks get together and celebrate our wonderful Morgan horses! I
also think she is another wonderful horse that adds to the legacy of Mel and Mary Frandsen as
contributors to the Morgan breed. Thanks to you both!
Glo-Girl in Roadster Under Saddle either at the American Royal in
Kansas City, Missouri, or possibly at the Circle J Regional in Estes
Park, Colorado in 1983.
Official 2012 Arizona Morgan Horse Meeting
and Event Calendar
 July 14, 2012, Pedigree Party/Potluck,
The Home of Gail Perlee, 412 W. Siesta Way, Phoenix, AZ
Contact Letha Simmons for details and to RSVP 520-586-3468
 Del Mar Charity Show, Del Mar, CA - June 12-15, 2012
 Circle J Horse Show, Denver, Colorado – July 5-8, 2012
 Flagstaff Classic – July 27-29, 2012
 Morgan Medallion, Regional Championship District 7, Santa Barbara,
August 15-18, 2012
 September 7-9, 2012, Livery Stable Ride, Tombstone, Arizona –
Open Ride (September 8, 2012 AzMHA Board Meeting, open to all
members)
Contact Letha Simmons for details and to RSVP 520-586-3468
 Morgan National, Oklahoma City, OK - October 6-13, 2012
 Arizona Fall Futurity, Scottsdale - October 26-28, 2012
 ACTHA Ride, McDowell Mountain Park – November 3, 2012
 Jingle Bells, Del Mar, CA November 28 – December 2, 2012
 December Annual Holiday Party Hosted by Mike and Sue Ewens
(December 8, 2012 AzMHA Annual Meeting, open to all members)
Contact Mike Ewens for details and to RSVP 623-465-7492
Mission Statement
The Arizona Morgan Horse Association exists to preserve,
promote and perpetuate the Morgan horse as America’s
first and most versatile breed.
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PLEASE JOIN THE AzMHA FOR 2012
ARIZONA MORGAN HORSE ASSOCIATION
Membership Application - Fiscal Year _ 2012____
I/We hereby apply for membership in the Arizona Morgan Horse Association and agree to
abide by its By-Laws, rules and regulations.
________
________
________
Family Membership $25.00
Single Membership $15.00
New ________Renewal
_____Junior Membership $5.00
Birth date ______mo/day/yr
Membership Fees are due January 1st of each year. As of July 1st each year, New
Memberships are $12.50
Please list all names in for Membership:
Adult#1
____________________ Child #1
______________
Last, First
Adult #2
____________________ Child #2
______________
Last, First
Adult #3
____________________ Child #3
______________
Last, First
Address: ____________________________________
City, State, Zip: ______________________________
Phone Number: ______________________________
Email: _____________________________________
I/We would be interested in the following activities:
Clinics: _____________
Socials: ______________
Youth: ___________
Trail Rides: __________
I/We would be interested in supporting AzMHA as:
Director_____ Officer______ Committee Member______ Volunteer______
AzMHA would like to know more about your activities and interests in planning future
membership directories, events and activities. Please fill out the following:
We offer: Stallion Service ______ Training ______ Stock for Sale ______
Lessons ______ Boarding _______
We do the following:
Trail/Pleasure_____ Competitive Trail _____ Class A Shows ______
Mini Circuit Shows _____ Carriage Driving______ Dressage _______
Hunter/Jumper ______
Stock Horse _________
We ask that Lifetime Members please fill out the above information to update our records.
Payment must be enclosed with application. Please make your Check payable to Arizona
Morgan Horse Association, Inc. Mail completed form with payment to:
Arizona Morgan Horse Association, Inc.
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C/O Shirley Henry-Biszantz, Treasurer 31616 N. 144th Street Scottsdale, AZ 85262
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