I contacted the majority to ask they withdraw support. We have to work as a body of horse lovers to root out such evil, or we will all lose out. But most importantly, we must do what we can to protect horses from these monsters!
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I wonder why this news isnât on the Horse and Hound forum. It seems likely that some of its members are at Burghley, or at least Pippa Cuckson.
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I spent a couple decades in the SoPi area (competitor, volunteer, farm owner). I was one of Andrewâs early cheerleaders when he was making the leap from JR/YR to an adult trainer starting a business. In fact, there were a handful of riders in the area that were all making that change around the same time. Some did it with maturity, humility, and a willingness to improve themselves with each horse. Some took a few years to develop those attributes. Some, well . . .
Iâm not sure if Iâm one of the people @Scaramouch was referencing (sorry, I donât know who you are IRL), but I learned the hard way that horses learned to hate Andrew. Iâll never forgive myself for not realizing what was happening when I sent a mare to his farm to be sold (he had a lot of CANTER horses coming through and I thought she would get more exposure to clients). The YEH stuff was just getting started and I naively suggested he take my mare.
When I picked her up from the venue I thought she had rolled in fire ants. He TOLD me they were spur marks. She was absolutely unrideable and threw herself sideways if she even thought she had done something wrong. I should have taken photos, but I didnât. Her poor brain was fried. It took a long time but she eventually trusted again and went on to a nice quiet career.
I shared my experience with a few people and always received the same response âheâs such a quiet riderâ âhe loves the horses so muchâ âsuch a great eyeâ etc etc. He sat on two more of my horses and I still took lessons occasionally. That is until I asked him to get off my horse one day. I had seen enough and knew he would never get another dollar from me or sit on one of my horses again.
I really, really hoped his time with WFP would grow him as a trainer. Apparently it did not. Even after he came back it seemed that the horses grew more and more tense in the ring. And yet anytime I mentioned concerns I was met with the golden-boy attitude. It truly is shocking. Those videos are appalling and worse than anything I personally witnessed.
I applaud those that were able to capture these moments and take a stand against this abuse. Everyone has bad days, bad moments, bad decisions. This is not a bad moment, this is a methodology captured on video. And it is about time it stopped.
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Itâs way past time.
Iâm left wondering why NO ONE has called him out on this behavior over what - decades now? Itâs mystifying and honestly pretty inexcusable.
I have now lost respect for two eventers (one an UL rider who Iâve competed against in Area 2, and one a fairly well/known COTHer who posts a lot on the eventing forum) based on their apologies for and defense of this atrocious abuse in their FB posts.
Like the GM situation, some are âcircling the wagons.â NO ONE!!! should be hero worshiped and âgiven a passâ just because theyâre an upper level rider who gets good results in competition.
What gives? My DH is furious on behalf of these horses and said: âif I witnessed that I would grab the guy and shake the crap out of himâ but then again he is Italian 
So what can be done??? Petition the governing bodies? Boycott the sponsors after contacting them and explaining why?
Isnât this animal abuse? Canât he be brought up on some kind of charges? Itâs sickens me that people get away with this and the horses just have to bear it because they have no voice.
This is on video and in photos itâs not hearsay or gossip - and there are MANY witnesses! What can be done? If enough of us make a stink, maybe it will move the needle?
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You know whatâs so strange, after reading through this thread and the FB posts today, I remember a few years ago watching a montage that RNS Videomedia had put together on their YouTube channel of the coffin jump at one large event they were covering. I started thinking back to there being a pro rider on a beautiful dark bay. Almost every other rider was having a stop at this complex, largely due to last fence being a corner. This rider comes through and the horse makes it look like nothing. Horse lands off the corner, takes a stride and the rider cracks him hard on the shoulder twice as he gallops off. Perhaps he felt the horse barely bulge his right shoulder and in his mind felt justified to remind him where to keep his body. I dont really know or care. I just had a sick feeling when I watched it years ago that something wasnât right with that rider. I found that video again just now. Itâs Andrew.
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I am curious if you saw a rider abusing a horse what would you do? I ask this honestly. Speaking up is hard. At a show, you find an official, which may or may not make a difference.
There is a not so big name trainer who did horrific things at home, we all walked away each time she arrived. It haunts me. More than 1 horse she started was euthanized before the age of 10.
