I am about halfway through Mr. Morris’ Unrelenting: The Real Story: Horses, Bright Lights and My Pursuit of Excellence. As promised, I have been going decade by decade highlighting the best quotes from each. Some are funny; some show that Mr. Morris is a compassionate, thoughtful man at the end of it all; and some are surprising.

Onto the ’60s!

• “‘How do you like having a princess in the barn?’ to which George replied, ‘There’s only one princess in this barn and that’s me!'” – Winifred Grey, a friend. [p. 96]
• “George did all of these crazy things when he taught us, and I was too young to understand them. Why place a crop behind your back and through the crook of your elbows while you jumped? Why jump without stirrups and reins? I thought he was nuts! But George also loved us and was concerned for our safety … I have always known that Uncle George is an amazing horseman, but one that day I learned that he is also an exceptional teacher and communicator.” – Matthew Neville, a former student. [p. 106]
• …[A]s a young man, I experienced terrible anxiety about public speaking. [p.109]
• Adversity in your life is often a blessing in disguise. [p. 113]
• …[J]ust one moment of weakness can be your downfall. [p. 119]
• “When we were riding with George, he would send us to horse shows by ourselves. Nobody does that anymore! He wanted us to be independent and self-sufficient, Nowadays, they’ll hold a ring for a long time to wait for a trainer to come over from another ring. In those days, you just went in on your own and used the knowledge you had from your lessons at home.” – Sue Bauer Pinckney, a former student. [p. 122]
• “They (younger trainers) never saw the hunters back when brilliance matter more than perfection. Admittedly, they’re trying to change that now in judges’ clinics and reward a horse’s expression and not penalize a little freshness, especially in the pre-greens and professional divisions. When the hunters get to be expressive and bold, it’s more exciting to watch!” – Kathy Newman, a former student of Mr. Morris and current horse show judge. [p. 124]
• The culture of precision was coming into play and the sport was becoming a science! In the later [60s] and [70s], precision and perfection became an obsession in the hunter and equitation, for better or for worse. [pg. 125]
• “He was always compassionate, telling me what I did right when I came out of the ring before he told me what we were going to work on. And that’s how I teach my students now.” – Jen Hamilton, a former student and current equestrian trainer. [p. 125]
• Right from the get-go, I realized the importance of trusting a great staff (farriers, grooms, managers, vets) and delegating responsibilities to them. [p. 126]
• Making connections in the horse business is so important, as is keeping good relationships with horse people throughout your career. [p. 127] [emphasis added]
• “Once you get to know George, he has such a great sense of humor. If you can hold your own, you’ll get along great.” (He also accidentally broke a clinic taker’s ankle) – Patty Heuckeroth, a friend of Mr. Morris. [p. 129]
• “You can count on him being a friend in good times and bad. He’s still the only person I know who hand writes notes and letters; he wrote me a beautiful note when my mother died. He’s so gracious to the people he loves, and I feel lucky to be one of them.” – Linda Hough, a friend. [p.133]
• I’m not a fan of medicating horses, as a rules; it’s not the way I solve problems. [p. 138]
• “When you send a kid in the ring as a teacher, you have to be positive in your system that the kid can get the job done. That’s what George was all about…” – Kristine Stephenson, former student. [p. 139]
• The ideal show hunter picture continued to evolve in response to the compact courses and the focus on accuracy, consistent pace, and style. It’s interesting how decades later, the style we see in the hunter ring today evolved from superstars in the [60s]. [p. 142]
• “It was always tough love with George. My heart would start to pound when I hear his voice, I had to be on my best behavior every second. The moment I hit horse show grounds, I knew exactly where he was and where I was supposed to be. As much as we wanted to be rebellious and suggest that maybe he was being too hard on us, we knew that he was making us so much better than we would have been otherwise. He never pandered to anyone. He would tell you exactly what he believed and never held back. He never compromised no matter what; he would rather sacrifice his relationship with someone than compromise his craft. George recognized that demonstrating any lack of ambition, even down to the smallest detail, holds a rider back and meant they won’t succeed. If you can’t polish your boots to come to a lesson, how can you have the level of focus necessary to walk into the ring and ride a difficult course? When I rode with him, we were prepared and turned out properly, and not only was that a sign of respect for him. but he taught us it was also a sign of respect for ourselves … [A]t all costs, we must keep going. in the course of many clinic sessions, and on various occasions, he would run out in front of use when we were on our approach to a jump. [He] would demand we run him over. We got used to this after a while, believe it or not. It is how I learned to keep riding and continue going forward no matter what happened … He took someone who wasn’t very brave and allowed me to do things I never would have been able to do, and have success doing it.” – Anne Savino, former student. [p. 146 – 47]
• The American style was very sought after … and everyone seemed interested in watching me ride firsthand. [p. 155]
• All young riders need encouragement to ride better, no matter how good they are. Otherwise, they’ll get bored or complacent and lose the edge on their greatness. [p. 157]
• …[T]he crest release is overused and the automatic release is not embraced enough by advanced riders who are clearly capable of the more advanced feel. [p. 158]
• Teaching students how to present themselves and make an instant impression when they walk into the ring is another crossover from the skills I learned in performing … Perhaps more than any of those little things, I knew that pushing people beyond their comfort zone and giving them license to stretch within themselves was the way to guide them to personal success. This is true in any sport or profession. To accomplish ambitious dreams, even in the face of fear, they must be impressed upon and pushed by the positive forces around them … I sought to be that positive guide to my students, to help them break free of their limitations so they might achieve their lofty dreams. [p. 164] [emphasis added]