Michael Barisone, a former Olympic dressage alternate and renowned trainer, was involved in a highly publicized 2019 incident where he shot his former trainee Lauren Kanarek twice in the chest at his farm in New Jersey. Their relationship had deteriorated amid disputes over horse ownership and alleged harassment, culminating in Barisone retrieving a gun and shooting Kanarek and her fiancé Rob Goodwin. Barisone was charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses but was acquitted in 2022 by reason of insanity after his defense argued he was in a delusional state caused by mental illness, while the prosecution maintained the shooting was premeditated.

Following the trial, Barisone spent time in psychiatric facilities and was eventually released after being deemed not a threat. He expressed a desire to return to competitive dressage, though he was permanently banned in 2025 by Safesport for sexual harassment and emotional misconduct, barring him from sanctioned events. Kanarek disputes Barisone’s insanity claim, maintaining he was fully accountable. Their story, highlighting the dark side of the elite equestrian world, is featured in the Netflix documentary “Untold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill.”