AMERICAN Olympic show jumper Rich Fellers has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor. The 63-year-old appeared in a federal court in Oregon, USA, on July 11th where he pleaded guilty to the federal charge of interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and on July 12th he appeared in court again and pleaded guilty to two state charges of second-degree child abuse.

Fellers had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges. Sentencing is due to take place at a later date, however it has been reported that Fellers is expected to be sentenced to four years in prison on the federal change, as well as a 30-month concurrent sentence on the state charges as part of a plea agreement.

The case involves Fellers’ former pupil Maggie Kehring. The story broke in February 2021 when Fellers and his wife Shelley were added to the US Center for SafeSport suspension list and temporarily suspended for “allegations of misconduct”.

In June 2021, Rich Fellers was arrested on charges of sexual abuse involving a 17-year-old minor. The age of consent in Oregon is 18. The police confirmed Fellers was the victim’s horse trainer and in a statement at the time said: “Over the course of a long investigation, lasting several months, with witnesses in multiple states, Tualatin Police established that Mr Fellers had a sexual relationship with a female victim who was 17 years old.”

Maggie Kehring gave a comment to The Chronicle of the Horse this week, stating: “I have no comment on the Rich Fellers case. The public record speaks for itself. Right now, I send my thoughts to those victims of sexual abuse navigating the very emotional and difficult legal process.”

A big supporter of Irish horses, Fellers is best known for his success with the Irish-bred chesnut stallion Flexible (Cruising x Safari) who won the FEI World Cup Finals in 2012.