People Attempting to Undermine Safe Sport

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

Bernie was primarily a hunter, jumper and equitation coach though. Packy was definitely more of an eventing personality.

I’ve been waiting for more shoes to drop in the eventing world, and to see one or two other names from the 90’s. But those aren’t my stories to tell, and I am not seeing other people I know are out there step forward. In one case, I know that’s because she doesn’t consider herself a victim. She’s said as much to me. More than once. Even though the “relationship” lasted only a few months when she was a 17 yr old working student, living on site, and he was an almost 40 yr old “professional.” I’d be less cynical about this, except for the fact that I remember listening to, and comforting, an emotionally devastated friend more than once over the course of multiple years as she attempted to sort through the aftermath of this “relationship.”

Anyway… that’s just one more layer with respect to why I have the opinions I do regarding this topic.

[skydy]

I’m becoming senile. I really thought Traurig was an eventer and still taught. I must be confusing him with another old time-ish eventing guy.

Anyway, thanks for showing us that letter again @ladyj79 . Though I find it creepy to read, it think it’s important to shine a light on that dubious communication.

People should see it, in all its nauseating glory, so they know who they’re giving their money to if they choose to train “online” with him.

[Laurierace]

I wondered why Bernie was even a USEF or USHJA member in the first place, the only thing I could think of is he bought the lifetime membership.

[ladyj79]

Bernie is still “teaching”, via “equestriancoach.com” and had a fan? Associate? advertising for him on the forum this past week for a paid virtual “clinic” on hunters through the ages.

It was removed by the mods after being flagged by several users.

I wasnt one who flagged, although I agreed with them, but I was there to ask why Bernie was still being allowed, enabled, and encouraged to make a living in competitive horse sport in the US when he actively called to have his memberships cancelled because he disagrees with safe sport.

[Denali6298]

@ladyj79

Bernie is still “teaching”, via “equestriancoach.com” and had a fan? Associate? advertising for him on the forum this past week for a paid virtual “clinic” on hunters through the ages.

It was removed by the mods after being flagged by several users.

I wasnt one who flagged, although I agreed with them, but I was there to ask why Bernie was still being allowed, enabled, and encouraged to make a living in competitive horse sport in the US when he actively called to have his memberships cancelled because he disagrees with safe sport.

I flagged it because it looked like from past posts she works for equestriancoach or is somehow connected.

That’s all the poster would talk about.

I would like to think people would vote with their wallet, but being proficient at a hobby or winning a scrap of fabric seems to override that.

[ladyj79]

@Denali6298

I flagged it because it looked like from past posts she works for equestriancoach or is somehow connected.

That’s all the poster would talk about.

Oh I completely agree with you! And with flagging it, and with removing the post. I’m just going to throw his words into the world every time I can, as well as questioning why USEF and USHJA officials are still collaborating with this guy to make money when they should be honoring his wishes by shunning him.

[LexInVA]

@Laurierace

I wondered why Bernie was even a USEF or USHJA member in the first place, the only thing I could think of is he bought the lifetime membership.

It would have been useful to him in the past, even if he wasn’t competing, because he would have access to information and other things that would be of interest and useful for his profit-making endeavors. As he has shifted his business to “Lawn Gnome-For-Hire” as George did after his physical decline, he has no real use for a membership anymore and it serves no purpose, as people literally give him money for doing hardly anything now.

[skydy]

@ladyj79

Bernie is still “teaching”, via “equestriancoach.com” and had a fan? Associate? advertising for him on the forum this past week for a paid virtual “clinic” on hunters through the ages.

It was removed by the mods after being flagged by several users.

I wasnt one who flagged, although I agreed with them, but I was there to ask why Bernie was still being allowed, enabled, and encouraged to make a living in competitive horse sport in the US when he actively called to have his memberships cancelled because he disagrees with safe sport.

I flagged it as well. It was advertising and the Mod apparently agreed.

Thank you for posting the letter again.

[Jenerationx]

If someone doesn’t feel like they can follow appropriate conduct in the sport and decides to leave the associations, good riddance. Don’t let the barn door hit ya.

[skydy]

@Jenerationx

If someone doesn’t feel like they can follow appropriate conduct in the sport and decides to leave the associations, good riddance. Don’t let the barn door hit ya.

You know, it’s not even that. If you read his letter carefully Bernie Traurig doesn’t say he is resigning his membership from USEF because he doesn’t want to follow the safe sport requirements.

He made his drama filled USEF-go-to-hell letter, blaming Safe Sport for Rob Gage’s suicide, when Rob Gage admitted what he had done and apparently could not face the consequences of more victims coming forward. That says quite a lot about Bernie to me.

Suicide is very difficult to cope with and no one is happy when people choose that way out of a problem, but Safe Sport is not responsible for Rob Gage’s actions.

I hope the advent of Safe Sport and the knowledge that their actions may well catch up with them, will keep people with these tendencies out of horse sport and away from children.

