Edward Harris

At the Pan American games (Chicago), in September, 1959, Edward Harris sat on the back steps of a house near the cross-country course and listened to Alexander Mackay-Smith propose to Phil Hofmann, Stewart Treviranus, and Jack Fritz amongst others, that "we should form a combined training association". The AHSA did not seem much interested in promoting the sport, and these were men of action! As a result, the USCTA (now the USEA) was formed; Phil Hofmann was elected it's first president, and four years later the job went to Ed Harris. In this position, Harris negotiated and signed a contract with U.S. Trust Company of New York agreeing that the USCTA would erect on the Morven Park (VA) property the buildings required to operate a school to teach teachers of riding.

Dormitories, stabling and indoor rings were to be provided. This contract provided that if the U.S. Trust Company of New York, trustees of Morven Park, decided after the first year of operations that the school was unacceptable to the trustee, the USCTA would, at it's own expense, remove the buildings from the property! The unbelievable clause in this contract is now revealed for the first time, and happily, the Morven Park International Equestrian Institute was included in a book published in England entitled, "The Great Riding Schools of the World." This probably prevented Ed from being disbarred for malpractice!

Prior to his involvement with the USCTA, Ed was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, eventually serving as Captain of a submarine chaser in WWII on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He also carried out the duties of Executive Officer of a destroyer chaser during that war. Back at home, once the new USCTA was up and running, Ed and his wife hosted the 1965 National Open Horse Trials Championships (now called advanced), at their Hideaway Farm in Geneseo, New York. Mr. Harris also served as the Chairman of this competition. He built the cross-country course with the help of a neighboring farmer. The total cost of the horse trials, including judges' fees, veterinarian expenses and cross-country materials was $400.00! The good old days!

Juggling his legal career, a busy family life (one son and five daughters, all of whom rode), and a passion for foxhunting, Ed found time to compete himself, and was 2nd by two points in the Preliminary Horse Trials National Championship at Fair Hill in 1968.

It was ruled in those days that before dismounting at the end of the cross-country phase the rider had to seek permission from the cross-country judge. Failure to do so meant elimination! A young man named Bailey who eventually won the championship, dismounted without permission a few feet from Ed Harris. Ed momentarily wrestled with himself but shortly snarled, "Get back on your horse!" Ed said this was probably the high point of his riding career, tongue in cheek…

Ed's wife, Jacqueline, Swiss by birth, was the driving force behind Hideaway Farm, and she was responsible for the breeding and training programs of Erin Go Bragh, his sire and his grandsire. Mr. & Mrs. Harris embarked on their successful breeding program of Connemara ponies in the 60's, thinking it would be cheaper to manufacture the ponies than to buy them Generations later, we recognize such champion event horses as Erin's Shamrock and Erin Go Bragh from their breeding program that continues today.

Ed's continued interests are sailing and deep-sea fishing, and he remains an honorary trustee at Morven Park and of the Genesee Valley Hunt, and as senior retired partner of Harris, Beach, Wilcox, the oldest law firm in Rochester, New York, founded by Ed's grandfather in 1856.

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