38 Accuse Famed Equestrian Coach Of Molestation, Sexual Abuse

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA – Thirty-eight former students, trainers, grooms, equestrian officials, and members of the Flintridge Riding Club have revealed in interviews that Jimmy A. Williams, a deceased Show Jumping Hall of Fame trainer, sexually assaulted and molested them with relative impunity throughout their time at the prestigious La Cañada equestrian club he once worked at. Williams allegedly kissed and fondled young girls in public, although the extent of his abuse was unknown until now, according to The New York Times.

Anne Kursinski, one of the country’s most decorated show jumpers, recalled to the Times how her former trainer "tasted of alcohol whenever he pinned her in a horse stall and crammed his tongue into her mouth." Kursinski revealed details for the first time of six years of continual rape, which started when she was just 11-years-old. Williams' alleged abuse was first reported last month by The Chronicle of the Horse, an industry publication. Williams, in life and after, was respected and admired for his knack of taming difficult horses and churning out top-notch riders. "He was God," Kursinski told the newspaper.

The toxic environment was enabled by parents' desperation for their children's success in the show ring, leading them to ignore his almost daily predations, according to the newspaper. Children who were persuaded to stay quiet, afraid of losing their beloved horses, they said. Karen Herald, 58, who rode at the equestrian club from age 16 to 20, said Williams continually molested her.

“The unspoken rule was of not saying anything, not divulging anything,” she said.

“For the riders, it was, ‘Oh my God, I want to be the best rider,’" Herald continued. But for the parents, she said, “It was, ‘Oh my God, I want to be a part of this.’ ”

Read more about the equestrian coach at The New York Times.

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