[MHM]

@skydy

I’m becoming senile. I really thought Traurig was an eventer and still taught. I must be confusing him with another old time-ish eventing guy.

He was an eventer early on in his career, and he was quite successful in dressage later on, maybe after he stopped showing over jumps. I believe he also judged the Maclay finals a few years back.

[Jenerationx]

@skydy You’re right, it was about more than that. A lot of the people against SS seem to think that there are all these false claims being weaponized etc… but the people that have been banned have absolutely been predators. I feel sorry for the family and friends of Rob Gage, but as far as a predator himself taking himself out, I’d have preferred life in prison, but suicide solves the problem as well. I want them out of society, period. If that’s not possible due to the many issues of statute or lack of physical evidence or witnesses willing to go through trial, then banishment from the sport for life is the next best thing. Anyone griping about loss of income for the pedophiles need to have their heads examined.

[Midge]

@LexInVA

Most of what I found is clearly substance abuse related, though I’d really say that all of it was, as there are a lot of speeding tickets [edit] he got caught multiple times without a license or driving with a suspended license or driving drunk/high and with drug-related items. Because of his age, there’s a lot of years where anything he did as a younger man would have been on paper records and not digitized, so I can’t say anything more conclusive about his personal conduct or what he may have been involved in, beyond speculating due to his personal ties to certain people. I cannot say with any certainty that he was a bad person, though I believe that nobody really knew him well enough to say that one way or another, but he was most certainly a flawed and broken one.

@LexInVA

To be frank, it is a matter of public record that mere days after SafeSport was made official and was discreetly investigating GM and others, Packy began the liquidation of his assets - namely his farm and everything contained therein - and his passing also occurred mere days after the sale of his farm. Whether or not any of that is unfortunate coincidence or something more, is a matter of debate or personal opinion, but given that it is also a matter of public record that the family did not reveal the COD in his obituary, you will have to wait for a conclusive answer to settle that matter.

@LexInVA

I believe that Packy’s career was mostly spent as an anonymous corporate law drone at a now dismantled big firm. Outside of that, he was a complete nobody as a private practice lawyer, outside of some Gay advocacy and horse industry stuff that he did to keep his name out there.

I find the level of speculation here completely repugnant.

[LexInVA]

@Midge

I find the level of speculation here completely repugnant.

All the dates of his charges fit with the established timeline of his substance abuse issues, which included his beginning years as a trainer/coach/clinician at Banbury Cross Farm, which happened after he lost his big money law job. He had a long list of legal troubles over the years, including money problems. Some of it is on his Facebook, if you dig around. There’s also public records for the DC, MD, and VA courts that you can peruse if you like. After he got better, he stayed out of trouble.

SafeSport was put into action, by law, on Feburary 14, 2018. Packy put Banbury Cross Farm up for sale on Feburary 22, 2018 and - after some aborted attempts - had an contingent offer by March 5th, 2020. Packy passed away between March 11th and March 12th, with an unreleased cause of death. That is a matter of public record that nobody can refute. You can find the dates in the Real Estate listings and match it with Packy’s obituary notice and the SafeSport press releases.

Packy’s legal career was more or less a stint at a big-name law firm in DC called Thelen-Reid & Priest, doing mundane corporate/government-related work. The firm he had been with had collapsed by the end of 2008, after which he transitioned to being a professional Equestrian and had a string of charges and arrests tied to his substance abuse problem, that apparently developed during the tail-end of his time at the firm and continued well into his time as a professional Equestrian, coaching young riders. That’s a matter of record, as put forth by Packy, his family, various legal records, and what little documentation is out there of his professional career.

No speculation here. It’s all a matter of record.

[neigh]

I agree with Midge. The fact that you are willing to smear someone who isn’t around to defend themselves shows your total lack of integrity, respect, decency and all other positive human traits.

[Denali6298]

@neigh

I agree with Midge. The fact that you are willing to smear someone who isn’t around to defend themselves shows your total lack of integrity, respect, decency and all other positive human traits.

I don’t see how speaking about what is public record is smearing someone.

[ladyj79]

That’s exactly what people said about Jimmy Williams. Bollocks.

Lex pointing out things on the public record isnt “smearing”, and neither is survivors speaking out about their abusers.

[LexInVA]

@neigh

I agree with Midge. The fact that you are willing to smear someone who isn’t around to defend themselves shows your total lack of integrity, respect, decency and all other positive human traits.

“Smear” is a verb. Your usage of it is defined as “to ruin someone’s reputation by making false allegations”. Every single bit of information that I have posted here is a matter of public record. From Packy’s own social media statements about his troubles, to those of his family, to legal records, to public information sources, and documents available on the Internet. No pun intended, but I have simply set the record straight as to who and what he was. I made it clear that he was - if anything - a flawed and broken man by giving factual information about the circumstances of his life that put him in the bad place where he ended up and that’s far more respectful to his memory than anything that anyone else has said about him thus far, given the “Pedophile Apologist” label he got from his brief and controversial work at AFE and advocacy for his friend George Morris and the “Pro Animal Abuse” pin he accrued from his statements about Marilyn Little.

