Former US Dressage Olympian Michael Barisone Arrested After Woman Is Shot Twice

Former U.S. Dressage Michael Barisone has been arrested for shooting a woman twice at his New Jersey farm according to the Daily Mail. Barisone, 54, attacked Lauren Kanarek on Wednesday afternoon in an alleged landowner-tenant dispute. The Daily Mail also said Kanarek, 38, wrote on social media that her life was in danger.

The arrest was expected considering the New York Post reported charges were going to come quickly for Barisone. He reportedly shot Kanarek in the chest twice at about 2:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday at 411 West Mill Rd. in the Long Valley section of Washington Township. She was taken to the Morristown Medical Center and she is fighting for her life at this time.

Kanarek isn’t the only one who was injured while the shooting occurred. According to the county prosecutors office, two other people were injured on the property, but the gunshots were not the reason. One of those individuals, Barisone, is in custody.

Before the shooting, Kanarek wrote on Facebook she was told to “sleep with one eye open. She went on to write, “I’m being bulled by a 6’3 man. Bullied to the point I’m afraid. It’s very complicated — I’m not sure of what I can say here — but it seems as if Safe Sport was created for exactly this reason.”

The Hawthorne Farm, which is owned and operated by Barisone, is a 53-acre property in rural Morris County that contains a home and the Barisone Dressage. The bio on Barisone’s website says that he has produced many upper-level dressage horses.

“Michael grew up riding horses in upstate New York and has been based in the horse country of New Jersey for over 20 years, having built the farm in Long Valley, NJ from the ground up. Michael consistently produces upper-level dressage horses from young stock, selling many of them and keeping some to develop for himself.”

Barisone was named the 2009 Sportsman International Horseman of the Year and has trained multiple Olympians, including Allison Brock. She won a bronze medal for the United States in dressage at the 2016 games in Rio. Barisone was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, China.