Image Warning: Some of the photos of the horses contain graphic images of blood, bones and rain rot.
In March of 2020, a group of anonymous equestrian team members voiced their safety concerns regarding coach Kim Sanford and Leg Up Stables to the Geneseo Athletics department. In conjunction, anonymous reports were filed citing animal cruelty at Leg Up Stables, and a large group of members quit the equestrian team.
The equestrian team was placed on a pause until a review could be conducted by the Geneseo administration, but delays occurred as all Geneseo sports were shut down at the start of the pandemic. Sanford and the team were found to be in compliance with Geneseo athletic standards per the administrative review.
The equestrian team is now competing again with COVID-19 safety regulations; however, the group of anonymous team members who quit claimed that their concerns were overlooked and their voices were not heard. Those interviewed by The Lamron will remain anonymous, and will be referred to as Source One, Two and Three. Current team captains Haley Brown and Samantha Shepard declined to comment.
Intercollegiate Director of Athletics and Recreation Mike Mooney enacted the pause when team members visited him with safety concerns and other issues.
“Anytime someone brings a serious concern of safety to me, I need to take a look into it,” Mooney said. “Otherwise, I'm not doing my job.”
Mooney went on to explain that he felt that he didn’t have enough expertise about the sport to make an accurate judgement about the safety concerns. He worked with Dean of Students, Leonard Sancilio, and a representative from the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) to hire someone they felt was an expert to conduct the review.
With guidance from the IHSA representative, Mooney and Sancilio chose Cricket Morris—IHSA coach at Averett University—to complete the review. Mooney provided Morris a list of the former team members who had concerns, current team members and alumni and asked her to “find me what you feel is the truth.”
“[Morris] talked to [the names on the list], she talked to me, talked to Coach [Sanford] and made a visit during the summer,” Mooney said. “She did a firsthand assessment of the facilities, talking to the coach and then provided us with a report. She addressed all the concerns and safety issues and gave us some suggestions.”
Morris visited Leg Up Stables during the summer of 2020 and completed a report of her findings dated July 10. The report is broken up into sections based on the concerns Mooney received: “Horse and rider safety, horse care concerns, mental and emotional abuse from Sanford and excessive team requirements.”
The Lamron obtained the report through a Freedom of Information Act request, a federal law that allows citizens to request access to public records, after attempting to informally obtain it from the athletics department.
The report explained that three of the athletes who spoke with Mooney asked for phone conversations with Morris and two sent emails about their concerns; the report contains about three brief quotes from those former team members. There were approximately six quotes from current team members and alumni who spoke highly of Sanford.
The report also included an interview with Mary Drueding, head coach of the St. Lawrence equestrian team, who spoke in favor of Sanford. The current members described the athletes who went to Mooney as “troublemakers and did not understand the importance of the lessons Coach Sanford teaches about horsemanship,” according to Morris’s report.
This sentiment was repeated frequently by Sanford as she claimed she was persecuted by athletes who “need to let it go and find something better to do.”
The concerns regarding horse safety were brought to Mooney when two anonymous calls were made to the Livingston County Sheriff's Office and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals about the care of Sanford’s horses, citing a horse named Ziggy as an example.
Ziggy was claimed to have been malnourished and left in a muddy field on Sanford’s property, according to Source One.
The New York State Humane Society describes one of the aspects of animal cruelty - according to New York State law - as failing to provide sustenance for animals, stating that “an animal must not be allowed to go without sustenance for more than twelve hours.” In addition, the Humane Society explained that neglect was among the most common forms of animal cruelty and gave an example of failing to provide proper shelter for one’s animals which can result in rain scald on the skin of horses.
The pictures below were provided by an anonymous source that claimed the photos show Rain scald, the muddy fields on Sanford’s property and the malnourishment of Ziggy described by Source One.
This images shows the claims of a horse (pictured above) from Leg Up Stables with mud caked on their leg. (Courtesy of anonymous source).
Pictured above is the claim of another horse from Leg Up Stables with their leg covered in ice and mud. (Courtesy of anonymous source).
This image shows claims of a horse in the field at Leg Up Stables. The horse’s legs are buried in mud. (Courtesy of anonymous source).
Ziggy (pictured above) from Leg Up Stables with what is claimed to be a cut/fungal infection (Courtesy of anonymous source).
Ziggy, the horse that was cited during abuse complaints, (pictured above) with what sources claimed to be rain rot, bite marks and bald spots on his neck. (Courtesy of anonymous source).
Pictured above is the claim of Ziggy and his visible hip bones stemming from neglect.. (Courtesy of anonymous source).
