Sigi enjoyed life in Central Florida for the winter season. We showed Second Level Tests 1 & 2 in Venice, FL and Wellington, scoring in the mid-sixties. We placed First, Second and won two Reserve Championships in Wellington, so had a satifying start to the 2010 show season up North! Some very special news about one of Sigi's fillies, PVF PEACE OF MIND ("Hunny") follows! We hope to see you at some of the breed shows, and a few Morgan shows, very soon!

**************FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE****************

Suzy Stafford of Bear, DE, three-time winner (including 2009)of the National Single Pony Championship Gold Medal in Combined Driving; 2005 FEI World Champion (England); 2009 winner of the Individual Bronze medal at the FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championship in Germany; and a 2009 USEF Equestrian of Honor, has completed the purchase, with her sponsor, of PVF PEACE OF MIND ("Hunny"), a 3-year old Morgan mare sired by NYState-based Champion Morgan Sporthorse stallion STATESMANS SIGNATURE ("Sigi"). Her Morgan dam is JPR HAVE MERCY; "Hunny" was previously owned by Deb Kieffer of Parlor View Farm. Suzy intends to use "Hunny" as her new partner in combined driving competition. They will train in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and aim to compete in Europe. Suzy also received the 2009 Becky Grand Hart Trophy, presented to international-level non-Olympic Athletes. Suzy Stafford was also awarded the International Morgan Horse award in 2009. Her singles driving companion is the Champion Morgan mare Courage to Lead ("Katy"), a 2009 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year nominee, and winner of the 2009 Kentucky Classic CDE with Suzy. For more information on Suzy Stafford please visit www.staffordcarriagedriving.com. For further information about STATESMANS SIGNATURE ("Sigi"), please contact Marthe Reynolds go to www.aboutsigi.com.

******"Sigi" and his AA owner/rider Marthe Reynolds are members of AMHA; USDF; USEF; MDA; and NEDA.*****

January 2010

NEWSFLASH....Sigi and I were just named as AMHA Reserve Champion First Level for the USDF All Breed Adult Amateur catagory for 2009!!! Congrats to SIGI, he totally ROCKS!!!

Sigi and Marthe on the front cover of Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar, August 2009!

October 2009

Sigi had a big win at NEDA (September 9-13), as he was named GAIG/USDF Breeders Class Reserve Champion Stallion for Region 8 at the 2009 NEDA Fall Festival in Saugerties, NY.

Sigi GAIG/USDF Reserve Champion Stallion Region 8 NEDA 2009
Photo credit: Carole MacDonald

Sigi also won the Morgan Individual Breed Class this year! We won our 2nd Level Test 1 class later in the week, as well as placed 3rd the second time we rode the test in very mucky circumstances!!

September 23-24th, it was on to Dressage At Devon in Devon, PA for the Breed Show and Stallions Under Saddle class. DAD is attended by over 35,000 spectators every year and is one of the largest breed shows in the nation, arguably the most prestigious. I was able to get a group together to sponsor a Morgan Individual Breed Class (IBC Class) this year; it had been several years since Morgans appeared at Devon. There we 3 of us: Sigi; his yearling colt Middlecreek Signature ("Stoli"); and his half brother Battersea Xanadu. There in front of his breeder, Lynne Shpak; Rita Hanson; Meghan Davis and her parents and a big and enthusiastic group of Morgan supporters, Sigi's colt "Stoli" beat his Daddy in the Morgan IBC Class!!! This is GREAT news, as Sigi is throwing babies even better than himself (if that is possible ;). Sigi and Xanadu came in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. We hope for a vast number of Morgans next year for this IBC Class, so please bring them out!

Sigi also placed 7th overall in the Open Stallions 4 & Older in-hand class, beating Kassie Barteau's GP Raymeister (a Warmblood) in the process!! Thanks to Sara Vanecek for her amazing handling of Sigi in all the breed classes this year. Sigi and I placed 8th in the Stallions Under Saddle Class 4 & Over; it was amazing to ride in the Dixon Oval, a dream come true for me as I watched the hunter jumpers there for many years in my pre-teen years.

That will complete our 2009 show season, but we hope to see you at Equine Affaire in Massachusetts in November as we've been asked back to Morgan Row for another year!