Ken Morris
10th Regiment of Cavalry, New York State Volunteers

Biography

Hello! I have been reenacting, under the auspices of the Northwest Civil War Council (Oregon) for the past 5 years (1996). I suppose that makes me the "newbie" in this bunch!

My first experience with a horse was during a family vacation, when I was 7 years old. My folks—normally overprotective—let me go on a guided trail ride without them. I was put on a very spoiled Shetland pony who, despite my constant kicking and urging, fell so far behind that I could no longer see the rest of my party. Eventually I had to stop to answer the call of nature, and when I tried to remount, the pony wouldn’t let me. He kept side-stepping, leading me closer and closer to a large puddle (in my consternation I failed to notice this). Finally he let me get my foot in the stirrup—and then sidestepped one more time, dumping me into the puddle. A "local" who had been watching the whole thing from across a fence couldn’t stop laughing.  Naturally, the pony stood quietly for me to mount after I was soaked from head to toe. This taught me two things: (1) Horses are not stupid; and (2) the rider must be smarter than the horse if he wants to accomplish anything. These precepts have guided me in my later work with horses.

This inauspicious beginning did not dissuade me from riding. As a city kid growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, I begged to go to summer camp as this was my only opportunity to get on a horse. I learned little about riding during these excursions; my role was strictly that of a passenger. However, the counselors must have sensed that I possessed some degree of equestrian tact, because they usually assigned me the "problem" horses that the other kids wouldn’t ride. (For some reason they were usually flea-bitten grays, and to this day I have an aversion to gray horses.) My last year at camp, the wrangler took pity on me and allowed me to ride his sorrel quarter horse. We cantered so smoothly that the horse I had been on felt like a wagon with square wheels by comparison. I never forgot that experience—"this is what riding is supposed to be like, I knew it all along"—and knew that someday I would have a horse.

That had to wait until 1991, when I moved to Oregon. Shortly thereafter I purchased my first horse, a Tennessee Walker. For seven years I was primarily self taught (in retrospect, not a choice I would recommend to others.)  However, the horse taught me a good deal. I had to learn how to get his respect, since he was a dominant, stallion-like gelding. Also, someone had abused his mouth so badly that he would not accept a bit of any kind without anxiety. So I also had to learn to be light with my hands and rely more on seat and legs to direct him. We developed both trust and friendship. (I regretfully retired him in 1998, when he developed severe bursitis in the shoulder joint. This was caused, or at least exacerbated, by the heavy shoes he was forced to wear early in life.)

In the meantime, I had begun reenacting. I found my first reenactment by a fluke—driving along Hwy 224 and seeing a sign directing people to McIver Park. I went to watch and was instantly hooked. I was astounded to see horses acting (for the most part, anyway) very calmly around the roar of the guns and cannons. And those that didn’t—well, I admired their riders all the more for just staying on. I didn’t know if I would be up to the task, but wanted to try. At the urging of the 7th Michigan’s CO, I brought my horse to the next reenactment, at Willamette Mission State Park. We got through the season without mishap, although I have to say I was scared a lot of the time when I was out on the battlefield. But it was a challenge, a test of the horse’s trust, and that’s what I liked about it. But when my horse’s bursitis became too severe for him to participate comfortably, I found myself in the position of having to train another mount. I tried out three horses during the next season, all Morgans. I ended up going with the youngest and most temperamental of the three, but I liked Chance because he had the best conformation, and was athletic and a good mover.

When I first got Chance I thought that a young, spunky horse like him would be a fun challenge, and I believed that seven years of riding had given me plenty of experience to deal with him. Of course, I didn’t realize what I was getting into. (When the previous owner says that the horse "needs someone with a good seat," be prepared for trouble!) After countless fights and being dumped on a number of occasions, I realized that I needed help. Initially, my friend Leila Riikonen, who was visiting the States from Finland, rode Chance part-time and gave me lessons on him. This was my first introduction to the art of dressage.
When Leila returned to Europe, I began taking lessons with Charles Sherman (Ret.). I liked what I had seen of Mr. Sherman’s "troubleshooting" with green riders and/or difficult horses. Even better, he had learned to ride from real Cavalry officers. Under Mr. Sherman, I did combined training (dressage and jumping). Learning to jump on a horse that had never jumped before is a difficult proposition, but we managed to pull it off. Riding Chance was still a challenge, but a challenge that was rapidly becoming more enjoyable than hair-raising.

That winter, I joined a new unit in the Northwest Civil War Council, the 10th New York Cavalry. The 1st U.S. Cavalry, commanded by Calvin Sager, graciously agreed to sponsor us during our first (probationary) year. We made it through our first season with no safety violations or injuries, and were granted full unit recognition by the Northwest Civil War Council. Sgt. Bruce Peek commanded the Tenth during our first two years, and I would like to commend him for his sound judgment and tireless work in getting our unit through its "fledgling" period.

The Tenth has been instrumental in improving the standard of horsemanship in the Northwest Civil War Council. In April of 2000, we organized the first Military Riding Clinic in the Pacific Northwest, taught by Mr. Sherman.   Together with riders in the 1st U.S. Cav, the 1st Maryland Cav, and the 9th Virginia Cav, we presented new skills and scenarios to the public during the 2000 season.  Jumping in formation (ranks of four), which we did at McIver Park in April, was something never before seen at a reenactment in this area. By joining with these units to create the Northwest Cavalry Association, the Tenth New York hopes to continue improving the horsemanship skills presented to the public in military reenactments and demonstrations.

One thing I’ll say in closing: the more I learn about horses, the more I realize I need to learn. Horsemanship is a never-ending journey, and to me, military horsemanship is the ultimate test of horse and rider, and the bond between them.