Andrew McC has longstanding anger issues that are no secret in his local community. There have been various witnesses to various incidents and there have been various conversations in which Andrew was made aware of the potential fallout from his behaviour. None of this is new, including the videos which were taken some time ago.
It’s too bad it came to this but horses aren’t his to abuse. Punching a horse doesn’t improve a horse’s jump any more than whipping its legs a la CDJ improves its canter. There’s something deeply wrong here in both cases and this apparent break with reality might also signal a good time to take a break and re-evaluate life in general and more specifically, how horses can fit into your life in a healthy way.
That sort of blind and vicious brutality is the very definition of abuse. If there is a hell he will rot in it. In the meantime, he deserves keel hauling and a few days tied to a stake.
Oh for godssake. I’ve met so many men like you who walk into a room full of people you don’t know and assume you are the smartest one there. You, who by your own admission know nothing about horses, want to tell this forum of lifelong owners, riders, trainers from the local to the regional to the national and international levels, FEI grooms, stewards, judges, and organizers of equine events, you’re going to school us all and convince us that what we are seeing with our own eyes is not real, is not abuse, is nothing but an attempt to ruin the career of your adult son. You, who know nothing at all about horses, somehow know more than we do about the riding and “training” shown in the video(s).
I think we can all agree that Andrew McConnon has show a pattern of abusive behavior towards the horses in his care. I also think that we can all agree that he deserves swift and severe punishment. I also think we should be asking ourselves why it has taken this long to get any type of response.
Money
Fear
Status quo
Retribution
Corruption
Greed
Ego
Bills to pay
Organizational politics
Skeletons
Secrets
Alliances
Bystander effect
Toothless organizations
Hesitance
Etc
Rinse and repeat.
I reported a starved skeleton of an old horse with a lumpy, swollen, infected appearing penis he could no longer retract. I told the deputy why all of that mattered. That was months ago. They checked on him. He’s still rotting out there in the field.
If the authorities lack real teeth and backbone, why make a fuss that will do nothing but mark you as a pill that no one wants to deal with.
If I remember correctly @Demerara_Stables, you have no membership to renew.
Your CV is that you have been a “professional” trainer since the age of 18 but have never been a member of USEF nor have you competed in any USEF or FEI competitions, nor have you had “formal” lessons.
Professionals in the H/J, Dressage, or Eventing disciplines have to belong to (USEF) to compete, especially when they advertise that they teach and train (take money from) students and their horses, to compete at more than the local levels.
Many local competitions are run by USEF rules.
Giving up /down lessons is now allowed under certain circumstances.
Anyone advertising as an professional and taking customers, even to local shows, many of which say on the prize list that they run under USEF rules, needs to be familiar with USEF rules.
I think you are well meaning , but your “stop renewing memberships” stance will have no effect.
When you consider yourself a “professional trainer” and giver of riding lessons, you should know that paying a “fan” membership doesn’t matter one iota to USEF at all…
Your $15 is good for (relatively cheap) access to videos, otherwise not so much if you want to make a difference or have a voice for horse welfare.
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Not belonging to USEF however, has let some people off the hook. Until their customers realize that by not belonging to USEF , their trainers can and (some will) skirt the rules.
With no membership to our NGB or the FEI, the drug rules (and a myriad of other rules) can be broken and there is no recourse. Of course usually in local shows… rated are more difficult.
Yes, horse welfare in horse sport is terribly imperfect. Having no rules at this point is certainly worse.
At least if you have trainer who is a member, you have an avenue to pursue.
I hope that USEF will buck up and not be so hesitant to come down on the people that try to get around the rules by not joining.
Ah yes I see you still haven’t improved your reading comprehension in the few months since you last called me out for not being a “real” trainer.
I’d love to see where there is a state or federal law that governs what organizations horse trainers have to belong to. I have never purported to teach students or train horses at the national or international level. That’s not my business model, that’s not what I’m good at. I don’t show at USEF shows (nor am I a member) because a) showing means f*ck all about your ability to teach a student to ride or train a horse for a certain discipline, b), I don’t agree with many of USEF’s rules, and I certainly don’t agree with their stance on horse welfare, c) I support my local schooling shows without spending exorbitant amounts of my own and my clients’ money to do so, and d) for the little bit that it’s worth, when I’m teaching a horse that someone wants to show, the horse knows zero difference between a schooling and rated show.
