Teresa Morgan: A Partnership Like No Other

“I have the best job in the world,” said San Joaquin County Deputy Teresa Morgan, as she saddled up her horse and partner, Tank, to prepare for another local community event. As part of the Mounted Unit force for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, Morgan and Tank’s relationship is built on trust and a call to serve.

While most people are caring for horses for leisure, sport or show, Deputy Teresa Morgan is preparing her horse for his nine-to-five beat. “Getting to be on a horse and do the job that I absolutely love to serve my community is immeasurable,” said Morgan as she loaded Tank, a red quarter-thoroughbred-cross, onto her trailer, ready to respond to wherever their assignment is for the day. “It’s really an amazing blessing. I’m thankful every day that I get to do it.” Teresa is one of three deputies who pioneered the Mounted Unit in San Joaquin County in 2019 at the request of Sheriff Patrick Withrow. Now the unit has expanded to 13 deputies, of which five are women.

Prior to her position as a mounted unit, Teresa worked in other departments in law enforcement including homicide, sexual assault and human trafficking; in 2022 she was selected to pose as the model for the first female officer sculpture at the California Peace Officer Memorial in Sacramento. “It’s very honorable,” she commented, but she doesn’t believe her sculpture makes her any more significant than other women or men in the field. “I don’t ask for recognition. Like most things in this job, I’m just happy to serve my community.”

An Unusual Partnership
Having a horse as a partner can present unique challenges and responsibilities. “It’s a really big commitment, not only financially but time,” Teresa said. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s office holds annual rib cookoffs to offset the expenses that come with keeping a horse on staff, but often the deputies themselves accrue outside training and expenses to make sure they have all the resources their partner needs. Even beyond the expense, Teresa acknowledges her position requires a full-time dedication, with personal and family time often centered around Tank. “Everyone in your family is helping with the horses,” she said, referring also to her previous partner, a quarter horse named Ace, who is now in retirement. “If someone wanted to be in the unit, the whole family would have to be invested in it.” Like most officers with horses on her team, Teresa brings her partner home every night, where Tank resides in their family barn. Her husband, Deputy James Morgan, makes Tank a shared priority, as he is also a mounted deputy. “The horses become your family.”

In addition to board and care, Teresa and other mounted deputies require regular education and training to keep their partners in top performance; they will travel anywhere in the United States and Canada to get the best expertise. She recently attended the North American Mounted Unit Commanders Association, NAMUCA. “We do our very best to prepare them and prepare the riders for whatever situation we can.” Yet even with all the training, she admitted the key to a great partnership with Tank is trust. “They trust us because we are good leaders.”

Even with training and lodging, the trial of a four-legged partner comes with different obstacles than a traditional partner. “Horses are naturally prey animals. They run away from fear but we ask them to go toward it and stand there in front of fearful things,” she said. As with most partners, a bond must be established to build a strong team, and Teresa knows that they have to fully trust to achieve their goal. “They stay because they trust us. We go toward that fearful thing, we run toward the gunfire, to protect our community, and that’s what we ask our horses to do.”

Bridging the Community
Still, not all work in the mounted unit is about protection and crossfire. In fact, Tank and other horses serve as a link to breaking barriers. “We bridge the gap with the part of the community we wouldn’t normally have contact with,” Teresa noted. “During parades, families encourage their children to come up to law enforcement and interact, which might not normally happen without the horse’s presence.” She finds that Tank and other mounted units also increase interest in police force careers. “We were working a baseball game and we were able to talk to high school kids that never would have thought to go into law enforcement.” Teresa sees the special responsibility she and Tank hold to create the positive connection between law enforcement and the community and hopes to continue to build a bridge for positive relationships. “Find positive people and influences in life. Find work, find community events. Get involved and stay busy,” she often says to the youth.

And yet, while she is inspiring others and creating a positive partnership, one of her greatest inspirations has come from her four-legged partner. “Through Tank I’ve learned a lot about trust, not only in myself, but I’ve I really learned to trust him. He’s the most loyal, brave and trustworthy partner I’ve ever had.” At the end of the day, Teresa is grateful for this opportunity and hopes to continue to create positive relationships. “If I could do this seven days a week, I would.” And Tank will be right there with her, guiding the way.

To learn more about Teresa Morgan or support the San Joaquin County’s Mounted Unit, follow her team on their Facebook page and @SanJoaquinMountedPatrolUnit or visit the San Joaquin County website at sjcsfoundation.org.