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I think itâs very easy to say this, and a lot of us think we would speak up or shake him or what have you. But who actually sees it? People who are around him or part of his program or who have horses with him, and Iâm betting the facade slips most when heâs around people he has a measure of control over: a working student who canât afford to get a bad reputation, or someone on paid staff - theyâre not in a position of control and I think itâs easy for the head trainer/high level rider to steamroll them. Angry clients get written off as angry about something else. Big money owners may just like the results theyâre getting. And as weâve seen right here on this forum, speaking out can land you in years of a legal battle (see: Ellen Doughty Hume). So instead you get years of whispers and âeverybody knowsâ but no one really DOES anything.
I mean look at the vitriol the accusers of George Morris got. It can been very daunting to be the one seemingly going after a big name (or someone perceived to be a big name anyway)
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I have been in DoD for my entire career, and have had regular training to address concerns about sexual assault. The most beneficial training involved considering how to react to certain scenarios. Options include direct intervention, contacting an authority figure, or contacting law enforcement. I think for all horse people, thinking ahead of what you will do is important. Honestly, it seems like capturing video is critical, so I think for me, my first response would be to start video taping!
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Am starting off by saying I absolutely do not condone any sort of animal abuse and I know nothing about this rider other than seeing his name as one of the US riders at Burghley. In the one clip itâs hard to see the riderâs face as the video is shot at an awkward angle and then the rider is cantering away with inexplicable âdisciplineâ at the end. Have these videos been submitted so say the Horse Welfare committee as USEF? is there absolute proof that the person riding is who they accuse him to be? I canât tell if thatâs his logo wear or not, is it remotely possible its someone who works for him riding and abusing the horse? Certainly if it is him, then by all means USEF, USEA should investigate and hold him accountable. My other concerns is for equestrian sport and the negative impact these bad apples have on it. The sport is already under a microscope with many calling to end any form of equestrian competition. Videos like this on social media certainly do not help. it is so disheartening to see these videos. I did read some article about him and his time working with WFP and is such a 180 from what is in the video.
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I got a response from Correct Connect that they were very saddened and had withdrawn support! Hallelujah!
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Good for them! 
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They just posted on Instagram too
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Yes! Not sure how many people contacted them, but thankful for ktâs post with the sponsors and hopefully more of us can contact these companies to get similar responses!!! I just wish I could help all his horse victims, but ensuring he loses at least some monetary support feels good!
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My understanding is that these videos were submitted to the FEI and USEF some 3-5 months ago but after no response, the decision was made to go to social media. I donât think this was the preferred route. And honestly after seeing so many other people coming forward with similar stories, these videos seem pretty consistent with what theyâve described firsthand.
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Time for me to buy something from them, and make sure they know itâs because of their response to the abusive riderâs actions. 
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I just bought some stability leathers and added a note on the order: âThank you for withdrawing support of Andrew McConnon.â
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I totally get this (and agree), DH has a habit of wanting to âsmack downâ people for various reasons (in his opinion abuse of animals - and children - is especially egregious!), but he would really NOT act on it unless someone attacked him first - or me, our daughter, or our animals. OTOH, he is a very large man; 6â4" and close to 300 pounds - so he can come across as intimidating even though he is really a kind, sweet man. He scares people just by being as large as he is without actually doing anything intimidating. He is well behaved and considerate unless you are an A$$HOLE!, then he will address this, but without physical violence. (He wishes! Italians. Ugh.)
I am a typical petite older horse woman (tough and strong, but extremely non-confrontational and very NON physically intimidating!), add that to being overly tactful and considerate and very much not wanting to stir pots or get up in peopleâs faces - even when they are A-holes. So I would have the same issues with actually doing something when witnessing abuse - especially if the abuser had some position of power over me. I want to think I would?? But I completely understand what youâre saying.
That said??
I still donât know what the best course of action is now, after the fact. We MUST be able to do something about this if only to keep animals out of this guyâs hands. NO MORE LESSONS, CLINICS, TRAINING RIDES! No one should be sponsoring him or providing him with rides and horses.
He is reprehensible. If the âpeons and smurfsâ who have no power and canât really confront him canât act on this, someone in a position of actual power and authority needs to. Yesterday.
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I messaged their FB earlier today.
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The apologists are blowing my mind and not in a good way!
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Right?!?!?!?!?