This image is a further claim of Ziggy’s (pictured above) neglect, as his ribs and other bones are showing. (Courtesy of anonymous source).
“I know the sheriff was called. They came out and inspected the horse that was the issue,” Kate Huppe, former captain of the team and current assistant coach, said in a virtual interview. “[They] didn’t find anything really wrong, but because of the process, they said they’d come back in two weeks to check … [Ziggy]’s one of our greatest horses.”
This statement by Huppe was later contradicted by Source Two who said that the horse was entrusted to Sanford’s care during winter break and upon returning to Geneseo after winter break, Source Two claimed that the horse was in a concerning state.
“One of our teammates brought him in, and [Ziggy] was insanely emaciated,” Source Two said. “He was so skinny you could see his ribs. His eyes were sunken in. His neck was atrophied. He had no topline, which is a muscle [group extending from the top of the horse’s neck, over their back to their tail]. You could see his hip bones.”
This is just one example of the wide variety of responses given on the health of Ziggy. Compounding this is Sanford’s partial confirmation that Ziggy possibly didn’t eat during the break.
“He maybe didn’t eat … Why didn’t [the athlete] notice that he’d lost weight? She’s responsible for that horse and nobody came to me and said, ‘Hey I noticed that horse lost weight,’” Sanford said.
Sanford later added that as soon as she was aware of Ziggy’s health concerns, she addressed them. She made it clear that Ziggy was “an asset” and that there will always be struggles when dealing with a total of 86 horses.
Source One explained that if horses are not properly cared for, it can pose a threat for injury to the rider.
In the article, “A Critical Review of Horse-Related Risk: A Research Agenda for Safer Mounts, Riders and Equestrian Cultures,” in which authors Kirrilly Thompson, Paul McGreevy and Phil McManus agree with this, explaining that the health and safety of the horse is as much a factor in rider safety as the skill of the rider. The article also added that the “value of safety to animals is often overlooked by trainers and handlers,” and that the health of the horse must not be discounted.
An additional concern analyzed in Morris’s report was the environmental conditions of the stables, specifically the muddy conditions. According to Source Two, when it rained, the field would turn into a “clay environment.”
“The mud was up to our knees,” Source Two said. “Horses weigh hundreds of pounds more than we do ... They would sink down into the mud. They would pull shoes from it which would leave their feet exposed for a long time in wet, cold mud, which is prime time for bacteria to grow. Horses who usually have shoes on that sit without a shoe would have foot soreness which leads to them being lame [hurt].”
Source Two went on to say that the environmental conditions would only worsen as the weather became colder.
“There were a few times where the mud would actually freeze so we had to dig horses out of the mud. It was a terrible thing to see. The horse is petrified. Horses are prey animals, so usually when they’re scared, they run, and they couldn't. They were stuck in one place panicking. It’s heartbreaking to see,” Source Two said.
Source One added to the description of what both athletes corroborate to be a dangerous environment for the horses to endure in the winter, claiming that the horses would be frozen in the mud for upwards of “four hours at times” and in some cases, the horses “had to be put down” because of the damage done to them from the clay conditions.
Sanford explained that if a horse had to be put down, she did not want the athletes present because of emotional reasons.
“If I have to put down a horse, I'm not going to do it in front of the 25 crying girls on my team,” Stanford said. “If there's a medical reason why I have to euthanize a horse, because some of them become ill and sick and can't be taken care of, I will have the vet come in. And I won't do it when [the students are] here; why would you want to see a dead horse? There's no point. And if they ask me, I would tell them … these horses are mine, they're my pets in a way too … it’s emotional for me as well.”
Sanford claimed to have addressed this issue by investing in a drainage system in the area behind the barn where this would often occur.
“We just spent $65,000 putting all new fencing up there and putting a drainage system in with the county, and that was in the works before these girls complained, and it was only held back by a paperwork issue,” Sanford said. “We've always tried to improve it as we can, as much as necessary. My husband and I took a second mortgage out and built a big indoor arena [that] could hold [more] horses.”
Morris’s report noted that the school needs to “boost the equestrian program through financial aid and emotional support.”
According to Mooney, the lack of assistance on behalf of the school is because Sanford is not employed directly by the school. Rather, she is contracted by the school, and Sanford allows them to use Leg Up Stables as part of the equestrian team.
“As I said, that was the hard part for me. She's not an employee. So, if she says my business can’t afford to put a whole new barn up or do this, or do that, I don't really have control over that,” Mooney said.
Mooney also added that the school chose Sanford’s contract because of their trust in her abilities, citing her 26 years of experience in training and maintaining horses. As a result of Sanford’s contract, Mooney said that the school was “put between a rock and a hard place” in terms of helping Sanford financially.
