Debbie McDonald, the USA’s former dressage technical advisor, and her husband, Bob, “are looking forward to 2023” as a fresh start, after SafeSport allegations involving him and a subsequent civil lawsuit naming both of them have been swept away.
In 2021, Debbie led the squad in Tokyo to the USA’s first Olympic team silver dressage medal since 1948. A few months later, however, after the lawsuit was filed, the U.S. Equestrian Federation did not renew her contract.
She remains active in working with private clients, including Adrienne Lyle (see this website’s featured story). Debbie also has trained many other successful international competitors, including Laura Graves, who for 2018 took the same USEF award that Adrienne just won.
Debbie and Bob McDonald with Brentina. (Photo © 2009 by Nancy Jaffer)
In a hand-written statement today, Bob said:
“Thank you to the witnesses that came forward to provide testimony in the SafeSport arbitration of the case against me from the mid-1970s.
The SafeSport case was closed in February of 2022 by a ‘preponderance of the evidence;’ no sanctions were issued against me. This constituted the ‘written reasoned final decision’ by the arbitrator in accordance with the SafeSport Code.
“The civil case against Debbie and me (in which we were never served) was dismissed in March 2022.
“Debbie and I just celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary this December. After a prolonged process we are happy to move on together and continue to enjoy the sport we love.
“To those of you who stood by us, we cannot thank you enough for your belief, kind words, and encouragement.”
Debbie was the sweetheart of the dressage world when she became the first American to win the FEI Dressage World Cup Finals on Brentina. They took double gold at the 1999 Pan American Games, team silver at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games and team bronze at the 2004 Olympics and 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games.
With Brentina’s retirement, Debbie went on to make a name for herself as a trainer, creating more medalists for the U.S.