Andrew McConnon horse abuse

[hey101]

@JER i’m happy to become more educated, as I’m sure others here are as well.

From my perspective, and I am in the horse world!, Those social media videos of the Germans, led to a huge uproar.

I see a lot of parallels here, and I mean no disrespect, but pentathlon is a much smaller world player than dressage, show, jumping, eventing.

If you have the time, I’d be very interested on your thoughts on the pentathalon situation and how it compares to some of the “big three “sports and the endless videos and allegations that keep coming to light over the past months and years

[FrittSkritt]

“Because we love horses.” Sure, Jan.

[FitzE]

Not being mean, honestly asking just b/c I’m trying to make sense of a professional communication style that is this bad: is English a second or third language for these owners/this company? Between this and the one posted above, I’ve never seen such lack of professionalism in a company comms.

[JER]

@hey101

@JER i’m happy to become more educated, as I’m sure others here are as well.

From my perspective, and I am in the horse world!, Those social media videos of the Germans, led to a huge uproar.

I see a lot of parallels here, and I mean no disrespect, but pentathlon is a much smaller world player than dressage, show, jumping, eventing.

If you have the time, I’d be very interested on your thoughts on the pentathalon situation and how it compares to some of the “big three “sports and the endless videos and allegations that keep coming to light over the past months and years

Well…

I’ve been posting about it for YEARS on my instagram - @jersporthorse - you are welcome to follow if you like.

There’s also the athletes’ advocacy group Pentathlon United, run by the great Kate Allenby, who has an Olympic medal to her name and is still very active in the horse/eventing world.

The world of Olympic sport is corrupt to the extreme. There is little oversight and IFs are very insular and unaccountable organizations. For example, the treasurer of the UIPM - an American called John Helmick whose father was USOC chief but resigned due to corruption - left Paris is a hurry when his accreditation was revoked. This same man admitted in 2021 to not keeping the financial records of UIPM up to standard for the last ten years and then stonewalled any calls for an audit. Oh and he’s standing for re-election as treasurer this year.

This kind of corruption is the norm rather than the exception. Very few people will speak out against it because - and this goes for all sports - the NFs which fall under the IFs are dependent on that financial relationship and the privileges that serving on IF boards and committees bring. And then the athletes are usually silenced either by a draconian code of conduct or by the favouritism the board expresses by doling out the funding to their favoured few.

It’s the antithesis of what sport is supposed to be.

[Bosox1]

K Harris had a lot of money under her 2 WCs that was never addressed. UIPM had backdoor deals everywhere.

Very sad to see the horses be dismissed.

[Jealoushe]

[Dr_Doolittle]

Good for them!

My DH’s response to the dismissive, childish and defensive response by Cryptoaero:

“Oh the horses are going to eat. You’re just not going to feed them…”

[Wick_McConnon]

I’m Andrew’s father, Thomas Bostwick McConnon of Westmoreland, NH. I have not yet spoken with my son about the brief videos that were posted. I’m not hiding behind a name like “Dr_Doolittle” or “Virginia_Horse_Mom”. I respect Allie Conrad for speaking her mind while clearly identifying herself. I encourage all of you to show some restraint before ruining someone’s career as a result of innuendo and hearsay that you might read online, and to wait for Andrew to make a statement about this whole controversy. If you have something to say, do so while letting the rest of us know who you are, and what actual knowledge you might possess about alleged past abuses, not just hearsay, or that you feel it’s “disgusting”. I know little about horses other than keeping one’s heels down while riding them, whatever that means. I expect they’re not smart enough to understand why you might be slapping them (open-handed, not punching) on the neck, so I can only assume that this is not an effective way to train a horse to do what you’d prefer, and I doubt given the successes Andrew has had that this is his usual standard operating procedure. I’ve often seen top-level and highly-respected riders whale (I googled it, that’s the right word) quite forcefully on the necks of their mounts after a successful show jumping round. I doubt that the horses were fazed in the least, and I’m confident that they didn’t feel abused. Perhaps some who have posted to this forum have some personal gripes with Andrew. Let them deal with him personally. For the rest of us please stop the feeding frenzy and wait for the rest of the story.

Per Merriam Webster: Whale is also a verb for the action of hitting something (such as that gambling table, or a punching bag) forcefully and repeatedly.