[ladyj79]

But, like, Marilyn is family :rolleyes: Packy was clearly a loyal person, if nothing else.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

Whoa whoa whoa… before this thread goes off the rails, I want to jump in on a few points.

First - I’m partially at fault for an inappropriate/inaccurate comment about the recently deceased. After the point was made that there was some sort of issue with his legal career, I did a 10 second Google search on public records and the early administrative suspension in Md popped right up. It occurred in 1992, right after he graduated from law school. I incorrectly assumed that suspension was the beginning of the end of his legal career. LexinVa was responding to my incorrect assumption with one of the comments Midge quoted, and explaining about the scope of his career and areas of practice (corporate law).

Second - The point was made by myself and another, that public reports confirmed he died in his sleep. I think it’s appropriate to quote those reports again now, and leave this particular issue at that. It’s what is out there in the public record. And frankly, people can have any number of issues with substance abuse, underlying health issues… or frankly have nothing more than sleep apnea… and die tragically in their sleep in their 50’s. Enough said.

However…

Third - The fact is, if someone has a public record of multiple criminal convictions for substance abuse related charges in multiple states, that alone is a reason many parents would not be comfortable having that particular individual coach said parents’ teenager. If he was in recovery, and working on those sorts of substance abuse issues… I hope someone with a personal connection will speak up right now and share that. Plenty of great people have gone through struggles with substance abuse, and I support anyone working through addiction and recovery, and want to be fair. But if there was a documented history of substance abuse, a history that actually lead to multiple criminal convictions in multiple states… that is actually relevant information when speaking about a person who coached minors in sport. That alone can be a reason to temporarily ban someone from coaching under Safe Sport rules, depending on the circumstances.

4. Adding to the substance abuse issues, he was a well known, outgoing, and outspoken personality. Some of his humor was not appropriate for a professional in the business of coaching minors. That’s my opinion. But I admittedly am firmly on one side of the Safe Sport debate. With that said, I do not have perSonal experience with, or knowledge of, inappropriate humor and conversations and other discussions going on in front of minor clients. However… that wouldn’t surprise me either if it had happened. Bottom line, off color jokes can be at the root of sexual harassment penalties in the workplace. They can also be at the root of a Safe Sport Complaint. And it is fairly simple to imagine that this individual might be the subject of exactly such a complaint at this point in time. If one chooses to interpret the full scope of Lex’s comments as meaning that he felt defensive and was preparing for some sort of Safe Spirt complaint and sanction… honestly… that’s not really a slur in my opinion. Just the way things are at this point in time within many sports, for many many reasons. No one wants to see people unfairly sanctioned and losing their livelihoods… but as a parent… I also do not want “professionals” engaging in inappropriate “humor” around my minor. And I want to know if people engaged in coaching minors have significant ongoing substance abuse issues.

5. So combine the criminal record, the known personality, and the outspoken advocacy in OPPOSITION to Safe Sport… and it’s reasonable to wonder if there wasn’t additional underlying issues and concerns about a Safe Sport complaint resulting in a sanction which would likely impact his coaching business. I fully understand others not being comfortable with this sort of speculation, given that he has very recently passed away. However, it was his choice while he was alive to jump right into the middle of the Safe Sport debate, and personally write and publish something in the Chronicle in support of Athletes For Equity that was essentially a legal rebuttal to Ryan Lefkowitz’s blog. I will also note, that when this back and forth was published, I had no knowledge of any criminal record for substance abuse related charges. Criminal substance abuse related issues are something someone else in equestrian sport is currently, SPECIFICALLY serving a Safe Sport suspension for. I find that particular lack of disclosure on his part odd. If you want your personal history to remain private - I get it and have no argument. But if you want to jump into a public debate and publish something, and share your credentials as an attorney and a professional coach who was also a Pan Am Gold medallist (all valid credentials to share)… you should also let readers know you have a criminal record and a personal concern regarding your own coaching business being impacted by possible Safe Sport sanctions related to your own criminal record. Failing to disclose something significant like that does reflect negatively on your own credibility and forthrightness.

Regardless of any of this, his is still a recent death. Family and friends are grieving. He chose to fully engage in the Safe Sport issues during his final months. Athletes for Equity has chosen to utilize the tragedy of his passing as a rallying cry with respect to memorial related fundraising. It’s really challenging to find a way to speak about these issues, while still being sensitive to grief others are actively experiencing. Maybe leaving this all well enough alone for now is the wisest course of action. But it’s undeniable that he was a person who was was quick witted, and predisposed to engagement when it came to debating specific issues about which he was passionate.