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George H. Morris: Because Every Round Counts

by George H. Morris; Edited by John Strassburger

283 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); contains B&W images; catalogue #06-2021; ISBN 1-4251-0264-6; US$24.95, C$28.69, EUR20.49, £14.35

George H. Morris has challenged readers of The Chronicle of the Horse since 1989. This collection of his best 50 columns is a "must-have" book for any serious horseman.

About the Book

George H. Morris has ridden and trained international show jumpers, champion show hunters and equitation stars for more than half a century. Morris, now the U.S. show jumping team's chef d'equipe, was named one of the 50 Most Influential Horsemen of the 20th Century in 1999 by The Chronicle of the Horse, the magazine for which he's written a monthly "Between Rounds" column since 1989.

Now, John Strassburger, who recently retired as the Chronicle's editor after 20 years and who created the magazine's "Between Rounds" section, has selected Morris' 50 best columns to preserve the equestrian legend's words for horsemen and women who are committed to riding and training their horses correctly.

The book is divided into four sections to encompass Morris' major themes over the last 17 years: In the section called It's Not Like It Used To Be, Morris analyzes the evolution of the sport he loves over the last century and decries the declining standards of horsemanship he sees around him. In What Good Teachers Teach, he offers his own unique brand of classically based advise on how to train riders and their horses. In I've Always Been Devoted To The Forward Seat, Morris explains why the century-old technique he favors is the best way to jump horses. And in George On Tour, he describes a few of his travels to destinations from the former Soviet Union to the Athens Olympics.

This collection of Morris' columns is the first of the five-part Chronicle Comment Series. For the second book in the series, due in Spring 2007, Strassburger will collect his 75 best Commentaries, from 1982 to 2006. Then he'll collect the best columns by three more "Between Rounds" columnists‹Victor Hugo-Vidal, Denny Emerson and Anne Gribbons‹for publication in late 2007 and in 2008.

About the Author

No one in the world has coached more Olympic riders and international stars than George H. Morris, the legendary horseman who’s been the U.S. show jumping team’s chef d'equipe (or coach) since 2005. For almost 50 years, Morris has preached the bible of correct and classical training of horses and riders with a religious fervor, through training riders ranging from talented teenagers to Olympic medalists, through conducting a never-ending series of clinics around the world, through writing three influential books about riding and training, and through writing monthly "Between Rounds" columns for The Chronicle of the Horse since 1989.

Morris became an equestrian star at age 14 by winning the nation's two most prestigious equitation championships in the same year, the AHSA Medal Final and the ASPCA Maclay Final. He then earned the team silver medal at the 1960 Olympics before turning his attention to teaching and training, although he returned to international competition in the late ‘80s, winning the world's richest grand prix. His roster of students includes six Olympic medalists.

The unbreakable tenets to Morris' philosophy are rigid self-discipline, doing things "the right way", and proper horsemanship. He endeavors always to instill these ideals in his students and in their students.

Said Alan Balch, former president of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, "Since the 1950s, George Morris has been the single most influential teacher of jumper riders in the nation."

Excerpts