by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 12, 2023
Rich Fellers, a show jumping Olympian and World Cup champion, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Portland, Ore., to a count involving interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
Rich Fellers on Flexible at the 2012 Olympics. (Photo © 2012 by Nancy Jaffer)
Now 63, Fellers had been involved with a 17-year-old who was his student. He was arrested in 2021 in connection with his relationship with Maggie Kehring, who has appeared on network television discussing her experience.
Fellers is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 12, and is not incarcerated at present.
On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty in Washington County, Ore., to two counts of second-degree sex abuse.
KOIN 6 News in Oregon stated Fellers agreed in the plea deal to spend 30 months in prison on Washington County, Ore., charges at the same time he serves a four-year sentence on the federal matter.
Fellers, who was high-profile as the rider/trainer of the late, great stallion Flexible, had been on the SafeSport suspension list since July 2021. His wife, Shelley, was suspended by SafeSport in April 2021 until February 2027 for abuse of process, retaliation and failure to report.
In collaboration with the Kehring family and Wrigley Media Group, Horse Network launched the site #WeRideTogether, designed to air survivor stories, provides resources to report abuse and get help, and offer educational information for athletes, coaches, and families.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 15, 2023
The Village of Wellington’s planning and zoning board will hold a hearing this week on requests for zoning changes that would enable construction of an expansion to the existing Wellington International Showgrounds.
The concept would refurbish the current grounds where the Winter Equestrian Festival is held, making it a base for dressage and hunters. The new 90-acre section would host the jumpers and a stadium, nine rings (two indoors) and stabling are part of the package, which would also allow for more parking and make the showgrounds contiguous. Currently, dressage is held at the Equestrian Village, a three- or four-minute drive (depending on traffic) from the current facility.
Diagram of the existing and new showgrounds.
Before the expanded showgrounds can become reality, however, action must be taken on a larger zoning change application relating to the Wellington North and South developments that Wellington Lifestyle Partners is leading to create an “equestrian lifestyle community.”
The Village’s Equestrian Preserve Committee last month rejected the zoning changes for housing because of encroachment into the preserve. Members also observed that they had seen no plans for the new showgrounds footprint. Without that, they were skeptical about the entire project, and there is great opposition to the rezoning that would allow for more housing in the Village.
Wellington International President Michael Stone has explained in a letter what is going on,the importance of the rezoning, what it means for the showgrounds, and how the two projects are intertwined. Click here to read what he has to say.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 11, 2023
Interested in exploring the benefits of equine-assisted psychotherapy to improve parent-child relationships? How about the importance of understanding what horses are telling us through their “wanted and unwanted behavior.”
The Horses and Humans Research Foundation will be examining those topics and many more, including fine points of equine nutrition and the importance of horses’ sleep patterns, during its summer conference at Centenary University in Hackettstown, N.J., July 22-23.
The organization serves as a catalyst to advance global knowledge of horse-human interactions and their impact on the health and well-being of people, horses, and other equines.
For more information or to register for the conference sponsored by Zoetis, click on this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 12, 2023
In an effort to increase engagement with the the equestrian community in California and the western part of the country, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation has hired Coloradan Lisa Munro to take on a new role as director of Development.
Her responsibilities include enhancing donor engagement and building a support pipeline in the region. The Foundation, based in Gladstone, N.J., is the philanthropic partner of the U.S. Equestrian Federation, supporting the competition, training, coaching, travel, and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international high performance horses and athletes.
The goal of course, is to sustain competitive excellence. Lisa will report to the foundation’s executive director, Bonnie Jenkins, as she plays a key role in the foundation’s fundraising initiative, “Pathway to the Podium.” It is working to raise $55 million toward getting U.S. athletes on the podium at the 2024 and 2028 Olympics and Paralympics, and other key competitions going forward.
Lisa, a lifelong equestrian, most recently served as senior program manager for advancement at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she oversaw leadership annual giving and donor relations, stewardship, and engagement for the College of Media, Communication and Information.
