A US Olympian in dressage has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting a female rider at his equestrian training facility in New Jersey.
Michael Barisone, 54, competed in the team dressage at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, and was also a coach for the US three-day eventing team in London four years later.
His arrest stunned the rarefied world of dressage, in which he had become a highly respected trainer, running Barisone Dressage at the 53-acre Hawthorne Farm, close to the US equestrian team’s headquarters.
At 2.13pm on Wednesday police were called to the farm and found a woman with "multiple gunshot wounds," according to statement by local prosecutors.
The alleged victim was Lauren Kanarek, a dressage rider in her late 30s, who had trained with Mr Barisone for the last two years, and lived part-time with her fiance on a property at the farm.
According to reports she was shot twice in the chest and was taken for emergency surgery at a local hospital, where friends said she was "doing OK."
In recent days Miss Kanarek had posted a series of messages on Facebook, saying she felt threatened, although she did not mention Mr Barisone by name.
She wrote: "I’m being bullied by a 6’3" man. Bullied to the point I’m afraid. It’s very complicated."
In another post she wrote: "A certain known drunk has literally just informed me ‘sleep with one eye open.’"
The rider also said she was afraid of "being whacked” and wrote about buying a gun to defend herself.
She added: "Some people in life seem to feel they are untouchable by anyone. They feel that just because they have one accomplishment under their belt that everyone will believe every word they say.
"Everything from my life, livelihood and even riding career have all been threatened should I refuse to adhere to the things I’ve been being put through, constantly.”
Friends on Facebook advised her to leave the farm but Miss Kanarek wrote that she didn’t want to leave her horses, which were stabled there. She added: "Harm will come to me before I ever let harm come to them."
According to her Facebook posts Miss Kanarek had tried to report her situation to the police, the United States Equestrian Federation, and the US Center for SafeSport, which monitors safety in sports.
Miss Kanarek had been due to make her first appearance in an internationally ranked dressage competition next week.
Rosanna Williams, a friend and fellow rider, told the New York Times: "She’s extremely dedicated. She basically gave up her entire existence, relocated, to train with somebody who was going to give her the best shot to accomplish her goals.
"I’m a little shocked, as much as this was heating up and escalating, I don’t think anybody really saw this coming."
She said there had been a disagreement over how Miss Kanarek’s horses were being trained and cared for.
The United States Dressage Federation said it was "reeling" from the incident.
In 2009 Mr Barisone was named the Sportsman International Horseman of the Year. He has trained numerous Olympic riders including Allison Brock, who who won a bronze medal for the US at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
He has yet to appear in court or enter a plea.
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