The contract serves as a formality between Sanford and the College, where the College gives Sanford money to care for her horses. The College also pays Sanford to train athletes in order to make them better equestrians, and it is Sanford who has control over the team.
Another claim made against Sanford was of her inability to teach her athletes how to care for a horse properly in order to avoid accidents. Beginner riders are taught how to groom, tack and put away their horses, according to the report.
“They are given instruction in these procedures, but they need more hours with an instructor before being allowed to try this on their own,” Morris’s report said. “With the number of lessons Coach Sanford teaches each day, it is almost impossible to spend enough time with the lower-level riders to be sure of safety.”
Sanford claimed that she didn’t “understand the safety concerns,” citing the success of horse shows she’s hosted at Leg Up Stables.
“My beginner riders here are more successful [in competitions] than any other college because I have really good beginner horses … the best in the region,” Sanford said. “That's why we host horse shows early in the season because the other schools know that my horses are the most trusted. When their riders are the most green and their new riders are nervous, they know this is a safer place to start.”
Huppe explained that returning members and upperclassmen teach new athletes how to do many of the tasks and chores around the barn. The experienced riders are relied on to teach these tasks and horse knowledge, according to Huppe.
“Coach can’t be there 100-percent of the time. Our barn manager does teach chores, but I think that chores [is] the biggest part,” Huppe said. “And learning all 80 horses. Coach doesn’t walk us out to the field, so you have to go with someone who’s been there [to get the correct horse].”
Source Three agreed with Huppe that it was common to have many newer riders on the team who learn from experienced riders. Although there was no issue with this, it often made things harder for beginners because they found it hard to teach them years of experience so quickly, according to Source Three.
Source Two expanded on this claim, saying that this lack of knowledge about horses has put riders at risk and led to injuries that were often overlooked.
“One of our girls got injured in the mares field bringing a mare in who did not want to come in because [the horse] didn’t have a lot of human interaction. [The horse] didn’t want to leave her herd,” Source Two said. “It was a very serious injury that could have been prevented. A lot of those things really add on top of each other. They were definitely made aware of to Coach and the barn manager, but it was never really, in my opinion, taken very seriously.”
The report recommended hiring an assistant coach to work with the team to help teach riders important information that could help improve rider and horse safety. Huppe filled that role beginning in the fall semester.
In addition to the lack of horse knowledge, Source One claimed that Sanford’s coaching decisions also put rider safety at risk. They said that some of Sanford’s other coaching decisions regarding which rider rode which horses were a “little fishy,” such as having a beginner ride a green, or new, horse.
“[Sanford] had a [rider] who wasn't doing what she was supposed to. She was being irresponsible. She wasn’t [fulfilling] the team requirements, and she put her on a horse who didn't jump. It was a known fact, he hadn't jumped in at least five years because he had an eye issue, and she asked her to jump him,” Source One said. “The first time [the horse] refused and the girl stayed on. [Sanford] told her to go and do it again. The girl fell off.”
According to the report, safety guidelines in the team contract indicate that riders should tell an instructor when they are injured; however, in the Geneseo Varsity Women’s Equestrian Team Handbook obtained from the FOIA request, there is no mention of safety guidelines.
Sanford said that the equestrian team doesn't have athletic trainers at practices or competitions like other Geneseo sports. This means less athletes are reported as injured, not that there are less injuries; however, due to new protocols, any athlete who hits their head must get a concussion check-up from the athletic trainers to be cleared.
As the riders on the equestrian team are varsity athletes, they all have access to athletic trainers at Geneseo, they just aren’t present at the barn. The athletic department provides athletic trainers who assist with concussions, other injuries and rehabilitation, according to the Geneseo athletics website. The trainers are meant to ensure that an athlete receives the “highest quality health care” without further harming any physical, mental or emotional problems.
“We have been told as coaches, if your person falls, you send them for a concussion check-up,” Sanford said. “So, if there's more [concussions] now than there was five years ago, it’s because that wasn't part of the protocol. If anybody falls, I send them. I don't want it on my conscience … I'm not gaining anything if these kids get hurt.”
Despite the new rules, Source Three said that when riders got hurt, they were told not to go to the trainers.
“Riders were always discouraged from going to the school’s athletic trainers and using the school’s resources because we're always told if you go to the athletic trainer, they’re going to tell you that you can’t ride and you’re going to be out of practice,” Source Three said. “So, I think a lot of injuries and concussions ... went unchecked because we were always discouraged from getting those injuries checked out.”
According to Morris’s report, the team’s safety guidelines should be updated with specific protocols to follow other than reporting an injury to the instructor. In addition to the update, the report recommended discussions be had on safety and concussions.
