Debbie and Bob McDonald “Moved On” After Years Fighting Unproven Allegations of Behavior Almost Half-Century Earlier

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Debbie and Bob McDonald.
File photo. © Ken Braddick/DRESSAGE-NEWS.com

Jan. 12, 2023

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

Debbie McDonald, one of the most successful American dressage riders and U.S. team coach, and her husband, Bob, declared they have moved on after spending more than two years fighting unproven allegations of behavior almost a half-century earlier.

The couple issued a statement to dressage-news.com Thursday about their lives a month after celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary. The statement said:

“Looking Forward to 2023

“Thank you to the witnesses who 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 McDonald was an international dressage star as the first American to become World Cup champion on Brentina in 2003 as well as other global achievements.

As the personal coach of Laura Graves on Verdades and Kasey Perry-Glass on Dublet she worked closely with Robert Dover who was coach of the U.S. bronze medal team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio Janeiro.

In June, 2018 she was appointed team coach to work with and succeed Robert after the World Equestrian Games where the U.S. team of Debbie’s long-time student Adrienne Lyle on Salvino as well as Laura Graves, Kasey Perry Glass and Steffen Peters on Suppenkasper took team silver and Laura individual silver.

At the Tokyo Olympics, she was coach of the team that won silver. The team comprised Adrienne on Salvino, Steffen on Suppenkasper and Sabine Schut-Kery on Sanceo.

After Tokyo, U.S. Equestrian disclosed six days after the civil case was filed naming her and Bob her coaching contract was not being renewed.

Debbie, however, has remained active as a personal coach of Adrienne and other riders and recently began working with Alice Tarjan with one of her developing Grand Prix horses.