I’d immediately press charges. What’s in the videos is criminal animal abuse.
10 Likes
Wasn’t there a story about Charlotte Dujardin in the NYT? Can we get that author to do an article on how the governing body for Olympic equestrian sport is repeatedly turning a blind eye to allegations and proof of horse abuse? First USEF sticks its head in the sand regarding Cesar Parra and now we learn it has done nothing about McConnon even though it has known for MONTHS about his abuse of horses entrusted to him. People at USEF need to be named and heads need to roll…
20 Likes
same, and I’d be running to the media.
2 Likes
Read through this thread and have a few random thoughts in no particular order.
-
Allie’s comment on her FB post that when she had just posted the photo with welts and didn’t name the rider she was alarmed at how many people were jumping into her DMs to guess and many of them were listing the same names. It is the sad reality. I have my own experience, now from over a decade ago. I never whipped out my phone to film, but the image of an UL pro putting a horse in side reins then chasing it around his stall until he was lathered sticks in my mind. What did the horse do wrong? Be difficult to put together in the previous flat ride.
-
Money talks. Glad to see sponsors pulling back, but would also love to hear RF take more accountability. Yes I understand they didn’t pick the recipient, but they are allowed to make a statement that they are disappointed in how the recipient was selected.
-
I really hope anyone that had first hand footage/images and documentation of providing these images to governing bodies takes this to the media sources. Let’s remember the Nassar scandal didn’t unravel until the Indy Star bravely reported on it. (to be fair I think the sequence of events was a victim from nearly 2 decades ago filed a police report and went to Indy star at the same time). USAG and MSU had taken their first formal complaint nearly 25 years earlier and had received their most recent one within 3 months of the story breaking.
-
On that note, I wouldn’t rely on EN or any horse related specific media to be the ones handling this story. At the end of the day EN is entertainment, not journalism and has a vested interested in protecting the image of the sport. I love eventing as next as the next person, I want to see it continue on. I also want humans that don’t respect the animals pushed out of the sport entirely.
30 Likes
I also emailed USEF and plan to send another to USEA. This whole situation has me disgusted and disappointed by the governing bodies.
According to FEI’s press release on CDJ, it took them 1 day to provisionally suspend her after receiving the video. Not sure how they could sit on these reports, which IMO look even worse, for months.
18 Likes
How did this all come to light? Did someone make a facebook post with videos after USEF/USEA failed to act on reports, or is this related to something that happened at Burghley?
Seems like a NYT or other large media article would be a good way to make USEF/USEA take notice. I’ve lost interest in supporting them with my $$ but doubt there will be enough non-renewals to even make a drop in the bucket.
3 Likes
Canter Mid Atlantic (Allie Conrad was the DIRECTOR) hasn’t sent him horses since she was told/discovered abuse. She simply didn’t know at first which she talks about in her Facebook posts.
16 Likes
This.
2 Likes
Charlotte chose to step down from the team.
3 Likes
I saw a 5* rider fall off at fence 4 at Maryland 5*. They aggressively smack and jerked the horse all the way back to the warmup area. I posted about it because it was shockingly gross and everyone was like yep that’s mild behavior considering what we know. How does everyone know but nothing happens? I know officials had to see it and lots of the public.
Maybe there needs to be a more transparent way to report incidents?
I know I also got nasty messages when I posted about it. You say something/speak up and then you get targeted.
45 Likes
It is all sick open secrets. I have mentioned my own account and everyone seems to have a story that tops mine. Taking anger and frustration out on the horse appears to be shockingly common. So much so that the average horse person turns a blind eye to it 
4 Likes
Yes but according to FEI (<–that’s a link, not bolding for emphasis) they suspended her the day after they got the video. She just also decided to make the announcement to withdraw b/c she knew this was coming.
4 Likes
4 Likes
And that’s just it. It’s an insular sport and there are multiple big names that plenty of people have heard stories about, or witnessed crummy behavior… but heaven forbid anyone speak up on social media. Then it’s a “witch hunt.”
