Scholarship Recipient Announced
The American Morgan Horse Institute (AMHI) is proud to announce that Margaret Bailey of Bath, Maine, has been selected as the recipient of the 2007 van Schaik Dressage Scholarship. To preserve and encourage the classical methods Dr. H. L. M. van Schaik promulgated, AMHI makes an annual award of $1,000 to a Morgan individual wishing to further his or her skill, knowledge, and proficiency in classically ridden Dressage.

The goal of the van Schaik Scholarship is to support and encourage equestrians of Dressage to advance to the fourth level and above. The scholarship honors Dr. H. L. M. van Schaik, who worked to preserve the classical art of horsemanship in Dressage.

The Maine Driving Club announces that will be forming a youth club that is open statewide to juniors up to age 19.

You or your family must be members of Maine Driving Club. A youth membership is $10.00 and can be filled out at any of the meetings or events or downloaded and mailed in. Membership entitles you to all the benefits of the Maine Driving Club.

There will be non-driving meetings at the farm of David and Mary Fowler, Chrysalis Acres in Freeport. The driving meetings will be held at the farm of Helen Holman in Litchfield.

The driving meetings will be lessons with established instructors and be monthly May – Oct. The non- driving meetings will consist of informative lectures by guest speakers, quiz bowl, fundraising projects and planning of group trips.

The first meeting will be Wed. May 14, at 6 pm at Chrysalis Acres, Freeport.

The topic will be “Travelling with your driving horse and hitching and unhitching from the trailer”. This will make sure everyone knows safe procedures, so they will be ready for our first driving meeting at Helen’s farm.

For more information contact: Mary Fowler, Chrysalis Acres, (207) 865-2047

Riverside Morgans Foal Announcement

Finally, Dreamy delivered us a beautiful bay colt. He is incredibly long legged and very sweet disposition. He is adjusting to 

life well, and Dreamy is being an awesome mom. Since she went 377 days, chuck and I were be bit sleep deprived...

Brook Hill Classic Morgans Foal Annoucement

Oceanview Integritys Piper (Ryegate Syndicate x TOV Brigetta Ann) delivered a beautiful bay colt by Michabou Weatherman (Cantieglen Loki x Weathermont Kate). He’s very friendly, and quite the character already!

The carriage driving clinic was great!  We had five drivers on Saturday and six on Sunday. We have received emails from several of the participants indicating that they had a wonderful time and thought Jeff Morse was a really good teacher.

Jeff has already agreed to do another clinic next year. Hopefully, next year we will have a slightly warmer weekend for the clinic.

The newest addition to Little Oak Farm
Buckskin filly born about 10:45 this a.m. The sire is Little Oak's Riverwind and the dam is TRW Walken After Midnight. Congratulations!

Countdown 134^th Kentucky Derby!  Don’t miss the excitement at Cabot Morgans.

Preview your top picks below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJzoyPFW9p4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xq0-m22y1A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c82p8J6y-A&feature=related

Benefits in the Economic Stimulus Act for Horse Industry
From the American Horse Council

President Bush signed into law the Economic Stimulus Act. The bill is intended to provide a jump-start to the lagging U.S. economy. The new law includes two tax incentives that would allow a much bigger write-off for horses used in your business and other property purchased and placed in service during 2008.

Expensing Allowance. The first incentive would increase the Section 179 expensing allowance for horses purchased and placed into service in 2008 from $128,000 to $250,000. This expensing allowance applies to farm equipment and most other depreciable property. Once total purchases of horses, and other eligible depreciable property, during 2008 reach $800,000, the expense allowance goes down one dollar for each dollar spent on eligible property over $800,000.

To illustrate the expensing allowance, assume a horse business purchases $750,000 of depreciable property in 2008, including $650,000 for horses. That business can write off $250,000 on its 2008 tax return and depreciate the balance. If instead, purchases were $900,000, the expense allowance would go down by $100,000. In either case, the amount of the purchases not expensed may also be eligible for bonus depreciation, as explained below.

Bonus Depreciation. The second incentive brings back 50% first-year bonus depreciation for horses and most other depreciable property purchased and placed in service during 2008. It does not apply to property that has a depreciation life of over 20 years. Also, as was the case when bonus depreciation was available in 2003 and 2004, the property must be new, meaning that the original use of the horse or other property must commence with the taxpayer. For a horse to be eligible, it cannot have been used for any purpose before it is purchased.

To illustrate bonus depreciation, assume that in 2008 a business pays $500,000 for a colt to be used for racing and $50,000 for other depreciable property, bringing total purchases to $550,000. The young colt had never been raced or used for any other purpose before the purchase. The business would be able to expense $250,000 (as explained above), deduct another $150,000 of bonus depreciation (50% of the $300,000 remaining balance), and take regular depreciation on the $150,000 balance.

It seems that congress is trying to submit a bill that will ban the shipping of American horses to Canada & Mexico for slaughter.

If you would like to show your support of said bill here is how to do so.

1) Log on to www.Congress.org

2) Click on your state congressperson

3) Click on send msg

4) Put that you support H.R.503

5) Follow steps to send msg.

Please forward this information to anyone you feel would be interested in supporting this bill.