ANMS Conformation Awards and Photo Show 2026 Program

For entries in Conformation classes see detailed guidelines below.

Entries open Jan 1st 2025, close March 1st 2026.

Entries are to be made via www.nominate.com.au . After entry, email images to the address below. Also please contact the organisers if you need to make alternative arrangements. [email protected]

The conformation classes judge is TBA

The Best Presented will be judged by the MHAA Board

The Healthy Morgan Award judge is Annette Blanch, BSc (Equine)

Entry Fee $8 per Conformation class; $5 per Novelty class. Trophies, sashes and ribbons will be posted to recipients who are not present at ANMS.

NB Morgans cannot be shown with sensory hairs trimmed in any MHAA show.

PURE MORGAN CLASSES

P1         Best Presented Pure Morgan-any age

P2         Pure Morgan Gelding Under 2 Years

P3         Pure Morgan Gelding 2-3 Years Old

P4         Pure Morgan Gelding 4-5 Years Old

P5         Pure Morgan Gelding 6-9 Years Old

P6         Pure Morgan Gelding 10-15 Years Old

P7         Pure Morgan Gelding 16-23 Years Old

P8         Pure Morgan Gelding 24 Years & over

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PURE MORGAN GELDING

P9       Pure Morgan Filly Under 2 Years

P10     Pure Morgan Filly 2-3 Years Old

P11     Pure Morgan Mare 4-5 Years Old

P12     Pure Morgan Mare 6-9 Years Old

P13     Pure Morgan Mare 10-15 Years Old

P14     Pure Morgan Mare 16-23 Years Old

P15     Pure Morgan Mare 24 Years & Over

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PURE MORGAN MARE

P16     Pure Morgan Entire Under 2 Years

P17     Pure Morgan Entire 2-3 Years Old

P18     Pure Morgan Entire 4-5 Years Old

P19     Pure Morgan Entire 6-9 Years Old

P20     Pure Morgan Entire 10-15 Years Old

P21     Pure Morgan Entire 16-23 Years Old

P22     Pure Morgan Entire 24 Years & Over

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PURE MORGAN STALLION

SUPREME PURE MORGAN

Get of Sire and Produce of Dam (entry by invitation to sire and dam owners)

P23     Pure Morgan Get Of Sire              (3 offspring)

P24     Pure Morgan Produce Of Dam  (2 offspring)

CHAMPION AND RESERVE Long Lived PURE MORGAN

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PURE MORGAN Under 2 Years

PART MORGAN CLASSES

P25     Best Presented Part Morgan – any age

  P26       Part Morgan Gelding/Colt Under 2 Years

P27     Part Morgan Gelding 2-3 Years Old

P28     Part Morgan Gelding 4-5 Years Old

P29     Part Morgan Gelding 6-9 Years Old

P30     Part Morgan Gelding 10-15 Years Old

P31     Part Morgan Gelding 16-23 Years Old

P32     Part Morgan Gelding 24 Years & Over

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PART MORGAN GELDING

P33     Part Morgan Filly Under 2 Years

P34     Part Morgan Filly 2-3 Years old

P35     Part Morgan Mare 4-5 Years old

P36     Part Morgan Mare 6-9 Years Old

P37     Part Morgan Mare 10-15 Years Old

P38     Part Morgan Mare 16-23 Years Old

P39     Part Morgan Mare 24 Years & Over

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PART MORGAN MARE

SUPREME PART MORGAN

Get of Sire and Produce of Dam (entry by invitation to sire and dam owners)

P40     Part Morgan Get Of Sire  (3 offspring)

P41     Part Morgan Produce of Dam  (2 offspring)

CHAMPION AND RESERVE Long Lived PART MORGAN

CHAMPION AND RESERVE PART MORGAN Under 2 Years

P42   Healthy Morgan Award: Pure Morgan

P43   Healthy Morgan Award: Part Morgan

2026 Breeders High Point – Pure Morgan

2026 Breeders High Point – Part Morgan

(determined on points by prefix and placements in 2026 results)

Rules and Guidelines

Entries are open to registered Morgans of the Registries of the Morgan Horse Association of Australia and the Morgan Horse Association of New Zealand, and Australian or NZ resident Morgans registered with AMHA. Entrants must be current MHAA members with the exception of NZ residents. NZ residents must take out MHAA Day Membership. Entrants must use the official entry via Nominate. Horses entered in ANMS are ELIGIBLE to enter these awards.