She developed and implemented innovative strategies that exceeded several fundraising goals, which included a 12.5 percent increase in the College’s number of donors and a 36 percent increase in the average gift size. Previously, she was involved with overseeing and executing corporate sponsorships for professional soccer teams.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 10, 2023
The International Jumping Riders Club has “serious concerns,” about a new elimination rule that allows a single judge to eliminate a horse or rider who appear to be having difficulty during their round.
The organization is asking the FEI (international equestrian federation) to allow former elite level riders (such as just-retired Ludger Beerbaum, perhaps?) to sit with the ground jury in an advisory capacity at championships and Olympic Games.
“The IJRC is worried about “split-second” decisions that cannot be appealed, which could result in career-changing outcomes for riders and national teams. This is of particular concern to the IJRC this season, when many have their last qualifying opportunities for the Paris Olympics 2024, and for the Olympic Games itself, where there is no drop-score due to the mandate for only three riders on a team, instead of four.
The new rule, which came into effect Jan. 1, enables the president of the ground jury or a designated ground jury member to eliminate an entry if the official involved “decides that it would be contrary to the principles of horse welfare to allow the combination to continue the round. ”
In addition to introducing an advisory panel, the IJRC also requests the FEI replace the sentence about horse welfare with the words “for the safety of horse and rider.”
IJRC explained, “The current wording could mislead the general public about the reason for elimination and thereby subject the rider to unjustified criticism on social media.”
Riders had wanted the decision to be appealable, but they also understood the rule results from the growing pressure of “social license” and the potential pushback from the non-equestrian public, when negative images circulate on social media. However, the scenarios that could be eliminated remain undefined.
During a debate at the IJRC convention in Geneva last December, numerous Olympians noted that horses could be eliminated by judges who have not ridden at the top level for decades. Some may no longer have the practical “feel” to decide, on the spot, the real reason for an awkward-looking jumping effort. Does it result from over-facing a horse and rider of limited ability, or is it an isolated incident that is part of the normal learning curve of a young horse in expert hands?
The advisory panel proposal and requested re-wording of the rule both were put forward by 2016 Olympic champion Nick Skelton of Great Britain.
He said, “There are many recently retired top riders like me who are at all the major shows. Our experience is there to be utilized. Motorsport already makes use of its ex-drivers’ expertise in this way.
“If a horse is taken out of the arena swiftly after having a bad jump early on, you’ll never know if he could have gained in confidence during the rest of his round and finished well. That is a training setback and a conflict with the basics of good horsemanship. Nowadays, we tread a fine line, but we must educate the public while being conscious of its growing role in equestrianism’s social license to operate.”
FEI rules usually are amended only on an annual basis. However, the IJRC believes that this situation warrants immediate action by the FEI board, before the European Show Jumping Championships in Milan (August 29-September 3) but at the absolute latest, by January 1, 2024, at the start of the Olympic year.
The IJRC does, however, support the elimination of a horse in instances of blood around the mouth or nostrils.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 29, 2023
The U.S. Equestrian Federation this week passed a rule calling for all horses competing in USEF licensed or endorsed competitions to be microchipped as of Dec. 1, 2025. The chip used must be a 15-digit ISO compliant 11784/11785 model that is implanted in the nuchal ligament of the horse’s neck.
The argument for this is that microchipping of horses is fundamental to equine well-being, especially during times of disease outbreaks, natural disasters, in cases of theft and to protect against fraud.
As of December 1, 2024, all horses on the grounds of hunter, jumper, and hunter/jumper competitions must have a competition-issued back number either attached to the horse or to the person riding, handling, or exercising the horse at all times while in a schooling, longeing or exercise area. The requirement, originally proposed by USHJA, represents a safety measure, and will aid significantly in identification and well-being efforts on the part of both horses and humans.
In the same vein, longeing a visibly exhausted or obviously lame horse; and excessive, disruptive, or otherwise inappropriate use of a longe whip was added to the list of prohibited acts under the horse welfare rules for hunters, jumpers, and hunter/jumping seat equitation
