All five Oregon equestrians who have been disciplined by federal authorities have been from Clackamas County.
In 2017, Congress passed the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act, giving the U.S. Center for SafeSport, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the national authority to resolve abuse and misconduct reports for more than 11 million people who participate U.S. Olympic and Paralympic programs.
According to the nonprofit’s centralized disciplinary database, there have been 62 equestrians nationally who have received suspensions or restrictions since the program began. Why are all of the Oregonian equestrians who have been disciplined from Clackamas County?
NW Horse Report Editor Justin Alderman said Clackamas County’s disproportionate share of abuse cases is in part because this county is the “center for the hunter/jumper community in Oregon.” But Oregon’s high per-capita rate of alleged abuses, Alderman added, raises significant questions among proponents calling for increased efforts to protect minor equestrian athletes.
Officials with the US Center for SafeSport told NW Horse Report that it “does not comment on matters to protect the integrity of its investigative process.” As first reported by NW Horse Report, here are the five Clackamas County equestrians facing suspensions:
In March, Oregon equestrian professional rider and trainer Jeff Campf was permanently banned by the US Center for SafeSport, following his initial temporary suspension in October 2021. Campf was sanctioned for sexual and physical misconduct, and also has a “no-contact directive” with his alleged abuser. Campf, a Canby resident, operated an equestrian business alongside his wife Shelley until his initial suspension in October of 2021. Campf is a former member of the US Hunter Jumper Association, winning the USHJA President’s Distinguished Service award in 2014.
Clackamas resident Harrison Joseph Brown, 25, was suspended by SafeSport on Jan. 30 for “alleged misconduct,” reportedly involving his older girlfriend’s estranged daughter. Brown worked for Quiet Rein Riding School, a hunter jumper lesson program primarily serving young women, owned by USHJA-certified trainer Jill McGrady, 44, who was reportedly dating Brown.
World-famous equestrian Richard Fellers, 63, was charged with four counts of sexual abuse involving his then-minor student. Fellers, who ran his equestrian business in the rural area south of Oregon City, was arrested in June of 2021 by the Tualatin Police Department, supported in its investigation by agents with the FBI. Fellers’ case is currently set for trial on March 21; the trial was originally set for October 2022.
Fellers’ wife, Shelly, was originally suspended temporarily by the US Center for SafeSport. She eventually received a formal suspension for four years for abuse of process, retaliation and failure to report.
In 2022, Fellers’ son Christopher, 30, was also suspended by the US Center for SafeSport. The younger Fellers took over the family business and changed its name from Rich Fellers Stables to Genesis Sporthorses. He was charged with an intimate relationship involving a power imbalance, abuse of process, failure to report and physical misconduct.
