Trillium Morgan Horse farm History - continued

In 2001, a youth club was created to further enhance the education of the farm’s young riders. The Clip Clop Club is offered as a free membership to the farm’s clients. It’s a year round jammed-packed program of special events held both at the farm and offsite. The Clip Clop Club delivers thrills and entertainment while providing a strong measure of academic learning, self-esteem, discipline and responsibility that promotes a keener interest in the horse and personally more rounded individual..

As education has become a major focal point at the farm, so has been the Equine Foundation of Canada, a registered charity. Through their efforts, the Trillium Morgan Horse Farm has raised more than $3,000 in donations. Since the Equine Foundation establishes grants for equine research and sponsors scholarships for veterinary students specializing in horses, it was a logical charity that the farm wished to support.

Because the farm uses its own horses, including their stallions, for many of its practical workshops and promotional events, Trillium Morgan Horse Farm received special recognition from the American Morgan Horse Association and the Canadian Morgan Horse Association. The American Morgan Horse Association presented the farm with its first and only gold medal award for breed promotion. It is this honour by their international peers that the Sampsons cherish the most. The farm is also the most honoured Ontario Morgan Horse Club high point promotional division champion in the club's 30 year history.

Since the advent of the public workshops, the farm has also been involved in numerous open barn functions, including the Great Ganaraska Countryside Adventure and their own Christmas Festival, which in 2001 attracted a record attendance of 896. This event was months on the planning board and successful due to the efforts of the army of dedicated volunteers. It is now part of the farm's past history, leaving us with many wonderful memories.

In 1996, Trillium was also selected as a tourist site attraction in the Municipality of Clarington and is featured in their tourist guides which are distributed throughout Ontario, Quebec, New York, Michigan and Vermont States. As a result, the farm has received visitors, literally by the busloads. The welcome has been extended to visitors from as far away as Austria, Holland and Japan. The farm has welcomed the York Region Historical Automobile Society of Canada and dozens of schools. The farm also became the film site for an episode in the PBS children's program, Zoboomafoo. In 2000, the farm was approached by a committee looking into possible hosting stables for competing horses at a future Olympic venue bid currently underway and hosted tours from Toronto and overseas from Holland.

In 2005, the Trillium Equine Complex was the site of the Ontario 4-H Leaders conference, welcoming horse club leaders from across the province.

Although the farm's Historical Art Project Contest didn't come to fruition in the summer of 1996, artwork was completed. The theme chosen by artist Lorenz Bazarin which captured his impression of the New England coaching run between Vermont and Mass., with historical data supplied through the National Museum of the Morgan Horse in Vermont, hangs in the farm's indoor arena. This spectacular detailed painting measuring 4' x 16' is now the focal point of the arena.

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