Richard Rankin Fellers (born October 3, 1959) is an American former Olympic

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

and

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them good behaviors and/or coaching them for events, which ...

. In 2023 he pled guilty to sexually abusing one of his students when she was 17. According to the

Washington County, Oregon Washington County is one of Oregon counties, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous c ...

district attorney, he will serve 30 months in state prison concurrently with a four-year federal sentence.

Early life and education

Fellers, the son of Richard D. and Colleen M. (Smith) Fellers, was born in

Coos Bay, Oregon Coos Bay () is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. It shares Coos Bay with the adjacent city of North Bend, Oregon, North Bend. Together, they are often referred to as ...

. He graduated from Yamhill-Carlton High School in 1978, and attended

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

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. In 1987 they returned to Oregon, wed, and started a family. They have a son and a daughter.

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 Appaloosa is an American horse breed best known for its colorful spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's co ...

: "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 Spruce Meadows is a multi-purpose sports facility near Calgary, Alberta built by the Southern family which opened in 1975. The facility contains an equestrian show jumping complex that comprises . The current president and CEO of Spruce Me ...

in Canada." 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 The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

. In 1998, the ''

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'' 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." Fellers began riding Flexible, an

Irish Sport Horse The Irish Sport Horse (ISH), or Irish Hunter, is an Irish horse breed used mostly for eventing and show-jumping. Historically the ISH was bred by crossing Irish Draught and Thoroughbred stock, and the breed was formalised in the 1920s. Bre ...

stallion, in 2002. According to the USEF Network, 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. Flexible was retired in 2017, and he died of natural causes in 2021. A resident of

Sherwood, Oregon Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley, southwest of Portland, Oregon, Portland. The populati ...

, Fellers and his wife Shelley operated Rich Fellers Stables in

Oregon City, Oregon Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 37,572. Established in 1829 ...

starting in 2011. 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. In 2021, the United States Center for SafeSport ruled Fellers ineligible to participate in the sport, in connection with a criminal indictment. Fellers initially denied allegations that he sexually abused a minor, pleading not guilty to all four criminal charges. In March 2022 a ''

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'' article about tensions between SafeSport and traditionalists explored the background to Feller's case. His trial on the state charges was set for fall 2022 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. Federal prosecutors brought charges in May 2023, the month after his wife Shelley filed for divorce. Fellers initially pled not guilty to those as well. 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.

Selected competitions

* Equestrian at the 1991 Pan American Games * 2008 CSIO Spruce Meadows 'Masters' Tournament * 2008 CSIO Spruce Meadows 'Masters' Tournament – CN International * 2008 FEI World Cup Jumping Final * 2008, 2012 Show Jumping World Cup * FEI World Cup Jumping 2009/2010 * 2010 Dublin Horse Show * 2010 Falsterbo Horse Show * FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011 * 2010 FEI World Cup Jumping Final * 2010 Royal International Horse Show * 2011 CSIO Schweiz * 2011 FEI Nations Cup Promotional League *

2011 FEI World Cup Finals The 2011 FEI World Cup Finals in Leipzig, Germany were the Final of four World Cups in different Equestrian sports. They were held in the exhibition halls 1 and 3 at the new Leipzig Trade Fair from April 27 to May 1, 2011. First time ever four h ...

* 2011 Jumping International de France * 2011 Piazza di Siena * FEI World Cup Jumping 2011/2012 * 2012 FEI World Cup Finals (show jumping and dressage) * Equestrian at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Individual jumping * Equestrian at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Team jumping * 2015 FEI World Cup Finals (show jumping and dressage)

Awards and honors

* Competed in nine annual championships. * On the Bronze winning U.S. team at the 1991

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

in Havana, Cuba. * 2006 West Coast League winner. * Competed in two events at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. * 2012

United States Equestrian Federation The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF or US Equestrian) is the national Sport governing body, governing body for most Equestrianism, equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917, as the Association of American Hor ...

Equestrian of the Year award. * Inducted into the

Oregon Sports Hall of Fame The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall. Operated by the Oregon Sports ...

in 2012.

References

External links