Anyone see the recent TikTok about suspended trainer Michael Leon (Windsor Stables)? Got suspended for drug violation and allegedly keeps violating it by sending his assistants to shows. Opens the door to an even bigger topic of USEF allowing trainers to continue to violate their rules and do nothing…thoughts?
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Not his first rodeo WRT this.
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What happened before?
Is this the same person as Michael Britt-Leon?
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Yes
Yep
If you think that USEF has ever been into this for the horse welfare and not the bottom line, think again.
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He has at least one wealthy amateur client bankrolling him at present, the retired BluePearl guy.
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He really doubled down on “not owning Windsor Stables” when he’s listed as the trainer/pro on the website with his husband as the “owner”, and it says they own and operate it together on Chess’s Sotheby’s bio. Also funny that Chess went to Navarro College, of ‘Cheer’ fame.
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Mark Dorfman has multiple horses, but Kelly Sims is his primary client/owner. They’ve also been using her personal farm name, Clarity Farm IIRC, with the same color banners etc, to try to get around showing under the Windsor banner. While promoting all of it on the Windsor social media of course!
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Yes. RIP Bacchus. The week the suspension went public MBL was posting about his derby wins including with Bacchus, but never any mention of the fact that Bacchus was no longer with them. It was odd.
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That’s sad that a vet would support someone giving their horse sedatives to preform 
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I feel we would all have to take a big stand against them, together. Would need to hurt them financially, which would hurt most of the professionals. We all lose no matter what
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Wait the horse died without mention and he’s bragging about winning classes on him?!!!??
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That’s what everyone is saying, he was always the owner or Windsor Stables until he got suspended and tried to get around the rules
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Correct - the horse dropped off the radar, then there were rumors, then he was listed with USEF as deceased. So to see the posts about Bacchus without mention of that detail was . . . something. Of course, no one owes the world an explanation every time a horse dies but when you put it in the public eye that way, it’s a little odd when there is no mention of the loss.
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Bacchus was far too special to be treated as a footnote in his own legacy. My heart aches for him.
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I’m in no way defending him, but the USEF rules around suspensions seem clear as mud. However, he does seem to be trying to rub it in and flaunt it.
His post on FB really added insult to injury - blaming a random farrier for the drugs and not taking any personal responsibility (a lot of trainers could use this lesson as well).
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