Joan Sam Morrison   

Centered Riding Level IV Instructor/Clinician 

Sam began riding at age 11 on Bucky, a Milking Shorthorn steer. A few years later she purchased Dolly Dare, an ex-harness racehorse that she both rode and drove. Sam gained a degree in Animal Science from the University of New Hampshire in 1960. 

 Sam was married in 1963 to Kenneth Morrison, and they have three children and a foster son. The family moved about the country as Kenneth pursued degrees from various universities.   

 In her 60 + years of experience, Sam has studied and ridden western, saddle seat, show and foxhunters, trained horses and riders while herself competing in combined training and dressage. She taught at summer camps, was head of Riding at Chatham Hall in Virginia and while in Virginia, was a Whipper-In with the Bedford County Hunt. She belonged to the Affiliated National Riding Commission as a rider, instructor, board member and judge. Under the NEA she gave Instructor’s Courses at colleges, universities, camps and private farms throughout the U.S. 

 In Kansas, Sam lived on a beef cattle ranch and helped with maintenance.  She learned the California style of western riding and training. 

 In West Virginia, Sam established a small riding school. Moving to Kansas Sam re-established the school and set up a riding program for the Physical Education Dept. at Kansas State University. Moving to Michigan, Sam again set up her school, helped establish the Tally Ho Pony Club and began competing successfully in Combined Training Events on her homebred Thoroughbreds, winning many Michigan Combined Training Association year end awards. Sam attended Sally Swift's Instructors' Course in 1984 and has attended Centered Riding clinics, workshops and updates in Vermont with Sally Swift and Level IV Instructors. Centered Riding clinics, Instructor courses and updates are also held each year at Welcome Home Farm in Maine.  Sam is currently a Centered Riding Level IV Instructor.   

 Sam attended the 1980 and 1984 USDF/Vi Hopkins National Seminars in Michigan as a participating instructor and attended several USDF Regional Instructor Workshops and Seminars in New England, taught by Major Anders Lindgren.  She obtained an AHSA Dressage Judge’s license in 1985 but did not maintain it upon moving to Maine.  Since moving to Maine, Sam has once again set up the riding school, is a host farm for the Primetime Riders adult pony club and continues to organize shows and clinics. For the Central Maine Dressage Association, she has organized several United States Dressage Federation Instructor Workshops and USEA Dressage shows.   

 Along with training horses and coaching riders, Sam travels to other states and Europe to give Centered Riding clinics.  She incorporates a combination of training methods and techniques from Centered Riding, TTEAM, the Alexander Technique, T'ai Chi Chuan, Classical Dressage and Western riding.  She uses various teaching aids to teach the biomechanics of rider and horse movement and to help riders develop a comfortable mental and physical partnership with the horse.  She has a unique ability for solving horse and rider problems while teaching the correct foundation of horse mastership.