Trainer: Carly Weilminster, John Lathrop & Sonja Keating
Length: 17:08 Minutes
Sonja and Integrity Unit Investigator John Lathrop answer your questions about what makes an actionable horse welfare report, what the investigation process is when a report is received, and how reports are resolved. Carly Weilminster leads this interactive and informative dialogue helping to providing transparency on timing and the steps taken to ensure a thorough and fair approach.
About the Experts:
Carly Weilminster
Sr. Director Sport Communications & Social Media, USEF
Carly Weilminster is a seasoned media professional with nearly 10 years of experience within the equestrian industry. As Sr. Director of Sport Communications & Social Media for USEF, Carly has worked collaboratively with stakeholders, athletes, and staff to help shape impactful content creation to elevate US Equestrian’s brand and storytelling abilities across the organization’s 25+ owned digital platforms.
Carly’s insights on media activations and content creation strategy have helped develop key fan engagement opportunities and digital growth for US Equestrian at multiple international championships, including the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Sonja Keating
General Counsel & Chief Operating Officer, USEF
Sonja Keating serves as US Equestrian’s Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. A graduate of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, she obtained her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1996. She also is a member of the Junior League of Lexington and served four terms on that organization’s Horse Show Board, which hosts the Lexington Junior League Horse Show, one of the nation’s most prestigious events for American Saddlebreds, Hackneys, roadster competitors, Friesians, and saddle seat riders.
John Lathrop
Integrity Unit Investigator, USEF
John grew up in Cape Coral, FL. In 1991, John enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. In 1998, John was hired with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office as Deputy Sheriff. John spent several years in the Road Patrol Bureau and the Marine Unit before making Detective. During his tenor as a Detective John was a Detective in the District Property Crimes Unit, the Auto Theft Unit, the Violent Crimes Unit, the Homicide Unit, