Judges

Cheri Barber has been involved with the Morgan horse as a trainer and breeder since 1980. She began judging the breed in 1982 and has judged Morgan shows from California to Great Britain. Cheri has had national success as both a trainer under the Cheri Barber Stables banner and as a breeder with her Grand Cru prefix featuring Tug Hill Commando and Treble’s Willy Wild bloodlines. She began her horse show career at age nine months at the Oklahoma City Charity Horse Show. Cheri Barber Stables is located in Ocala, Florida.

Jim has been a Morgan enthusiast since his youth. His parents bought three Morgans that were not broke when he was about eight years old and put them in training with Frank Pancho Kibbee.  Jim started taking lessons with Anne Speck and had horses in training with Rob Tanner. He has been involved with horses ever since. Jim and his wife own Cherry Stables in Vista, CA and  have a nice string of show horses. He really enjoys judging and has judged many major horse shows across the country.

Tammie Conatser serves as an Equitation Judge having previously judged Performance at the 2020 GNWCMHS. She has also judged the NHS Good Hands, USEF Medal Championship and the UPHA Adult Challenge Cup National Championship classes. Last year, Tammie judged the pattern division for the Morgan Youth of the Year.

A former President of the United Professional Horseman’s Association, she advocates on behalf of the Morgan and trotting breed industries.

Alongside her husband, John, she operates Carriage Lane Farm in Nicholasville, Kentucky. As a Junior Exhibitor, Tammie competed in Saddle Seat Equitation and is honored to judge this division.

Michael has been a professional horseman for over 30 years. He and his wife, Dawn, live in Ojai, CA.  Michael operates Michael Damianos Performance Horses and Dawn is an elementary school principal. They have two grown daughters.  Focusing primarily on Arabian Horses, MDPH has trained nationally decorated horses in reining, ranch riding, cow horse, trail, western pleasure, and hunter pleasure. He holds judging credentials with the Arabian Horse Association, the American Quarter Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association, the Appaloosa Horse Club, the National Reining Horse Association, the National Reined Cow Horse Association, the National Snaffle Bit  Association, and West Coast Ranch Horse.  Some of his judging highlights include the Arabian Nationals, the Arabian Youth Nationals, Scottsdale Arabian, NRHA Futurity, the Appaloosa World Championships, the Paint Horse European Championships, and the Morgan Grand National (4th time).

Keith Friday grew up in Gansevoort, NY where he and his family own and operate Rolling Oaks Morgans LLC. He began showing and training horses at a young age and has always put all of his efforts towards his family, horses and farm. Keith’s riders show in all three seats and harness, and have numerous National and World titles to their credit. 

Maggie Friday is a Morgan judge, and a trainer and instructor at Rolling Oaks Farm in Gansevoort, NY where she grew up riding and began competing at the age of 7. She started her career showing Saddle Seat but has gone on to coach riders across all disciplines to ride with confidence and competence. She has a passion for riding and training young horses with her husband Keith, and her amateur and equitation students are frequent winners. 

Lisa makes her home just north of Kansas City Missouri where she has owned and operated Linden Hill Stables for the past 23 years. A graduate of Stephens College and a second generation horse trainer, Lisa has had the opportunity to be involved with American Saddlebreds, Morgans, Hackney Ponies and Roadsters for most of her life.

She holds a USEF Judges license in Morgans, Saddlebred, Equitation, Hackney Ponies, Freisans and Roadsters. She is also Co-Chair of the UPHA Exceptional Challenge, Chair of the KC Summer Kick off Horse show and on the show committee for the Monarch National championship.

Lisa is honored to be on the panel of Judges for this year’s Morgan Grand National.

John has been involved with carriage driving for over 50 years, making him one of the pioneers of the sport. John has officiated at most of the major carriage shows in North America.  He currently is an ADS and USEF “R” carriage judge.  He has traveled extensively through his involvement with horses to over 45 states, and 9 foreign countries.  John served as the president of the American Driving Society (ADS) as well as serving as chair of the pleasure driving committee, and president of the Carriage Museum of America (CMA).

John’s driving and showing experience has ranged from singles, pairs, tandem, unicorn and four-in hand.  For many years he has driven Morgans that he had bred and raised, and Friesians imported from Holland.  He also has completed over 3,000 miles in distance riding and driving events. He is joint master of the North Country Hounds fox hunt in Vermont where he hunts his driving horses.

His private collection of restored vehicles, along with harness and carriage related items, is the result of a lifetime of research and treasure hunting. John’s main area of expertise is in proper turnout of antique and traditional vehicles, you may have read his articles on What is Right about this turnout in the Driving Digest.  He enjoys helping first-time carriage drivers and giving tours of his collection to historical groups and driving enthusiasts is a way of passing the traditions of driving onto others.

Kelly Hulse is an Associate Professor of Equestrian Studies at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri since 2012. Kelly’s childhood experiences, owning and showing Morgans has led to a lifelong passion for the breed.

Prior to teaching at Stephens, she was co-owner of Mark Hulse Stables for over 25 years, winning numerous World and Reserve World Championships with American Saddlebreds.

As a World Champion exhibitor and trainer, Kelly has expertise in teaching, training, breeding and equestrian business management.  She has served as the Chair, or Co-Chair of UPHA Chapter 5 for the past six years

Matthew Roberts has over 25 years of experience in the Morgan and Saddlebred industries and specializes in the introduction of new riders and owners to the show horse community. He excels in the development of amateur and juvenile teams in all divisions. Matthew owns and operates a world-class boarding and training facility, Matthew Roberts Stables, in Cave Creek, AZ.

The versatility Matthew learned as a young rider is evident today as he welcomes the opportunity to train a diverse portfolio of breeds, including the American Saddlebred, Hackney Ponies, Friesians, Morgans and Arabians. He has trained and instructed Regional, National and World Champion horses and riders and is particularly proud of personally winning the ASHA Three-Gated Three-Year-Old National Sweepstakes and training the ASB Saddle and Bridle Western Pleasure World Grand Champion in St. Louis. He also trained HVK Flash Back to a Reserve Grand National title. Matthew most recently served as a judge for the American Royal Horse Show.  Matthew is honored to be returning to judge the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show.

Matthew is an active member and board member of USEF, ASHA, AMHA, ASAA and UPHA. As the current ASAA board president, he produces 2 shows per year, one of which is The Carousel Charity Horse Show, the largest multi-breed horse show on the West Coast.

Meg Schulman has been an USEF “R” judge for over fifty years, judging hunters and equitation throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand. She has also conducted a variety of judging and riding clinics in those same countries. Meg judges an average of twenty shows a year including the East Coast Junior Hunter Finals, the East and West Coast Gladstone Finals, Maclay Regionals as well as many regional and zone finals. Riding and showing since she was twelve, Meg competed on the East Coast before moving to Colorado where she continues to teach and coach. Meg has a BA in Psychology and an MBA from Arizona State University.