Is anyone else alarmed that the victims essentially had to stand up at the Oaks and hold a “question and answer” session in order to pacify their fellow athletes? It’s interesting that prior to this happening the outrage on fb was out of control, people were hopping on to a bandwagon without giving any thought to the consequences this may have on the victims who reported RG, on athletes that were currently in situations where they should be reporting but are afraid to, never mind the fact that every twisted individual who is preying on young riders would take all of those posts to be empowering and solidify in their sick minds that what they were doing is acceptable behavior.
Equally twisted is the fact that because at least one of these women is widely respected in the industry and whose husband is also widely respected it seems to have shut down the rampant bullying/victim blaming that was occurring on social media. It does, however, make me curious as to what the response would have been had it been someone who was viewed as less “important” in the industry. If the victim(s) didn’t have any “clout” would people continue to be denying what is clearly evident, that there was a pattern of abuse over many years? Abuse that was “whispered” about. Abuse that many other individuals who were close to RG knew was happening but continued to support him anyway.
A quick look at the current list of banned individuals and those under temporary sanctions confirms that all sports need to be monitored and rules need to be in place to help prevent this from occurring in the future.
This sport will not survive without new and upcoming riders. Those riders deserve to be able to train and compete without worrying about the additional “costs” to be able to compete at the top of the sport. My guess is that if you polled the top 100 female athletes in this sport we would be horrified at the results. Suffering from sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse is not a “right of passage” in this sport.
Every trainer who has a program full of up and coming riders needs to sit back and take a good look at all of their riders and accept that they play a significant role in how these kids futures will unfold. How they see themselves, what they learn to understand as normal behaviors in training, competing, and socializing in general.
For those that have posted online or verbally communicated to others that RG was innocent and all these accusers were lying - shame on you. You have just potentially stopped those at risk or those that are being abused from coming forward.
For those that are blaming safesport and their process - take a look at the list of sanctioned “trainers” and ask yourself what other inappropriate behaviors these individuals display. Deep down anyone who knows these people on an intimate level will recognize the truth, and be able to accept that they have seen the signs displayed, that they are capable of the allegations made against them. Someone who has spent years “grooming” young riders and manipulating them into abusive situations is also going to be manipulating all of those around them. Of course, they are not going to allow others to see their dark side, but it will slip out from time to time. People will get the chance to see their true colors.
Too many people have been trying to protect their own image because they are associated with these individuals. Or they feel obligated to defend them because they are also tied into “shady” dealings with them, or possibly because they don’t want their own “secrets” outed.
It is long past time for all of that to stop. Moving forward every single person in this industry to wants to “guide” up and coming riders needs to act professionally, and needs to act with their riders best interest at heart. They need to have open discussions so that they are aware of the potential “risks” out there and how to ensure you are not taken advantage of. They need to keep their eyes open for signs of inappropriate behavior and when it is seen it is to be addressed, reported, etc. Not whispered and gossiped about. This isn’t going to be an easy transition.
How many people in this industry feel obligated to have sexual relations with others to gain some sort of advantage in the sport? To pay their bills; to keep their job because if they aren’t willing to have sex with their boss, there is a long line of other girls who will; to be able to ride the best horses in the barn; or how about just to feel included and be a closer part of someone they idolize world. For far too long this has all been considered normal and it isn’t. It is an abuse of power (even if people are of age). Coercion does not translate to being consensual. This isn’t only about minors as the abuse spans to athletes of all ages.
To every “lawyer” out there contributing your opinions on the matter - your job is to defend the guilty. That does not translate into your opinion being the truth. Safesport bans are not a constitutional issue. There is no “right” to belong to this organization. If you don’t abide by the rules in place, you do not get to be a member. Simple as golf clubs not allowing people to wear tank tops and short shorts. While I understand that you are paid to defend people in your daily lives because everyone has a right to a defense, that does not mean that you get to try to coerce the rest of the world into believing your arguments for these predators is the truth or is lawful.
