US EVENT rider Andrew McConnon is under investigation for alleged horse abuse, the FEI confirmed this week. McConnon competed at the five-star Defender Burghley Horse Trials last weekend, finishing in 27th place with Wakita 54.

Videos released over the weekend show a rider, alleged to be McConnon, hitting a horse on the head during a training session.

The Chronicle of the Horse reported that the videos are believed to be taken by a former groom of the rider, who reported him to both the FEI and the US Equestrian Federation (USEF) back in May.

USEF confirmed that they received an anonymous report and the videos at the beginning of the summer but “after determining USEF did not have jurisdiction over the matter because it did not involve misconduct at a USEF competition, USEF promptly referred the matter to the FEI, where it is under investigation.”

The FEI would not comment any further on the case, confirming that it is under investigation.

McConnon was the recipient of a $50,000 (€45,300) grant at the US Eventing Association year-end awards last December.

The Broussard family, funders of the 2023 Rebecca Broussard Developing rider Grant, released a statement on social media saying they are “deeply shocked and saddened by this information”.

The statement said: “At the time of any rider’s application for a Rebecca Broussard Developing Rider Grant, if there are any open investigations or noted violations of any kind (such as a yellow card), the applicant is immediately deemed ineligible.

“At the time this grant was administered through the USEA Foundation in December of 2023, no information had been made available to us that would disqualify this rider in any way from being a recipient.”