On the morning of Monday, June 7, 2021, Tualatin Police detectives in Oregon arrested American show jumper Richard Rankin Fellers, 61, of Oregon City, stemming from an indictment for four counts of second degree sexual abuse involving Maggie Kehring, a former student. Tualatin Police released the following partial statement regarding the arrest:
“Over the course of a long investigation, lasting several months, with witnesses in multiple states, Tualatin Police established that Mr. Fellers had a sexual relationship with a female victim who was 17 years old. Mr. Fellers was the victim’s horse trainer and the alleged crimes occurred at the victim’s apartment, located at Eddyline Apartments in Portland.
Mr. Fellers is an American equestrian who competed in the 2012 U.S. Summer Olympics and is a prominently known competitor/trainer in the equestrian industry. The original disclosure/information came from the US Center for SafeSport.
This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is available at this time. Mr. Fellers was lodged at the Washington County Jail.”
The arrest for came following a year-long investigation into allegations of misconduct following a complaint lodged by Kehring to the U.S. Center for SafeSport. The case was then presented to the Grand Jury for review due to the “mounting body of evidence which demonstrated serious predatory behavior and sexual abuse of Maggie Kehring.”
Fellers was the 2012 Jumping World Cup champion and finished 8th individually at the 2012 London Olympics, on both occasions aboard Flexible. He has been suspended by the FEI since Feb. 9 of this year. Fellers and his wife Shelley were also placed on interim suspension by the Center in February 2021, prohibiting them from coaching or working with young equestrians. Shelley Fellers has since received a four-year suspension by the Center for abuse of process, retaliation, and failure to report, which are being appealed.
Kehring, who is now 18 and had been campaigning two horses in the CSI U25 division at WEF in Wellington, FL, earlier this year, commented on Instagram, “To everyone who supported me, thank you.”
Her legal team at Palma & Prince wrote in a statement, “We are grateful that Maggie Kehring’s unimaginable experience has been brought to light with these charges being filed, but the investigation will continue. Hopefully Maggie can get back to the one thing she loves most – riding horses.”
Kehring added, “Though there are things that happened to me that I can never get back, I am relieved and grateful to see that my truth, The Truth, was heard, understood and believed. The power in me has been restored by protecting others and ensuring that no one else will be scarred by this same experience.”
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