Dressage-News

Nov. 26, 2021

Two women who allege sexual abuse in the mid-1970s by Bob McDonald, husband of U.S. team coach Debbie McDonald, have filed a civil lawsuit in California seeking damages. The suit names Bob McDonald for alleged rape and Debbie McDonald for alleged failure to supervise the then-teenage girls. Debbie was a teenager at the time.

The suit in California Superior Court is not criminal but seeks financial remuneration.

Allegations of sexual abuse first became public when the U.S. Center for SafeSport in June 2020 declared Bob McDonald, a hunter/jumper trainer, banned for life. He sought an arbitration hearing and the SafeSport ban was removed with the U.S. Equestrian Federation confirming on Aug. 21, 2020 that he had been “fully reinstated” as a USEF member.

The U.S. federation made no comment on the civil suit filed by the women identified as Jane Doe 7018 and Jane Doe 7019.

Debbie, 67, became the official Technical Advisor for the U.S. dressage team after the 2018 World Equestrian Games where three of the four riders to earn team silver were personally coached by her. The American dressage team captured silver at this year’s Olympics, the best result since the 1948 London Games.  Debbie herself was one of the most successful American riders, competing at the 2008 Olympics on the mare Brentina and on the 2002 WEG silver medal team and for team bronze at the 2006 WEG.

She has been negotiating with the USEF an extension of the coaching contract but to allow her to take time to be with her granddaughter in Idaho. An extension had not been announced as of Friday.

The Chronicle of the Horse reported that in addition to the McDonalds, the suit also named as a defendant the 32^nd District Agricultural Association that operates the Orange County Fair Grounds in California where the alleged abuse took place in the mid-1970s.

CORRECTION: An earlier version incorrectly stated the alleged incidents occurred seven decades ago. The report has been corrected to state mid-1970s.