The person entering the horse must be the registered owner or have written permission of the registered owner to enter their horse.

Enter via Nominate, and email 5 conformation photos to the organisers as your entry (see below). The same 5 photos are used for Best Presented and Get/Produce classes.

Please label all your photos with the class and photo number, for example P9.1 for the first image for an entry in P9.  Or P1 P12.2 for the second image in an entry in both best presented and P12.

Do not enter Get and Produce classes. This is done by invitation to stallion or mare owner once sufficient entries are received to make an entry. Stallion owners will select 3 and mare owners 2 entries from those available.

NB The novelty part of the Photo Show is judged by friends, family, MHAA members and others online. If entering these categories, be creative. For Entry in Novelty classes (Classes N42-N53), you can choose to upload separate photos. These do not have to be conformation photos. Single image per class, although you can screenshot two images together, for example in mane and tail class.

Entry of the photo show constitutes agreement of the following:

1. 1. Your images will be kept by MHAA as an archive and used for the promotion or historical recording of the breed as MHAA sees fit.

1. 2. The primary #1 image of all entries will be made public during the show.

1. 3. Horses receiving Reserve Champion, Champion and Supreme will be named, have all five images made public when results are announced and will have judge’s comments made publi

1. 4. Dr Bennett may use the images in presentations and/or publications.

Images and Judging

1. Judges can refuse to judge an entry with photograph/s falling outside the guidelines.

2. Whole image (non selective) exposure, shadow correction, contrast and cropping is permitted. All other alterations to the images are prohibited.

3. Images that have been previously entered in past years can be used again only if the horse is still entering the same age class as previously and was not broad sashed. If entering a new age class, all 5 images must be new.

4. Horses previously broad-sashed (Supreme, Champion or Reserve Champion) must be entered with a new set of images.

5. Compulsory images
   1. 1. 1. These are: 1) non mane side conformation shot; 2) front on conformation shot, and 3) hind on conformation shot. If one of these was inadequate (tail obscuring hocks, for example), entrant could correct this in a further supplementary image.
         2. Some small variation in leg position, and angle of lens is accepted if the image is judgable. However, if an image is too skewed for the judge to be able to assess conformation, then it will not be submitted to the judge.

6. Supplementary images (optional).
   1. 1. 1. Image 4 must be a conformation photo and can add to the other images (mane side, better representation, expressiveness etc etc).
         2. Image 5 can be a further conformation photo or a head shot. Considerable variation in head shots exists across all entries and is accepted. The purpose of a head shot is to demonstrate to the judge the Morgan qualities of conformation and expression of the head.

7. Champion Under 2 Years Pure and Part Morgan is an award for manifest promise in a youngster. The Champion is not eligible for Supreme Pure or Part Morgan. For horses up to 1 year of age, submitted Registration application rather than complete registration is accepted as eligibility to enter. Champion Under 2 Years is to be judged from the winners of classes P2, P9 and P16, and Part Bred from P26 and P33. The Champion Pure should show the greatest promise to mature as a horse with Morgan Type AND Conformation to an excellent degree. The Champion Part should show the greatest promise to mature with soundness and form for function conformation to an excellent degree with some Morgan traits. Reserve Champion is judged between the winner/s not selected for Champion AND the second place getter to the Champion in his or her original class.

8. Champion Long Lived Morgan is to be judged from the winners of classes P8, P15, and P22 for Pure Morgans, and winners of P32 and P39 for Part Morgans. These classes and Championship are judged as for all other adult entrants, but with consideration for the effects of aging.

