After a relatively quiet summer, four members of the North American hunter/jumper community have been added to the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s disciplinary database in the month of August. 

Those on Suspension, Temporary Suspension, or Temporary Restriction(s) include: 

  • Olympic show jumper Manuel Torres of Morrisville, North Carolina. Torres, 65, is a five-time Olympic veteran for his native Colombia. As of August 29, Torres is on Temporary Restriction following allegations of misconduct. He is currently subject to: “coaching/ training restriction(s); no unsupervised coaching/training; and no contact directive(s).”
  • Christopher Fellers, 30, son of FEI World Cup Finals Champion Rich Fellers and his wife Shelley Fellers, who currently runs Genesis Sport Horses out of his parents’ facility in Oregon City, Oregon. Chris Fellers was Suspended (subject to appeal) as of August 25 for various charges including: “having an intimate relationship – involving a power imbalance; abuse of process; failure to report; and physical misconduct.” Rich Fellers was deemed Ineligible by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in 2021; Shelley Fellers is currently under a four year Suspension.
  • Hunter/jumper trainer Sam Berry of Finally Home Farm in Lexington, Kentucky received a Temporary Suspension with “no contact directive(s)” on August 29 following allegations of misconduct. 
  • Trainer Brian Gruber is on Temporary Restriction following allegations of misconduct. Gruber and his wife Missy run Tulucay Farms, a hunter/jumper show facility in Napa, California. Brian Gruber is currently subject to “contact/communication limitation(s), no contact directive(s), and travel /lodging restrictions.” 

The U.S. Center for SafeSport was created to address the issue of abuse in sport. It works in conjunction with US Equestrian to enforce the SafeSport Code and the Federal Safe Sport Act, created in response to the Larry Nassar/U.S. Gymnastics case in 2017. The aim of both the Code and the Safe Sport Act is to protect athletes across all Olympic and amateur sporting disciplines from harm or abuse. 

If you have a reasonable suspicion of sexual misconduct, make a report electronically to the U.S. Center for SafeSport or call (720) 531-0340.

For more information on abuse in horse sport and what you can do about it, visit WeRideTogether.today

Tweet
Pin
Share
0 Shares