Oh those marvellous Morgans! In 2010, for the second year in a row, this animated breed won bragging rights as the most versatile mount in the TELUS Battle of the Breeds, held in September during the Masters tournament. They won by a muzzle, edging into the top overall spot on the last day of competition. As usual, it all came down to the last competition – trail riding.
The competition was so close that veteran Team Morgan rider, Debra Clary, didn’t think they had won the championship, despite their first-place finishes in compulsory skills and precision driving, and second- place finish in trail riding.
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“I thought Team Quarter Horse had won,” she laughed afterwards, patting the neck of Night Image, her talented stallion that measures only 14 hands but fills the ring with his spirit and presence.
This was the fourth championship title for the Morgans, with victories in 2000, 2001 and 2009.
“And we’re coming back to do our best to win again,” said Clary of Tofield, AB. Night Image, who has the skills to compete in all disciplines, will be 19. “We believe the Morgan is a great breed and needs exposure. We need to be out there to show what it can do,” she said.
Justin Morgan would be so proud. In the late 1700s, Morgan owned Figure, the single breed bay sire that gave way to the Morgan breed that has since influenced Saddlebreds, S t anda rdbr eds , Tenne s s e e Walking Horses and even the Quarter Horse.
Known for their style and high action, many Morgans became trotters, racehorses and carriage horses, as well as strong military mounts and ranch horses. Today, there are more than 16,000 Morgans registered with the Canadian Morgan Horse Association.
The TELUS Battle of the Breeds, a Spruce Meadows fan favourite, consists of four-member teams competing in five disciplines: compulsory skills, precision driving, jeopardy jumping, barrel racing and trail riding. Two riders from each team compete in each event, with points awarded according to placement. Riders must be well versed in both western and English disciplines.
Unique to Spruce Meadows, this will be the 22nd TELUS Battle of the Breeds, and there is sure to be a few new faces, both equine and human. For TELUS, it’s an event that fits it like a custom saddle. In the business of communications, it respects the communication between horse and rider.
As a leading national telecommunications company with annual revenue of $9.9 billion, TELUS takes pride in building communities and keeping communities connected. TELUS has long enjoyed a connection with Spruce Meadows, helping out on various fronts. TELUS community ambassadors, made up of TELUS retirees and current team members, are on hand during the “National,” “North American” and “Masters” tournaments to introduce visitors to its latest user-friendly services.
Guided by its motto, “We Give Where We Live,” TELUS is committed to being Canada’s premiere corporate citizen. Over the last decade, it has contributed more than $245 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations, and volunteered more than 4.1 million hours of service to local communities. In 2010, TELUS and program participants donated an unprecedented $7.2 million to more than 2,900 registered Canadian charities. In the last 10 years, TELUS community boards have contributed $25.1 million to grassroots charitable organizations and supported more than 1,800 community projects.
So will it be the Morgans again? Or will Team Quarter Horse finally claim bragging rights as the best breed? Then again, maybe a dark horse from the other eight breeds entered will come up the middle and shine all the way to victory.
With this event, anything can happen. Driving patterns change from year to year, new Trail Riding obstacles are introduced – last year’s bonus activity involved retrieving a phone book from a booth while on horseback, crossing a water hazard, then placing the book back inside another phone booth – and new horses and riders keep the game fresh. .
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“We believe the Morgan is a great breed and needs exposure. We need to be out there to show what it can do.”
– DEBRA CLARY
