Few people as talented, multi-faceted and accomplished as George H. Morris can be summed up with one word. But the term “teacher” describes Morris as no other can.

“At the end of the day, George is ultimately a teacher, and it doesn’t matter to him if it’s a beginner or an Olympic rider he’s teaching. That quality allows him to have an interest in, and an impact on, the sport from the top to the bottom,” said Sally Ike, U.S. Equestrian Federation director of show jumping.

A true legend in show jumping as a rider, trainer, clinician, judge, author and philosopher, Morris was formally recognized for his accomplishments when he received the 2006 USEF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Morris entered a new era in 2005, when he officially took over as the sole chef d’equipe of the show jumping team after years of serving as unofficial chef alongside Frank Chapot. That year, the U.S. team took their first win in the Samsung Super League series. And in 2006, he led the U.S. riders to team silver at the FEI World Equestrian Games. The medals, however, are just the sparkly end results of Morris’ thorough and systemic approach to the sport, at every level.

“I think the biggest impact he’s had is that he’s given us all a system for producing top riders, students, future professionals and horses. He’s given us a blueprint for success,” said Olympic team gold medalist Chris Kappler, who has worked with Morris for more than 20 years. “He’s been an incredibly instrumental figure in our entire sport.”

The first item Morris concentrated on as chef d’equipe was the Samsung Super League program. He firmly believes that championship medals will only be won if the U.S. team is consistently strong in the Super League. And he’s supremely conscious that he must keep the pipeline of riders and horses open. “He wants to get more into the young rider development and put a system in place to keep riders and horses coming up through the ranks,” said Beezie Madden.

For Morris, the ultimate goal is championship medals, such as the team silver medal he won at the 1960 Rome Olympics and the team gold at the 1959 Pan Am Games (Chicago). But he works toward those medals from every level of the sport. He may spend one week at the WEG, advising the top U.S. riders, and days later be teaching a 3-foot adult amateur rider at one of his famous clinics.

“I’ve always loved teaching,” Morris said. “Riding I love the best, but after that, I love teaching. I guess that’s because I wasn’t a natural rider. I learned so much from my teachers. I’m a manufactured rider, and they always make better teachers because they have to learn every detail, where natural riders don’t learn, they just do it.”

Even after decades in the sport, Morris still finds joy in the smallest aspects of it. “Every clinic is a new clinic, every day is a new day, and every class is a new class. That’s where so many people today, I think, miss the point,” he said. “You have to love the journey. Not the Olympics, not Aachen, not Spruce Meadows. You have to love getting out of bed every day for the journey to those things. Which I’m very lucky I still do.

“At horse shows, whether it’s Palm Beach, or a one-day New Jersey show, or Aachen or the Olympics, basically, it’s the same for me. I get a great adrenaline rush watching a pre-green under saddle class with a nice mover in it. It’s maybe not as intense as Aachen, but it’s very much the same feeling,” he added.

While Morris may have walls filled with medals and ribbons–including two blues from the 1952 AHSA Medal and ASPCA Maclay Finals–he’s always been a stalwart proponent of proper basics and a thorough education. He’s a firm believer in constant study of the sport, by reading the classic books and watching riders at every chance. “Yes, I love winning, but I’m much more fascinated with the basics of horse selection, horse management, the flatwork and the cavaletti work,” he said. “I’ve never found that if you attend to the basics, that you have to worry about winning. At the horse show, I love winning and I’m a fierce competitor, but I don’t think about winning all along, at home or all winter.”

Before taking on the chef d’equipe duties, Morris made sure that he would still have time to teach his beloved clinics, of which he does about 15 each year. And he still rides frequently. “I’m heartbroken not competing, but that’s not the chapter right now–I’ve done that,” Morris said.

Although Morris learned from the great masters of the past–Gordon Wright among them–and he’s a firm believer in classical theory, he’s not mired in the past. “He’s always been able to continue learning and been open-minded to new ideas, and I think that’s been key to him staying current in the sport,” said McLain Ward. “The people who get stuck in their ways drop by the wayside. People like George, who can stick to a base program, but change with the times and keep an open mind, endure.”

Perhaps one of Morris’ fondest moments occurred at the WEG, when he was standing in the warm-up area for the final four in the individual final.

He was there to assist eventual silver medalist Beezie Madden, whom Morris has frequently pointed to as exemplifying the American style of riding he teaches. Bronze medalist Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum rode with him for five years as a junior. Gold medalist Jos Lansink has been a good friend for years. And Morris was instrumental in the training of Isovlas Pialotta–the mount of fourth-placed Edwina Alexander–when she belonged to U.S. rider Lynne Little. Few horsemen could boast of that kind of influence, all over the world. “I was selfishly proud, standing there. It was a very happy day for me,” Morris recalled.


Personal Profile
Age: 68.

Home: Wellington, Fla.

Family: Four beagles. “My most precious is Big Dog. I have another one that we rescued. Big Dog had run away, and someone brought this dog to me, thinking it was Big Dog, but it wasn’t. But I adopted him–his name is Beasley–and Big Dog came home. I have a dog from Eve Fout, who I named after her daughter, Virginia, who’s nicknamed ‘Peanut.’ And then there’s Big Dog and Peanut’s daughter, named Piglet,” Morris said.

His Influence: “George does things the right way,” said McLain Ward. “One of the biggest lessons he’s taught us is that you can always look to do better. You can never be content and lose that hunger to improve. He shows you how to look at what you’ve done and be proud of it, and then figure out how you can do it better.”

Personality: “He’s this great mixture of incredible discipline and organization–he’s a big fan of timeliness–and [has] a wonderful sense of humor,” said Chris Kappler. “He seems to always know when to turn on the pressure. He’s got great tact with people, and he seems to have a feel for what kind of encouragement will work in different situations.”

Quote: “My favorite word as a horseman is ‘stop.’ People, in their exuberance and anticipation, often want to over-prepare. Before the WEG, I just stood in the middle, set a few fences, watched, and then said ‘Stop. You’ve jumped your horse enough,’ ” Morris said.


Molly Sorge