[skydy]

@Wick_McConnon

I’m Andrew’s father, Thomas Bostwick McConnon of Westmoreland, NH. I have not yet spoken with my son about the brief videos that were posted. I’m not hiding behind a name like “Dr_Doolittle” or “Virginia_Horse_Mom”. I respect Allie Conrad for speaking her mind while clearly identifying herself. I encourage all of you to show some restraint before ruining someone’s career as a result of innuendo and hearsay that you might read online, and to wait for Andrew to make a statement about this whole controversy. If you have something to say, do so while letting the rest of us know who you are, and what actual knowledge you might possess about alleged past abuses, not just hearsay, or that you feel it’s “disgusting”. I know little about horses other than keeping one’s heels down while riding them, whatever that means. I expect they’re not smart enough to understand why you might be slapping them (open-handed, not punching) on the neck, so I can only assume that this is not an effective way to train a horse to do what you’d prefer, and I doubt given the successes Andrew has had that this is his usual standard operating procedure. I’ve often seen top-level and highly-respected riders whale (I googled it, that’s the right word) quite forcefully on the necks of their mounts after a successful show jumping round. I doubt that the horses were fazed in the least, and I’m confident that they didn’t feel abused. Perhaps some who have posted to this forum have some personal gripes with Andrew. Let them deal with him personally. For the rest of us please stop the feeding frenzy and wait for the rest of the story.

I don’t believe that this post is as helpful to your adult kid as you hope it will be.
QFP

[inca]

Brief videos? Innuendo and hearsay? I think we are a bit beyond that. Perhaps you should speak directly to the folks at PDF Eventing about how they feel about their horse being abused in one of those videos. And them discovering this abuse in a sickening fashion.

I would say the photographs of whip marks say almost all that needs to be said. And I will take Allie Conrad at her word for what happened to her horse. It IS disgusting and heart breaking.

I can’t even imagine what “rest of the story” there could POSSIBLY be that would excuse such horse abuse. Nothing can excuse a pattern of abuse that apparently has been going on for many years.

I would urge you to convince your son to get the help he so obviously needs.

[skydy]

How kind of you to defend your adult son. I try to understand a non-horsey parent’s instinct to do so.

However, don’t you think that he at his age should be speaking for himself, not having Dad (however well meaning) do it for him? He is representing the U.S.A. in International competition. He’s not a young rider.

As for the big pats on the neck that some riders give their horses? If you watch, those horses do not spin around in fear as Andrew McConnon’s horse (s) do when he hits them in the head in obvious anger. Horses do know the difference, and so does anyone who knows horses well.

[Jealoushe]

Many of us here know who each other are….but how can you prove that you are the father?

[fivestrideline]

There is no way to spin PUNCHING A HORSE IN THE HEAD. REPEATEDLY. FROM THE SADDLE. into “hearsay” or “innuendo”. There is no “rest of the story”.

Shame on you.

[BrownDerby]

@Wick_McConnon

I’ve often seen top-level and highly-respected riders whale (I googled it, that’s the right word) quite forcefully on the necks of their mounts after a successful show jumping round.

Welcome to the forums, it’s nice to “meet” you. What you are describing here is the very standard slapping or clapping on the horse’s neck with one hand after a good round. While I prefer pets or rubs not slaps it is very common. This is vastly different than prolonged, senseless, and angry whipping, accompanied by shouting.

[Wick_McConnon]

What is your name, and from where are you posting? Who has verified that these whip marks were taken of a horse under Andrew’s care? As for the picture allegedly taken of Eddie after he had allegedly been manacled in such a fashion after allegedly two hours, who took that picture, and when and where was it taken? Here I go down the rabbit hole…

[FitzE]

If you cannot distinguish the difference between riders patting, even vigorously, their horses in celebration after a round while the horse canters/trots quietly along and the horse wheeling around in terror while your son beats it about the head, I’m not sure what value your assessment has. In one of the videos your son was using a crop. Have you seen riders hit their horses around the head with crops after a successful jumping round? Yeah, me neither.

Your son is a full-grown adult. He is a professional rider. He is representing the US abroad as we type. He has accepted HUGE grants of other people’s money from the USEA. All that comes with responsibility whether you and he like it or not.

He needs to come out and make a statement on his own behalf (see: Charlotte Dujardin for a recent example). Daddy coming on here to scold everyone is not only not a good look, ultimately, it hurts his reputation.

And, speaking of the scolding, no, people aren’t obliged to not follow and discuss a major breaking story just because you don’t want us to. There is no ‘rest of the story’ that will make what’s in those videos acceptable in any way, shape, or form.

You son shows signs of alarming anger management issues and lack of impulse control. He needs to address that and do the work to overcome it.

His silence so far is deafening.

ETA: not a reply to @skydy! This is meant for @Wick_McConnon

[Wick_McConnon]

He did not punch the horse. Pause it and take another look.

[Whoaovergo]

This is an absolute bananas post to make. Trying to diminish your son’s actions (yanking his horses head around to beat them in the face with a crop) by comparing that to a celebratory pat on the neck after a successful round is such… a bizarre defense. I don’t even know where to start, intent is one place we could begin with… but I’m not sure that would do any good at this point.

Dumbfounded, truly aghast.

[skydy]

Um, he is not my son, why are you replying to me?

[Wick_McConnon]

Because, unlike any of you, I state my name and town of residence.