The former team members also claimed that they faced mental and emotional abuse from Sanford. In the report, Morris states that while coaches and trainers have different styles of teaching, it is common for them to be stern because horses are animals that need strict discipline.
“In the lesson I observed [in June], she was quick to correct athletes and sharp with her comments,” Morris’s report said. “There was little praise that wasn’t earned. At the end of the lesson, she did speak with each athlete about their ride and what they needed to practice.”
Huppe echoed a similar sentiment of Sanford’s coaching methods. She said that Sanford is “intense” and “super knowledgeable.”
“[Sanford] is a horse woman through and through, and this is her passion. She’s done this basically her entire life,” Huppe said. “I’ve never had a coach who went easy on me. She definitely expects the best. She wants to win.”
Sanford explained that she has devoted her whole career to the horses and to making the equestrian team is as good as it can be. She added that she’s spent 26 years, “longer than any of these athletes have been alive,” doing everything she can to teach her athletes how to be the best equestrians they can be.
While Source One agreed that equestrian is not meant to be “warm and fuzzy” because of how dangerous the sport is, Sanford was reportedly critical about riders and made that known to the rest of the team.
“There was a lot of hearsay and rumors and gossip that started from [Sanford], and it made a bigger division in the team,” Source One said. “You can't talk to her about things because she gets very vindictive and she'll come after you, but not directly.”
The behavior continued even after athletes quit the team, according to Source Three.
“Coach’s family members called us jealous, vindictive,” Source Three said. “A lot of other expletives I’ll leave out.”
The crux of the argument made by the team members who quit the team is that they lost their passion for riding when having Sanford as their coach.
Source One claimed that people were often afraid to be trained by Sanford. They explained they felt something was “going on” if “you’re scared to get on a horse and have someone train you.”
They went on to explain that athletes felt they lost their passion for the sport, and the equestrian team began to feel more like something they were forced to do out of fear and loyalty, not because they enjoyed it.
For Source One and several of the athletes who left with them, the team became, as Source One claimed, “an obligation” instead of a healthy team environment.
Athletes were required to do chores and training for upwards of 30 hours per week for the team, according to Source One. This became so strenuous that at points athletes faked sickness or blamed their absences on former injuries.
“They’d say they were sick, or they'd go to the athletic department and use an old injury to get out of going to the barn because they were nervous or scared or something,” Source One said.
The reports of both Sanford and Huppe differ in explaining why the athletes began to feel they should no longer be on the team. Sanford offered that the athletes had become upset that they weren’t allowed to show in certain events and that this was an act of “revenge” against her and the team.
“One girl, she quit first, and she didn’t get to show that last week, and she thought she should have,” Sanford said. “That’s what my guess would be. But no one came to me. They didn’t say, ‘Coach, we have a problem with this.’ None of them came to me or my captain at the time.”
Huppe’s report echoed Sanford’s as her initial understanding of why the team members quit focused on what was told to her by Sanford and by her friends on the team who she was close to before they quit.
“Because I was one of my coach's captains, we have a relationship there. So, part of me speculates it’s about showing. Part of me speculates it’s about the safety concerns they brought up,” Huppe said.
In the responses given by the athletes who ended up leaving, not showing was never cited as the reasoning behind their exit from the team. In all cases, however, there were mentions of issues with mental health stemming from the team and with the team’s workload. Another important reason was the poor treatment of the horses.
Source Two expanded on the mental health issues and explained that it was the reason “we had to get out.”
“People were saying, ‘they want to have revenge on Kim because they weren’t shown enough.’ That’s not true,” Source Two said. “A lot of us quit the team because we had to remove ourselves from the situation. It was taking a toll on our mental health.”
Morris’s report advised that an active faculty advisor could act as a “liaison” for the team in conjunction with an assistant coach.
Since implementing some of the recommendations, the pause on the equestrian team was lifted in the fall, and current team members are competing with COVID-19 safety regulations. Despite the changes, the athletes who quit didn’t return to the team.
Source Three said that she appreciated the opportunity and learned a lot but explained that it could be better than it was in the past.
“I still think more change is needed, but I hope the school does decide to continue with the program and tweak it a lot so that way it is a more positive experience and a more healthy experience for both the riders and the horses,” Source Three said.
Source Two also said that while they are no longer with the team, they don’t regret joining and wish the team well.
“I don’t think the investigation was satisfactory to me since the farm is different in the winter than it is in the summer, but that’s beside the point,” Source Two said. “To the girls joining the program now, I wish you nothing but the best. Have fun. But also listen to your gut. If things don’t feel right that’s okay. We don’t wish any ill will on anyone on the team or anyone part of the team.”