Andrew McConnon horse abuse

[trakehners]

My trainer and I have been talking about this a bunch since the story broke and her comment yesterday was, “If I tried to report something like this, everyone would look at me and go ‘who the heck are you?’ and blow me off about it” because, even though she’s ridden at the 5* level, she definitely isn’t a big name to take seriously.

The frustrating reality of our sport is that she’s one of the people who we’d think could report something like this because she’s almost entirely self-funded and when she isn’t it’s because she’s in partnership on something with a boarder from our barn who has known her almost as long as I have (nearly two decades), so it’s not like the money is at risk. Because she is self-funded (and not independently wealthy), though, the ability to maintain a string of horses to consistently campaign at the top levels is pretty much nonexistent, so TPTB don’t really care what she has to say.

I’ve watched her retire her 5* horse after their first run around Kentucky even with people pressuring her to keep him going and campaign another year because she said, and I quote, “he doesn’t owe me anything.” I’ve watched her take an incredible horse that was winning or nearly winning after dressage every time and intentionally lose her placing on XC because she felt the mare wasn’t ready to go for time yet at Prelim and Intermediate and she wasn’t going to fry her trying to do too much soon (only for the rider that bought the mare from her to do exactly that—they never made it around a 5*).

But sure, give developing rider grants to people like AM, make it so that people feel like they can’t report abuse due to either personal consequences or feeling that they won’t be taken seriously (or both), and drag your (USEF/FEI) feet on investigating and implementing consequences, because that is making our sport so much better.

I love eventing but sometimes I really, really hate it.

[NaturallyHappy]

@trakehners, your trainer sounds like a gem.

[Jealoushe]

Funny she also won the same grant as him, but the lesser amount of money. Saw her name on the list and thought how ironic.

[Whoaovergo]

I had to look it up, because surely you were mistaken???

The words rattling around in my head are colorful, but I’ll leave the same I had for AMs father upthread.

Dumbfounded, truly aghast.

[trakehners]

She really is the best. The only downside is that she and my first trainer were so great when I was a kid that it took me way longer than it should have as an adult to realize how unethical a lot of other people are in the horse world because I was so used to people who did it right for the right reasons I’m eternally thankful to be back in her barn now both for my own sake and because I think my horse would still be broken if it wasn’t for her and the team of people she’s managed to assemble around her (not for lack of my trying, but we all get access to the same resources that her top horses get so my BN goofball is being treated like you’d hope a 5* competitor would be).

[AmmyHour926]

@Sheasmom2

We go to Carolina Horse Park for Events. I would be appalled if they allow him to compete there again.

Unless the FEI comes out with a life long ban, which I seriously doubt unless there is video evidence of pain and suffering equivalent to death, I don’t think CHP will get into the business of banning individual competitors. That would set an interesting precedent on their part that I doubt they’d be willing to entertain. (Banning a competitor for something that happened off grounds and does not align with the governing bodies ban).

I don’t think we want to get into a world where each venue holds a specific black list of who they allow and who they don’t. Again these venues, mostly run by non-profits or private farms, don’t have by-laws that would allow them likely to even create such a ban. They probably only have language such as “any competitor caught doing XYZ on grounds will be asked to leave”.

[Happyhack]

I dont think we will see a life ban for AM. A FEI ban of 10 years is currently being served by Andrew Kocher for the regular use of electric shock spurs on 5 horses. The longest ban FEI ever handed down was 18 years, to an endurance rider who inevitably appealed it to CAS. CAS overturned the whole thing. CAS has also reduced but not completely overturned other FEI bans for horse abuse, while dismissing Kocher’s appeal.

[piaffequeen2]

Does anyone have proof that his SO is his vet? Did you ever think that it might be an abusive relationship? His SO is out working when Andrew is riding. I absolutelydo not condone what Andrew has done but I am not going to vilify his SO since I don’t know what their relationship is.

[M1ssmouse]

It’s on borrowed time no question as is all horse sport

[wanderlust]

@piaffequeen2

@wanderlust-do you have proof that his SO is his vet? Did you ever think that it might be an abusive relationship? His SO is out working when Andrew is riding. I absolutely condone what Andrew has done but I am not going to vilify his SO since I don’t know what their relationship is.

Why are you tagging me? I said nothing at all about the SO/vet other than quoting the post where someone came on here to defend them and stating as much.

[piaffequeen2]

Yup no coffee!

[piaffequeen2]

My apologies-no coffee yet-corrected

[dmveventer]

I respect your opinion but honestly I find this perspective pretty unhelpful to the broader conversation about preventing abuse. Making mistakes while learning is not abuse. Causing the horse occasional mild discomfort while riding is not abuse. Of course we should all be striving to be as kind to our horses as possible but there’s a huge difference between “not as gentle as it could have been” and outright abuse. Lumping all of that into the same category seriously undercuts the severity of what someone like AM is doing and makes it harder to come up with effective solutions. These videos don’t show someone whose teachers failed him - they show someone who made a choice to be cruel when there were other options available, and repeated that behavior over and over again.

[Bosox1]

Yes, his SO is a vet. I remember thinking oh he’s cute, wonder if he is single, I have a daughter. Then found out he played for the other team so that went out the window.

[LilyandBaron]

I think the reason the SO was mentioned was that in some of the unreleased videos, someone said he was noting how he’d have to stitch up (sic) the damage? Made it sound like in the video he was aiding/abetting AM and his abuse… I have not seen/heard that video, but that’s at least why I think the vet/SO was mentioned.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

That’s my understanding as well.

In addition to that claim about the unreleased videos (which apparently related to a horse flipping over and hitting its head and getting a serious cut in the process, and were part of the evidence submitted to USEF and FEI), there are multiple comments on Facebook from people who claim that the SO aided/abetted covering up the abuse by providing Dex so that the inflamed appearance of severe whip welts was mitigated.

I have seen this comment/defense of the SO related to him not possibly having been present because of 9-5 working hours pop up more than once. I find that strange. Many large animal vets work various hours, and respond to emergencies on nights and weekends. Also, it is well known that the SO has ridden with AM for years, and the SO is present in the barn during his off hours.

I find this defense citing the SO’s working hours unpersuasive.

[DownYonder]

Honestly, this AM guy is sounding more and more like someone who is very deeply angry at himself for what he is, and he is taking his rage out on others. And I am just going to leave that comment right where it is…

[Jealoushe]

My very first thought when I heard of the
entire situation. I’ve lived through that type of anger and it isn’t pretty, in fact it can be downright deadly.

[AMWookey]

Just about the dex… I don’t know anyone in that area that didn’t have dex on hand, or get it prescribed regularly because of the MFing fire ants. Once a vet prescribes something, there is a risk that it won’t be used the way you prescribed it.

[NeedsAdvil]

Sure, that’s a risk, but when you also ride at that barn and witness these things you can’t really cry plausible deniability.