So, no, I’m not a member and never have been, but I sure as hell am going to tell anyone that will listen why not, and encourage them to take a long hard look at USEF’s track record when it comes to horse welfare before they give USEF another penny. It’s time to put your(g) money where your mouth is, because the issue that all of this boils down to is money. People beat horses to get results to sell them or do well in shows for money, USEF ignores abuse because of money, etc etc. Time to fight fire with fire instead of standing around complaining on the internet.
Being a member of USEF means exactly zero to a client when their horse is being drugged or beaten. If that’s happening, MOVE YOUR HORSE. TAKE YOUR MONEY AWAY FROM THAT TRAINER. The recourse is, the trainer has no clients, just like the poster up thread who said almost their entire barn up and left after the trainer was abusive. THAT solved the problem. Taking the money. As soon as we realize that we can and should speak up when abuse happens, abusive trainers will get outed and they’ll have no clients.
There is no law in the U.S. that keeps people from calling themselves whatever they want to be called as far as horse sport is concerned .
That’s where we are behind, in the U.S.
There are other countries that actually have standards. There are are plenty of people in the U.S. that abuse horses everyday and sell themselves as “professionals”.
The only way we can hope to improve upon that, is if we have organizations that have some, albeit, imperfect rules.
Do you really think that horse abuse is only seen in USEF or FEI competition experience?
Have you had any riding, or training students or horses to USEF or FEI levels? There are many people who do that regularly.
I don’t mean to say that you are complicit in backyard abuse, I’m sure you aren’t , but don’t you think we need some eyes on the local level as well as the USEF and FEI? Have you never seen abuse at the local shows that you attend?
Your (G) local shows aren’t holding horse welfare to a higher standard.
The ignorant backyard abuse of horses, is to me, just as horrible as the abuse of the horses in the videos we’ve seen here.
Saying we all need to be USEF members so they can regulate abuse is like saying we all need to send our kids to catholic church because it’s safe and no one will get raped.
Oh they absolutely are. And I’ll tell you something else - I boycott (and encourage others to do the same) a showgrounds that is 30 minutes from me in favor of driving 4 hours to a schooling show because the local one (that holds rated and non rated shows) has had multiple rider injuries and at least one horse death because of their incompetence and lack of footing maintenance. The facility that’s 4 hours away absolutely holds people to a higher standard and enforces welfare rules, even at their schooling shows. It has nothing to do with a show being USEF sanctioned or not - it has to do with morals and putting the horse before the money.
The point is, that if you choose to call yourself a “professional”, and then not to attempt to participate in your NGB, at least for your students’ sake, try to make an effort to suck it up and pay the membership fee and not come off as having no voice in the “professional” organization. Make a difference. Do something against what you think is egregious. Cough up and join, where you can then have a say.
There was lots of talk about horse welfare and then guess what? Zero action. Time and time again, people way more important than me, and with way more skin in the game, have tried to make a change and have failed. Honestly, I would love to grow my business and reputation enough so that USEF would sit up and listen when I had something to say. And I’m trying to do that, everyday. But right now, with what I’ve seen and the little bit I’ve tried to do, it’s useless. I’ll keep trying to change the status quo of horse welfare in my own way in my own part of the country, and maybe one day TPTB will listen to what I have to say.
We all hope for that.
However, have you thought about the local shows that you seem to prefer to take your friends to? The local unrated shows that have no money grubbing drug fees or other standards?
Easier isn’t it? No USEF drug testing fees no blood rules etc…
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Does this hold water with supporting other crappy organizations?
So, if you’re not a catholic, you have no say in the child abuse?
If a show grounds has nails sticking out of the stalls and garbage footing, that you aren’t allowed to say anything unless you’re showing there regularly?
If your local grocery store sells expired things, you can’t be disappointed and mention it to a new-to-the-area person unless you shop there?
Saying you must support USEF in order to comment on their DEMONSTRATED lack of action against abusers might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard today. Why don’t we tell that to the NYT, when they finish their article on this latest round of abuse that USEF and FEI turned a blind eye towards.
They have not been beneficial to my primary sport, horse racing. My criticism is not with covering these stories; they need to be reported. My problem with NYT’s coverage is that they have not reported the stories objectively. Usually I find NYT to be relatively balanced, but in matters of animal abuse, they trend towards the sensational. My fear is that eventing is going to lose their social license to operate, much like what horse racing has been experiencing.
aren’t 
