Michael Barisonewas one of the most in-demand coaches in dressage until he turned a vicious feud with one of his trainees violent.
Barisone shot Lauren Kanarek twice in 2019, but said he had zero memory of the incident. He alleged that Kanarek and her boyfriend, Robert Goodwin, threatened his life and harassed him relentlessly.
Kanarek and Goodwin, however, said it was Barisone who harassed them and was threatening her budding career as an equestrienne.
The lead-up, crime and its aftermath are examined closely in the new Netflix documentaryUntold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill, which came out on April 21.
"I called [Goodwin and Kanarek] terrorists, that's exactly what it was," Barisone fumed in the documentary. "They did a mini 9/11 to me."
"It was only about harassment, bullying and an abuse of power. Your whole life revolves around this one thing," Kanarek said of horseback riding in a trailer forUntold. "If [Barisone] says, 'I will ruin your career with one phone call,' that's not something you take lightly." Kanarek's family has spoken out against the doc, saying it does not fairly represent her side of the story, perNJ.com.
Here's everything to know about Michael Barisone's life since he shot Kanarek.
Who is Michael Barisone?
Before the shooting, Barisone was a decorated dressage coach.
He competed in the Grand Prix, the highest level of competition for dressage, as well as in the 2008 Olympics, and won more than 100 competitions.
Barisone made a splash when he withdrew from the Freestyle portion of the prestigious Exquis World Dressage Masters in 2009 to allow Dutch rider Anky van Grunsven a spot,Chrono of Horsereported. Barisone went on to win the Grand Prix Special.
His taste of worldwide fame came in 2012, when he went viral for teachingStephen Colbertabout dressage, which the-thenColbert Reporthost jokingly called "horse ballet."
Barisone eventually stopped riding competitively and turned his focus to coaching others in dressage at his properties in New Jersey and Florida.
What did Michael Barisone claim about Lauren Kanarek?
Barisone was Kanarek's dressage coach and landlord.
She and her boyfriend, Goodwin, lived in an apartment on Barisone's Washington Township, N.J., property while Barisone trained her. Kanarek toldTheNew York Timesthat after a flood in Barisone's farmhouse, he and his then-fiancée moved into one of the barns on the property and tried to evict Kanarek and Goodwin so that they could have the apartment.
Kanarek and Barisone then accused one another of bullying. She documented the feud on her Facebook page without using Barisone's name and wrote that posting about the ordeal helped her feel safer, perThe New York Times. Kanarek also said she reported Barisone to SafeSport, an organization that investigates misconduct in Olympic sports.
Barisone told other equestrians and local police that Kanarek and Goodwin were "squatters" andclaimed they had secretly recorded him.NJ.comreported that Barisone called 911 four times and Kanarek phoned emergency services at least once. They both claimed they feared for their lives because of the other's alleged harassment.
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The alleged final straw for Barisone was when Kanarek allegedly reported him to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and accused him of abusing his fiancée's children, per claims made by his lawyer Jeffery Simms. Kanarek toldTheNew York Timesshe didn't recall ever contacting child services.
What did Michael Barisone do?
A few days before the shooting, Barisone's colleague Ruth Cox gave him her pink and black 9mm Ruger handgun.
After a child services investigator allegedly visited Barisone's home on the morning of Aug. 7, 2019, he claimed that he felt like he "couldn't breathe." InUntold: The Shooting at Hawthorne Hill, Barisone recalled reaching for his phone to call the police, but then decided that they wouldn't help. Then, he claimed, his mind went blank.
TheMorris County prosecutor's officesaid in a statement that Kanarek called 911 at 2:13 p.m. and said Barisone shot her twice with Cox's gun. He also shot at Goodwin, who was inside looking through a window, but missed. Goodwin raced outside and tackled Barisone, holding him down until police arrived.
Washington Township Police Cpl. Derek Heymer, who responded to the scene, recalled inUntold, "Based on [Kanarek's] appearance there was a good chance that she was not gonna survive her injuries." He also noted that Barisone was staring out into the distance and repeating, "I had a good life."
Kanarek was placed into a medically-induced coma and hospitalized for weeks. After undergoing several surgeries for damage to her left lung,NJ.comreported, Kanarek was released. She still has scar tissue and pain from the shooting. Goodwin suffered a broken wrist in his scuffle with Barisone, who was also hospitalized for minor injuries.
Cox was initially charged with a fourth-degree offense for unlawfully transferring a firearm but avoided prison time by agreeing to a 36-month pre-trial intervention, perNJ Criminal Defense. She claimed Barisone asked to see her gun a few days before the shooting and said she didn't see the weapon again until it was confirmed to be the gun used in the shooting.
What was Michael Barisone charged with?
Barisone was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and an additional two counts of second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, the Morris County prosecutor's office said in a statement. He faced up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
Barisone pleaded not guilty using an insanity defense, alleging that Kanarek's harassment triggered a "mental defect." A psychiatrist for the defense said Barisone suffered from delusional disorder and persistent depressive disorder, while a psychiatrist for the prosecution alleged that Barisone showed no signs of delusion and claimed that he somehow "remembers everything except his criminal behavior."
On April 15, 2022, a jury found Barisone not guilty by reason of insanity for one count each of first-degree attempted murder and second-degree possession of a weapon for shooting Kanarek. He was found not guilty of the attempted murder and weapons charge in relation to Goodwin.
Where is Michael Barisone now?
Though Barisone was acquitted, because he was found not guilty due to insanity, he was immediately admitted to a psychiatric hospital following the verdict. He was released in November 2023 and attempted to sue various parties involved in the shooting.
SafeSport permanently banned him from United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) events for sexual harassment, emotional misconduct and bylaw violations. Barisone denied the allegations and sued the USEF in July 2025.
Attorneys for the USEF wrote in theirmotion for dismissal, “This action represents the latest chapter in the on-going, ill-fated saga by which Plaintiff Michael Barisone seeks to hold others accountable for his attempted murder of Lauren Kanarek." The suit appears to be ongoing.
Now, Barisone lives in Florida with his wife Lara Osborne and apparently has his sights set on returning to the equine world.
"If I was to actually make the Olympic games or the World Cup final, I [would have] the biggest comeback in history," he said inUntold. "And that's my goal."
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Michael Barisonewas one of the most in-demand coaches in dressage until he turned a vicious feud with one of his trainees violent. ...
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