Thank you for being so honest. I’m glad you had a strong parent who kept you safe from physical abuse - I only wish all parents had been so careful, both then and now.
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I was a hero worshipper of GHM when I was a younger. I actually met him at a barn on LI where he was instructing and he was actually kind to me. That was 40 some years ago. As a teen, I rode with a very good instructor and mentioned the desire to go to a GM clinic. My instructor replied “you should be ok there - he only like little boys.” I was absolutely shocked. No I didn’t go. Fast forward 30 some years later and I brought a student on a young horse to a clinic in upstate NY. My student was picked on, but nothing compared to what happened to a young girl who hard a hearing disability and a person there to sign to her. GM screamed at the signer -“Are you doing your job and telling her what I said! She hasn’t improved at all and really shouldn’t be here if she can’t understand me.” Now some big wigs from USEF were there and you could hear a pin drop in the silence of the spectators… Some years later I read his book “Unrelenting.” So no, I am not surprised but I find myself very, very sad and disappointed at USEF for turning a blind eye. And the AHSA as well. I am glad there is Safe Sport. I’m sure a bunch of little storied like mine will come out. now.
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I also turned my facebook off for now. I wanted to avoid all my friends who are doing the gut reaction of safesport is terrible, there is no due process, GM is the victim here, name the accuser. I posted my piece, said people should educate themselves before reacting, and then left. The amount of anger I felt towards it all was unhealthy.
I may not even turn it back on. Its cowardly, i will admit it, but I dont really want to know which of my friends defend him.
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Not sure why Equestrians think we are immune to this!!
Another coach on trial for abuse, swimming this time.
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Sorry, but I’m not clear on what you’re saying here. I’m pretty sure the members of the I stand with George FB group are, by and large, very aware of who he is.
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I was directly referring to the victim in which he put it in writing. for lack of a better description, that put the nail in the coffin for that case and the ultimate ruling SS put forth.
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She’s saying there are people who know who he is and respect him but are not from the H/J world. They are more familiar with the AQHA or breed world.
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sorry - maybe I misread your post when you stated the membership of USEF - I was referring to the USEF membership and other disciplines not knowing (or caring) who George Morris is.
Will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
What a heartbreaking article.
First and foremost, USEF should be about protecting the welfare of horses and riders, NOT the trainers who currently rule the sport.
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It’s not only Olympic sports…recall Jerry Sandusky at Penn State.
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“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”
How many of us heard that growing up? One thing that strikes me reading this thread and following along is that in the decades since GHM arrived on the scene and began his ascent, the generally prevailing understanding of and attitudes towards things like abuse of animals (livestock) and bullying and emotional manipulation of people have undergone tidal shifts. Most people now understand that there is a line between tough love and abuse and can tell when it has been crossed. There is understanding that bullying and emotional abuse can cause as much irreparable damage as physical abuse. I say all this to the point that people who maybe attended clinics over the years and saw GHM act in ways that would now obviously be generally unacceptable… it might not have been that clear way back when… and by the time it was clear, he had begun to moderate a bit.
I still think a lot of the circling of the wagons is more about who is in the highest caste of the h/j social hierarchy.
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Ya know this whole thing makes me sad because he really is talented at creating great horsemen and riders. He’s no slouch himself in the saddle. It makes me sad because NONE of what he did/does that is atrocious is necessary. He could have been great without all this.
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This article linked from that one: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/10/sports/-usa-gymnastics-scandal-.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article
As the federation enters a phase that may lead to its demise, longtime gymnasts remain befuddled over the mismanaged hiring. For them, the choices, most emblematically the Tracy decision, illustrated a continuing dysfunction in an organization they see as incapable of understanding the drastic changes needed to create a healthy environment for gymnasts at every level.
A cursory search of the internet would have revealed Tracy defending Nassar and calling him “amazing” in a 2016 television interview — after the first wave of accusations against him, from more than 50 athletes, was made public. Diligent outreach to gymnasts who trained under Tracy, or those who knew her athletes, would most likely have uncovered allegations of a physically and emotionally abusive atmosphere at her gym.
A spokesman for U.S.A. Gymnastics declined to comment on the hiring process for Tracy.
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The Saddlebred Morgan and Arabian peeps are circling the wagons as well. Led by one Mr Cates. Maybe not to the same extent but many are using the witch Hunt label and throwing around the same language about rights and innocence.
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I managed to find a used copy of the book on Alibris for $14. Curiosity got me, but at least I can feel better that I didn’t send the money directly to him.
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But he didn’t do all this stuff in order to be great. He did it because it was obviously an emotional need on his part. And I’m not even talking about these latest findings, just about his obvious and known behaviors. He abused the weak, not the strong. Animals, children.
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I get that but I was speaking to horse related things as well.
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So was I.
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And I still find it sad. Not trying to psychoanalyze. Just saying it’s sad.
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This could very well be. They also may believe that even if they saw some things, that was just George being George and harmless.
But, if we have learned nothing else from these SS procedings, it should be that child predators are very good at what they do. Look at the Jimmy Williams story; how many adults knew what was going on but ignored it, because they liked Jimmy? It is a staple of these people to make those around them, people who would usually gag at the thought of what they are doing, stay quiet. How they do that is a very interesting psychology discussion that is out of my pay grade.
If they weren’t persuasive people, they would have gotten caught a long time ago.
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