UPHA Announces Changes to Morgan Classics; Nominate by April 1 for Discount

The United Professional Horsemen’s Association (UPHA) Board of Directors has voted to change the UPHA Morgan Classics from being open only to three-year-olds to being open only to four-year-old horses. This change allows the UPHA Morgan Classics Grand Championships to have its own separate classes at the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show. The UPHA Classics Grand Championships will be qualifying classes for the respective Junior World Championships.

Class specifications for these classes will follow the USEF Morgan Division rules. In accordance with MO209.17, UPHA Classics classes are conducted under the same specifications as U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Morgan Division rules. The UPHA Morgan Classics will be judged using the USEF class specifications for a junior horse class or junior horse championship in the appropriate performance section.

To nominate for the UPHA Morgan Classics — as well as the American Saddlebred and Hackney Pony Classics — and receive the $50 discount, nominations must be postmarked on or before April 1, 2023. After April 1, the eligibility fee becomes $150 per nomination. A horse or pony must be nominated, and the eligibility fee paid prior to competing in a UPHA Classics class. The owner, trainer, and exhibitors must be current UPHA members. Nomination forms can be found HERE.

The UPHA Classics are designed to be prestigious classes that contribute to the growth and prosperity of the show horse industry. The intent is to promote a high-caliber event and generate a greater prize money return for the young show horse and pony. Young performance entries have greater earning power and therefore can demand higher sales prices. Breeders, owners, and trainers all benefit from UPHA Classics.

Shows are encouraged to add UPHA Classics classes to attract young horses and ponies to their competition and to update their prize lists to reflect this change. To request permission to offer a UPHA Classics class at your horse show, horse show managers need to complete and return the application found HERE.

For additional program information, please visit the UPHA website HERE.

Questions? Please contact UPHA at jmellenkamp@uphaonline.com or 859-231-5070 or UPHA Classics Committee Chair Jenny Taylor, 330-350-2839.