The host is under the ban?
This is actually NOT true. The Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that police officers have no duty to protect other people from crime, even if it is happening right in front of them and they could reasonably stop it. It is entirely the officer’s choice on whether or not they stop a felony or any other crime from happening.
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That’s how I read it. So, sort of the inverse of the GM - Persimmon Tree situation. But the same question… can one pro or farm cooperate with a banned person when it comes to holding clinics?
USEF needs to speak CLEARLY to this issue. It’s one thing for amateurs to pay to ride in these clinics… although I personally wouldn’t do it, and don’t really understand why others would 
But the more key issue involved is the professional cooperation occurring between the clinician and the host, when either of those parties is banned by SafeSport. In these situations, they are literally cooperating to bring more athletes to a single event, where more people are potentially interacting with a banned individual, and thus, can reasonably be described as being more at risk.
The purpose of SafeSport is to REDUCE the risk of athlete abuse in the sport. So it seems reasonable to say that this activity is a violation of the code.
ETA - the aiding and abetting provision as @vxf111 stated.
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I read this the other way (not that the host was a banned person but that the host was a non-banned USEF member hosting a banned person and the banned person gave a clinic at the host’s facility). I’m not sure it matters. Any sort of patronage/support of a banned person giving a clinic to USEF members could violate the aiding and abetting rules and be reportable per the way USEF handled the GM/Persimmon Tree clinic situation.
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I also read it this way. Non-banned (female) trainer gave clinic at banned (male) trainer’s barn. Non-banned trainer then posted on FB.
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Peggy has it correct
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If they apply the general GM/PH reasoning I am not sure it matters. Regardless of who hosted and who gave the clinic you have a USEF member coordinating an event with a banned member.
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Safe Sport Update: Equestrian Canada has an agreement with USEF now that we will share rules and our memberships will work across borders.
This also means that Safe Sport is being applied in Canada and any sanctions in the US will be applied in Canada and vice versa.
Sounds like a win.
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I’m guessing that you all are referring to a different banned person… but I just checked Facebook out of curiosity to see what Tom Navarro was up to… since he’s in Virginia, runs a barn full of kids riding, and is banned for life.
Looks like he just took a trailer full of his young clients over to a Beverly Equestrian schooling show, and publicly posted about it on Facebook.
So where to draw the line in THAT situation? It’s a schooling show, so technically open to anyone, and I guess if the kids’ parents are paying the entry fees, they are the ones doing business with the farm. So no rules are technically violated.
But seriously? I don’t get this. People who are banned for life by SafeSport, but still flouting their suspensions and coaching a bunch of kids… they should be considered persona non grata at most respected facilities… schooling show or not.
I’ve only ever heard positive things about Beverly… but if I were them, I’d politely ask Navarro NOT to come back.
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If I were a rider, coach, parent, or barn owner in the area I think I would be encouraging all my clients to write to show management, advising them exactly why none of us would be patronizing their show series any more.
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Yes. Screenshot and send to USEF.
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Darrin (and Bill) can just use the excuse that they didn’t know Tom Navarro is banned, which may be the legitimate case. I believe that it is unlikely that they would know, unless directly informed of it through the local community, which they might not have, since they are living up in the rarefied air, so to speak.
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I hear you… but c’mon… they know just a teensy tiny bit about SafeSport at this point, given that they no longer are hosting George Morris clinics. Is it seriously too much of a bother to be aware of the one guy on the lifetime banned list who actually is operating in the immediate local area, and bringing a trailer load of students to your farm to participate in your schooling jumper shows?
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Honestly, at their level of society, it’s “Don’t tell. Don’t ask. Don’t care.”, but I am not surprised that Tom would try to connect with them, given their social status and backgrounds, as they could easily open doors he would otherwise have slammed in his face.
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It was a sort of big name trainer that posted a group picture after having given a clinic at Tom Navarro’s …and how she couldn’t wait to do it again
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Wow. I get ‘spidey sense’ credit for guessing who was involved.
She should be reported. I would guess, depending on the person involved who gave the clinic, that USEF might issue a warning to her, instead of the same penalty they did in the Persimmon Tree case. The guy does behave as though he hadn’t been banned for life by SafeSport… that’s for sure. And he was part of the group in October that tried to get their bans overturned on a technicality.
But honestly… she should be reported because she is actually contributing to him maintaining a veneer of respectability. His clientele are mostly beginners from Eastern Loudoun and Fairfax… he stays in business by virtue of his good location, and population density in the area. And he’s comparatively affordable. But from what I have heard, there are many issues with his program, including farm maintenance and the care the lesson horses get… in addition to the lifetime ban from SafeSport given his criminal record for 3rd degree sodomy involving minor in another state.
I’m sorry… but someone who has THAT criminal record shouldn’t be coaching kids and teens in ANY sport. I don’t care what the backstory and excuse he tells people is… these sort of cases are pretty hard to get all the way through the legal system. His case did go all the way through the system, and he has a record. That speaks for itself.
I don’t understand respectable people in the area giving clinics at his farm, and I don’t understand respectable farms in the area welcoming him on their grounds with a trailer full of minors. It’s not like he’s George or something, and there is a big group of folks in mourning over his SafeSport ban.
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West Coaster here so I had never heard of Beverly Farm. Just went to their website out of curiosity. Under Affiliated and Guest Trainers, the first person pictured is George Morris.
I find it hard to believe that the owners of this facility have no concept of how distasteful that is to so many of us in the horse world. Very sad for any chance of meaningful change with people like this at the “top” of the industry.
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I hear you. But in all fairness, I suspect the issue is mostly just that portion of their website is out of date by a few years.
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Yes, that section says GM’s next clinic is September 2013…
https://beverlyequestrian.com/affiliated-staff
Which would suggest that website page is pretty old (pre-September 2013).
Still, someone should ping them so they can take it down. It’s not a good look even if it’s just a remnant of an old page.
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