I’ve sort of given up on those dynamics changing. All I’m hoping for is that at some point:
-
TPTB who award grants? They actually have discussions behind closed doors before awarding grants and consider how embarrassing and bad for the sport it will be if they award a grant to someone who serially abuses horses, or who is known to regularly hit on working students and staff, or something else along those lines… because that’s the new reality out there. Stuff like that comes out, no matter how much of a culture of omertà dominates in a sport. So be smarter, and stop rewarding jerks.
-
It would be REALLY great if there was some sort of reaction within 30 days after a major governing body receives serious allegations of abuse (complete with video and photo evidence, as well as witness statements… which allegedly was the case here)… I mean… how hard is it to quietly suspend someone or just freeze the grant money temporarily while allegations are investigated?
I don’t know. I just don’t think either of those points are that much to hope for…
5 Likes
Charlotte was instantly stripped of every accomplishment and suspended immediately, but as far as I am following, Andrew hasn’t been? Both videos are abusive but IMO his is so much more malevolent.
What am I missing?
51 Likes
His abusive behavior spans a decade, if you take into account Allie’s post and the recent video evidence of the horse from PDF.
And then there’s that photo of a horse on cross ties with its head tied to its front legs… and it was apparently left like that for 2 hours AFTER it was beaten. It’s beyond sickening. That’s calculated and sustained abuse. Not a single moment of someone losing their temper for one minute.
How can a governing body of equestrian sport ignore a picture like that?!?
39 Likes
USOPC contributes over $1 million per year to USEF. IIRC it’s like 1.2 - 1.5 million.
USOPC is the certifying body for USEF. USOPC can place conditions on re-certification, as they do with other sport NFs.
USOPC has oversight. USOPC is a source of funding for USEF.
If USEF isn’t listening to you, if USEF hasn’t listened, escalate to USOPC. That’s why they have their Ethics Point site.
(I have no idea why this is such a difficult point to get across here. You can keep hollering at USEF and they don’t have to care. USOPC is the backstop for NFs that do nothing against corruption and various misconducts.)
14 Likes
USOPC, as in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee?
FWIW, USEF annual budget was $37.2 million for 2024.
1.2 million isn’t pocket change, but I’m not sure reports of a single athlete for animal abuse is something that they (the Olympic Committee) handle? If it is, and you wouldn’t just be sending an email/letter to someone’s spam box, that’s something to add to the list.
I’ll go digging later, but is there a form or a contact for this kind of thing?
ETA: again, I’m not saying not to take action and just accept the status quo. I just want to make sure that action is pointed in a direction that can actually make a difference - my first instinct is that SafeSport and the Olympic Committee aren’t the places to go first and foremost.
6 Likes
Seems like a NYT or other large media article would be a good way to make USEF/USEA take notice.
Contact info for a couple of the journalists who have reported on equine welfare:
Alex Marshall alex.marshall@nytimes.com
Sarah Lyall lyall@nytimes.com
Also their general tips channels: https://www.nytimes.com/tips
14 Likes
You misunderstand. USOPC would take an interest in that members are complaining to USEF about incidents that violate their policies or code of conduct and USEF isn’t responding. Or, in this case, has responded by having this athlete on teams. USOPC has an interest in NFs following the criteria required to remain certified as the NF by the national Olympic committee (USOPC in this case).
This is all laid out in the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, which is a piece of legislation named in honor of one of the most breathtakingly corrupt politicians in US history. An NF must maintain compliance to be certified by USOPC. The reason the Ethics Point reporting portal exists is for members of the sport communities to report - anonymously if they choose - misconduct and wrongdoing at an NF. If USEF is aware of the McC videos and abuse yet they’ve chosen not to act in any way except to reward him with team standing, that is definitely something to take up with USOPC. It will be on record and USOPC does take action when reports are especially egregious or have accumulated.
If anyone would like to report but is unsure how, please DM me and I can walk you through the process.
17 Likes
