QUALIFYING

General Qualifying Rules:

● HORSES qualify for performance classes and RIDERS qualify for equitation classes.
● Horses entered in the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show® must qualify for a class between the last day of the prior year’s show and the day before the current year by:
Placing 1st through 8th in that class at an AMHA Regional Show.
Placing 1st through 6th in that class at a USEF All-Morgan show, USEF Morgan Division, and shows with a Morgan division sanctioned by registries that have been granted international reciprocity by AMHA.
Placing 1st-4th in that class at USEF Lite Show.
● Equitation riders qualify for Equitation Classes by placing 1st through 8th in that class at an AMHA Regional Show, 1st through 6th in that class at a USEF show or by placing 1st through 4th in that class at a USEF Lite Show.
● Dressage (Intro-First Level) and Western Dressage (Intro-Level 1) qualify by horse/rider combination riding in a Dressage class at any show at that Level.
● Stallions which have been gelded during the current competition year qualify for the corresponding class for geldings.

Qualifying rules for each section:

CARRIAGE DRIVING – No qualifying required

CLASSIC PLEASURE DRIVING – Horse must qualify by winning the appropriate placing in any Classic Pleasure Driving class.

CLASSIC PLEASURE SADDLE – Horse must qualify by winning the appropriate placing in any Classic Pleasure Saddle class.

DRESSAGE – No qualifying required for Second Level and above. Introductory, Training and First Level horse/rider combination must have been shown at any show at that level. Musical Freestyle horse/rider combination must have received a minimum score of 63% for Training through Fourth levels in the highest test of the declared freestyle level at a any show.

DRESSAGE, WESTERN – No qualifying required for Level Two and above. Introductory, Basic and Level 1 horse/rider combination must have been shown at any show at that level.

ENGLISH PLEASURE – Horses must have qualified by winning the appropriate placing in that class. EXCEPTIONS: Youth qualifies by having been shown in any class in this division, any Amateur class will qualify for Masters, any Ladies class will qualify for Ladies Amateur to Ride.

EQUITATION –

  • Riders must qualify for AMHA Medal classes by placing 1st or 2nd in an AMHA Silver Medal class.
  • Reining Seat riders may qualify by riding a registered Morgan mare or gelding in an open USEF or NRHA recognized competition or a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in Reining Seat Equitation.
  • Hunter Seat over Fences riders may qualify by riding a registered Morgan mare or gelding in an open USEF Hunter Over Fences Equitation class and place 1st, 2nd or 3rd.
  • Dressage Seat riders can qualify by riding a registered Morgan mare or gelding in an open Federation Dressage competition and earning a score of 60% or higher in Training Level, Test 3.
  • Riders must qualify for the UPHA Challenge Cup Finals by placing 1st through 4th in a UPHA Morgan Challenge Cup or by placing 1st through 4th in an Open UPHA Challenge Cup class while riding a Morgan.
  • All other Equitation classes must be qualified by winning the appropriate placing in that seat. EXCEPTION: No qualifying required for Adult Equitation.
  • Riders must qualify for the UPHA Walk-Trot Challenge Cup Finals by placing in a UPHA Walk-Trot Challenge Cup class while riding a Morgan.
  • Walk-Trot riders must have shown in any Walk-Trot class to qualify.

FITTING & SHOWMANSHIP – No qualifying required.

FUTURITY – No qualifying required. Horse must be current on all World Morgan Futurity Fees and have a show fee paid to the Futurity for that class.

HUNTER – No qualifying required.

HUNTER PLEASURE – Horses must have qualified by winning the appropriate placing in that class. EXCEPTIONS: Youth qualifies by having been shown in any class in this division, any Amateur class will qualify for Masters and AOTS, any Ladies class will qualify for Ladies Amateur, any Open class will qualify for Gentlemen.
● To be eligible to compete in the UPHA Classic Grand Championship, a horse must have placed first through sixth in the respective UPHA Classic qualifying class i.e. you can only show in the championship in which the horse qualified. The owner, trainer and exhibitor of the entry must be a Professional or Associate Member of the UPHA.

IN-HAND – Horses qualify by winning the appropriate placing in that class. Classes with combined age groups qualify for the class of the horse’s age. EXCEPTIONS: No qualifying required for yearlings or two year olds or Specialty In-Hand.

JUMPER – No qualifying required.

LEADLINE – No qualifying required.

PARK HARNESS – Horse must qualify by winning the appropriate placing in any Park Harness class. EXCEPTION:  Two-Year-Olds do not require any qualification.
● To be eligible to compete in the UPHA Classic Grand Championship, a horse must have placed first through sixth in the respective UPHA Classic qualifying class i.e. you can only show in the championship in which the horse qualified. The owner, trainer and exhibitor of the entry must be a Professional or Associate Member of the UPHA.

PARK SADDLE – Horse must qualify by winning the appropriate placing in any Park Saddle class.

PLEASURE DRIVING – Horses must have qualifi ed by winning the appropriate placing in that class. EXCEPTIONS: Two-Year-Olds do not require any qualification. Youth
qualifies by having been shown in any class in this division; any Amateur class will qualify for Masters, Amateur Gentlemen and Amateur Ladies.
● To be eligible to compete in the UPHA Classic Grand Championship, a horse must have placed first through sixth in the respective UPHA Classic qualifying class i.e. you can only show in the championship in which the horse qualified. The owner, trainer and exhibitor of the entry must be a Professional or Associate Member of the UPHA.

REINING – No qualifying required.

ROAD HACK – No qualifying required.

ROADSTER – No qualifying required.

SPORT HORSE – No qualifying required.

TRAIL – No qualifying required.

VERSATILE MORGAN – No qualifying required.

WALK-TROT PLEASURE – Riders must have shown in any Walk-Trot class.

WESTERN PLEASURE – Horses must have qualified by winning the appropriate placing in that class. EXCEPTIONS: Youth qualifies by having been shown in any class in this division, any Amateur class will qualify for Masters and AOTS, any Ladies class will qualify for Ladies Amateur, any Open or Gentlemen class will qualify for Gentlemen.

WORKING WESTERN – No qualifying required.

For any questions, please contact Peggy Hatfield, Show Secretary 316-755-0395 or peggyhat@aol.com

List of qualifying shows:

This list will be updated periodically, as shows are still applying for their 2026 License. Shows shaded in yellow are USEF Lite Competitions.