Rich Fellers

Richard Rankin Fellers (born October 3, 1959) is an American former Olympic equestrian and horse trainer. In 2023 he pled guilty to sexually abusing one of his students when she was 17. According to the Washington County, Oregon district attorney, he will serve 30 months in state prison concurrently with a four year federal sentence.[1]

Rich Fellers
Personal information
Full nameRichard Rankin Fellers
NationalityAmerican
Born (1959-10-03) October 3, 1959
Coos Bay, Oregon, United States

Early life and education

Fellers, the son of Richard D. and Colleen M. (Smith) Fellers,[2] was born in Coos Bay, Oregon.[3][4] He graduated from Yamhill-Carlton High School in 1978,[5] and attended Oregon State University as an engineering major. He left the university in his junior year to start a riding business, and moved to California, where he met Michelle "Shelley" Bramble.[6] In 1987 they returned to Oregon, wed,[7] and started a family. They have a son and a daughter.[6]

Career

According to the U. S. Equestrian Foundation (USEF), when Fellers was eleven years old his birthday present was a two-year-old Appaloosa: "The short, stocky horse had a talent for jumping, and the pair eventually became winners from the West Coast U. S. Grand Prix circuit to Spruce Meadows in Canada."[8]

By 1988, Fellers had won the Arthritis Foundation Grand Prix at the Oaks in San Juan Capistrano three years in a row— twice riding the veteran mount Bailey's Irish Cream, and then on El Mirasol, his own 6-year-old chestnut thoroughbred.[9]

In 1998, the Calgary Herald reported on his wins at the North American show jumping championships: "In the long history of Spruce Meadows, no one could quite recall a week like Fellers had. Of the nine featured classes over five days of competition, Fellers finished either first or second in every single event."[10]

Fellers began riding Flexible, an Irish Sport Horse stallion, in 2002.[11] According to the USEF Network,

In 2007, Fellers and Flexible won the Los Angeles National Grand Prix CSI2... In 2008, aboard Flexible, Fellers won three of the four FEI World Cup qualifiers at HITS Thermal... Flexible was one of the USEF's Horses of Honor in 2008... Their strong results in the 2010/2011 season earned them the top spot again in the North American West Coast League... Fellers and Flexible won the 2012 Rolex/FEI World Cup, the first American pair to do so in 25 years... Fellers and Flexible represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympic Games, where they finished eighth individually.[8]

Fellers at age 52 and 16-year-old Flexible were the oldest pair in the show jumping finals at the World Cup finals in the Netherlands.[12] Flexible was retired in 2017, and he died of natural causes in 2021.[13]

A resident of Sherwood, Oregon,[14] Fellers and his wife Shelley operated Rich Fellers Stables in Oregon City, Oregon starting in 2011.[15] Fellers trained horses there, offering jumping lessons as well as purchasing and selling horses. Harry and Molly Chapman, the owners of Flexible, hired Fellers in 2012 to train their horses and ride their best in competition.[6]

In 2021, the United States Center for SafeSport ruled Fellers ineligible to participate in the sport,[16] in connection with a criminal indictment.[17] Fellers initially denied allegations that he sexually abused a minor,[16] pleading not guilty to all four criminal charges.

In March 2022 a Bloomberg News article about tensions between SafeSport and traditionalists explored the background to Feller's case.[18] His trial on the state charges was set for fall 2022[19] but was ongoing as of April 2023, when Washington County deputy district attorney Rayney Meisel confirmed that he expected the case to reach a resolution and global settlement, in coordination with federal prosecutors.[20]

Federal prosecutors brought charges in May 2023, the month after his wife Shelley filed for divorce.[20] Fellers initially pled not guilty to those as well.[21][22] He changed his plea to "guilty" in July 2023, as part of a plea deal which, per a statement from the Washington County district attorney's office, will result in a 30 month state sentence and a four year federal sentence.[1]

Selected competitions

Awards and honors

See also

References
  1. Tilkin, Dan (July 12, 2023). "Former Oregon Olympian pleads guilty to sexually abusing a minor". Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  2. "Colleen M. Nelson". The World. April 24, 2002. p. 5. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  3. "Olympedia – Rich Fellers". www.olympedia.org.
  4. Gunther, John (July 1, 2014). "Coos Bay native rides at Olympics". The Coos Bay World. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  5. "Seniors, Yamhill-Carlton High School, 1978". Ancestry.com. 1978. p. 99. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  6. Snavely, Brooke (September 2012). "Sunriver owner competed in Olympics". Sunriver Scene. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via issuu.
  7. "Oregon, U.S., Marriage Indexes". Ancestry.com. 1987. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  8. "Athlete: Rich Fellers". USEF Network. 2015. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  9. Sordillo, Darlene (October 22, 1988). "This Rider Messes With Success and Wins for 3rd Year in Row". The Los Angeles Times. p. 225. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  10. Duhatschek, Eric (July 6, 1998). "North American victory sends Fellers home richer — Rider racks up an impressive record of wins". Calgary Herald. p. 33. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. Bailey, Mollie (April 10, 2017). "Flexible Retires". The Chronicle of the Horse. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  12. Stark, Rachel (April 24, 2012). "Wilsonville equestrian Rich Fellers becomes first U.S. rider in 25 years to win show jumping World Cup (video)". The Oregonian. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  13. Berreth, Lindsay (August 24, 2021). "World Cup Winner Flexible Dies At 25". Chronicle of the Horse. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  14. "Rich Fellers", Team USA.
  15. "Rich Fellers Stables LLC". Dun and Bradstreet. Retrieved February 4, 2022. Company Description: Rich Fellers Stables LLC is located in Oregon City, OR, United States and is part of the Other Personal Services Industry. Rich Fellers Stables LLC has 9 total employees across all of its locations and generates $353,143 in sales (USD).
  16. Dremann, Sue (February 22, 2022) [February 19, 2022]. "After a riding coach abused her daughter, Woodsider creates nonprofit for young athletes". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved February 28, 2022 – via Palo Alto Online.
  17. Ramakrishnan, Jayati (June 7, 2021). "Olympic equestrian arrested in Tualatin on charges of sexually abusing a minor". Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  18. Carville, Olivia (March 10, 2022). "An Elite Sport Plagued by Sex Abuse Is Turning on Itself". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  19. Print. "Sexual Abuse Trial Date Set For Rich Fellers". www.chronofhorse.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  20. Alderman, Justin (April 7, 2023). "DA: Oregon's Olympic equestrian will take plea deal for sex abuse of minor". Clackamas Review. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  21. Wright, Melissa (May 26, 2023). "Fellers Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Sexual Assault Charge - The Chronicle of the Horse". Chronicle of the Horse. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  22. "Feds charge Rich Fellers with crossing state lines to have sex with minor". Clackamas Review. May 26, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  23. "Pan American Games Medals Won By American Riders". The Chronicle of the Horse. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  24. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Rich Fellers". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  25. "Rich Fellers named US Equestrian of the Year - News". Horsetalk.co.nz. January 22, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  26. "Harrington adds to Hall haul". The Register-Guard. September 21, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
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