9. Champions for Pure and Part Bred Gelding, Pure and Part Mare and Pure Stallion are to be judged from the winners of the classes in their respective sections EXCLUDING classes P2, P9, P16, P26 and P33. Pure Morgan Champions should reflect Morgan Type AND Conformation to an excellent degree.  Part Morgan Champions should reflect soundness and form for function conformation to an excellent degree with Morgan traits. Reserve Champions are to be judged from the winners of classes AND the second place getter to the Champion in his or her original class.

10. Supreme Pure and Part Bred is to be judged from the 4 eligible Pure Champions (Gelding, Mare, Stallion and Long Lived) and 3 eligible Part Champions (Gelding, Mare and Long Lived) respectively. The Supreme Pure Morgan should be the Champion horse that is the most outstanding in Morgan Type AND Conformation. This horse should not have ANY visible major faults according to the Breed Standard and good conformation.

11. Winning, Champion and Supreme Part Breds should be the best conformed horses of their classes and should show Morgan traits (interpreted very broadly). The Supreme Part Morgan should be the Champion horse that is the most outstanding in soundness and form for function conformation, and should show Morgan traits.  This horse should not have ANY visible major faults according to the Breed Standard and general standards of good conformation.

12.  Get of Sire and Produce of Dam classes are judged on quality and consistency of offspring.

13. Best Presented in a Conformation Photo Show is a unique class. This is judged on which entry is presented best according to the guidelines on taking conformation photos. Some consideration of the preparation of the horse can apply in judging this class.

14.  The judge has the right to not award a first in any class for which he or she deems the horse/s not sufficiently excellent.

15. The Healthy Morgan Award criteria include Body Condition Score, muscling, coat health, hoof quality and demeanour.  It is expected that the winner will have a BCS no greater than 5.5 on the Henneke scale, good muscling, a shiny coat, a bright eye and happy demeanour, and excellent hooves.  This award will be judged someone active in veterinary and/or equine science fields with a scientific knowledge of horse health. Entrants must be over 4 years of age.

Enter via www.nominate.com.au Email or dropbox photos to Eva Hornung  [email protected] 

Taking Conformation Photos

The independently judged classes of the Photo Show are about conformation not photography. You do not need a great camera to take good conformation photos. Follow these simple instructions, and you will present a good entry. Be careful when using a mobile phone to take photographs, as getting your lens level is trickier.

Clean and groom your horse for a show. Choose a location without too busy a background and on level ground that does not obscure hooves. Have a friend stand your horse up almost as you would for a show (see below). Make sure you are photographing the side most free of mane, and that the tail is not obscuring the hind leg. While it is OK for the horse’s head to turn slightly, this is not always desirable, as it can obscure the gullet unless very slight. Just as for a show, get your horse to have ears pricked and show some animation. This will show head and neck at their best. Photograph mornings or afternoons with the sun behind your back. This will get the best pics, and not have shadows obscure legs. Make sure at least one of your photos shows feet clearly, but preferably all. Don’t photograph in obscuring grass.

Image 1: Side on shot. Get down low and aim the camera straight (not pointing down or up, or to the side at all). The horse should be standing at exactly right angles to the camera, and the camera pointing roughly just behind the horse’s girth so that you see one side of the horse only. The cannons nearest the viewer should be at right angles to the ground, not camped out. The legs furthest away should be visible inside the square. (This is called open stance).

Image 2: Front on shot. Stand the horse true and square and get down low. Point the camera straight about level with the knees or just above. Make sure you are not slightly to one side of the horse’s centre.

Image 3: Rear shot. Try to stand the horse square. Take as for front shot, pointing the camera level at the hocks or just above. Make sure the tail does not obscure the hocks, and that the entire horse is in the picture.

Image 4 and 5: choose from your conformation shots images which will give the judge a better or richer understanding of your horse’s conformation. Correction of something not visible in #1 shot could be an example. A head conformation shot, either profile or front on, could be another. Image 4 and 5 must also be conformation shots or they will not be submitted to the judges.