Anna Ford is the Thoroughbred Program Director for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption, which was founded in 1992 to offer retiring racehorses a safe haven, rehabilitation, and continued education through placement in experienced and caring homes. Over 6,600 retired Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds have been placed in qualified homes through New Vocations' efforts since its inception. These horses have come from 40 different racetracks and have been adopted by families throughout the country. Ford grew up deeply immersed in the racing industry as her father is a fifth-generation trainer. She rode Thoroughbreds throughout her youth and showed in a variety of disciplines. Ford was an exercise rider during college prior to her position with New Vocations. She also trained and instructed internationally, and is Masters Certified through the Certified Horsemen's Association. She was a founding member of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and sits on the Advisory Board.
Visit www.newvocations.org for more information about New Vocations Racehorse Adoption. A member of the International Alliance of Equestrian Journalists, AMBER HEINTZBERGER is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in equestrian subjects. A lifelong horsewoman, she has competed in eventing, dressage, and hunter/jumpers and has retrained several off-the-track Thoroughbreds. Heintzberger lives in New Jersey. George H. Morris is an American trainer and judge of horses and riders in the hunter/jumper disciplines, and is considered a founding father" of Hunt Seat Equitation.
Morris began riding as a child. In 1952, at the remarkably young age of 14, he won the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Finals and AHSA Hunt Seat Equitation Medal Final at Madison Square Garden, making him the youngest rider to do so. He went on to train numerous riders at his Hunterdon stables, who won consistently on the EastCoast. Morris has represented the United States in many international competitions as both a rider and coach. In 1959 his team won the gold medal in the Pan American Games and he won a team silver medal and placed fourth individually at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Morris rode on eight winning Nations Cup teams between 1958 and 1960. Morris' students have medaled in the 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games. Morris has acted as chef d'equipe for numerous winning teams, includingthe 2005 champions of the Samsung Super League, the gold medal team at the 2008 Hong Kong Olympic Games, and numerous team and individual medals in the World Equestrian Games and Pan American Games.
Originally published in 1971, and now in its third edition, Morris' Hunter Seat Equitation is often recognized as the definitive work on the subject. Morris has also authored several other books and videos on riding and judging, including George Morris Teaches Beginners to Ride: A Clinic for Instructors, Parents, and Students, The American Jumping Style, Because Every Round Counts, and Classical Riding with George H. Morris. Morris also writes a very popular column in the monthly equestrian magazine Practical Horseman, entitled "Jumping Clinic," in which he critiques the jumping positions of photos which have been submitted by readers.".