APRIL 2021 THE RIDER /35 Equestrian Canada Canadian Breeder of the Year Award 2020


Recipient Darlene Morton


By Willa Gauthier I am thrilled to introduce


this year’s recipient of the Eques- trian Canada Canadian Breeder of the Year Award. The award was created to recognize Cana- dian breeders who have dis- played incredible dedication to the Canadian equestrian industry through efforts to improve the quality and enhance the reputa- tion of Canadian bred horses. I have known this year’s re-


cipient’s family and seen the re- sults of this first class breeding program in the competitive hunter/jumper pony ring over the last several decades. As a Gover- nor of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Chair of the Horse Show I have been further exposed to the caliber of pony bearing the Morton Stables moniker. For half a century the Morton Stables name has been synonymous with importing and breeding high quality Welsh Sec- tion B and sport ponies. Darlene Morton attributes her skills and


practical expertise not only to her nursing career but moreover to the fact that she has lived horses from the womb. Growing up on a farm in Streetsville she and her brother showed the family’s Welsh ponies and dabbled in the hunter ring. She has shared her love of the ponies and through her breeding program given countless children their lifelong love and involvement in the equestrian sport and lifestyle. One has only to look at the smiles on the faces of those children to know what a special gift this is.


breed equines that may be small in stature, but are huge in talent and temperament. Together with her husband, Russel, (who by the way she met when they were both competing at the Royal) Darlene has been breeding Welsh and crossbred ponies at Morton Stables since 1967. In the beginning, Darlene’s


breeding program was strictly purebred Welsh ponies, with her foundation stock being imported from the UK. However, a deter- mination to breed what is current


Darlene’s goal has been to


and keep up with evolving mar- kets led Darlene to begin import- ing British Riding Ponies to cross with Welsh mares, creating a modern type of sport pony. Over the years, the Morton Stables’ breeding stock has numbered over 30, and Darlene describes the ponies as “elegant, fabulous movers that are eye-catching and have good brains.” She is espe- cially proud of their extraordi- nary trainability. Darlene’s breeding stock


has included several Supreme Champion section B Welsh stal- lions and broodmares, and ponies with the ‘Morton’ prefix in their name can be found across Canada, the Unites States and even Australia. Heavily involved in the breed registration side of the industry, Darlene is the Cana- dian representative for the North American Sport pony Registry (NASPR), and her imported British Riding Pony, Rosedale Top Cat, was named the NASPR’s first foundation sire. On the


competition side, Darlene is credited with building s t r o n g e r awa r e n e s s


In Memoriam: Harriet Cherry (1931-2021)


Ottawa, ON, Feb. 3, 2021 – Equestrian Canada (EC) extends heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Harriet Cherry of Ottawa, ON, who passed away on Feb. 2, 2021, at the age of 89. Cherry was presented with the 2018 Eques-


trian Canada (EC) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her long and illustrious career as an official, which spanned from 1981 until her retire- ment at the age of 88. Cherry’s influence reached across Canada and


the globe through numerous EC accreditations. In 1981, she earned her first official’s card as a Dres- sage Steward and later held Senior Steward status for all disciplines until 2018. Cherry was also a Recorded Judge for hunter, hack and hunt seat eq- uitation, and jumping from 1986 until 2000. In addition to her contributions at the national


level, Cherry became one of Canada’s first FEI stewards in 1993. She was one of sev- eral stewards who were instrumental in implementing the FEI steward program nationwide. During the first four years of the program, Cherry acted as steward for all FEI jumping competitions throughout the entire province of Que- bec. At the moment of her retirement, she was ranked as an FEI Jumping Steward 3. Cherry’s fabulous sense of hu-


mour, unwavering moral compass and impeccable knowledge of the rules led to her presence being heavily requested at both local and international competi- tions. She was incredibly sought-after as a clinician and mentor, and was greatly respected and admired by her peers. The level of participation that Harriet sus- tained for nearly four decades as an of- ficial was immeasurably essential to the facilitation and growth of equestrian competition. “Harriet was a shining light in the


Canadian equestrian world and her loss is deeply felt,” said EC CEO, Meg Krueger. “Her tireless work helped lift our sport to where it is today and we will continue to honour her legacy for years to come.”


PHOTO – Equestrian Canada offers sin- cere condolences to the family and friends of the late Harriet Cherry (left) of Ottawa, ON, who passed away on Feb, 2, 2021, at the age of 89. PHOTO CREDIT – Courtesy of Anne Claassen


and appreciation of pony power by helping to organize Sport Pony shows within Canada and the United States. 13 years ago she launched and continues to run the very successful sport Pony Star Search Challenge Cup. With close to 20 qualifiers which she oversees herself across Canada and the Eastern US the year end championship I am proud to say is held at the Royal. Darlene single handedly raises all the sponsorship money and works hard behind the scenes as an active member of the Horse Show Committee. Darlene has attended well over 50 Royals and I am told has collected a poster for every year Darlene I know who to call if we are missing any for the centennial in 2022! Darlene is also a top com-


petitor. At the 2019 Royal Horse Show, more than seven Morton ponies were on the leader board in the Sport pony Line Classes, including Morton’s Kate Spade, who won the Yearling class and


was crowned Sport pony Star Search Challenge Cup Cham- pion. Plus, in the Get of Sire class, Rosedale Top Cat progeny crowded the top of the standings, earning first and fifth. Outside of line classes,


Morton ponies are also staples on the leader board in pony hunter and jumper competitions at the provincial and national level. Re- cent stars to come out of Morton Stables include Morton’s Catog and Morton’s Kitty in Style, who both qualified and placed in the highly competitive Large Pony Hunter national finals at the 2019 Royal Horse Show. Darlene is passionate about


what she does and I join Eques- trian Canada in commending Darlene on her commitment to producing ponies that raise the bar for Canadian bred excellence, and is pleased to acknowledge her breeding success through the 2019 Canadian Breeder of the Year Award.


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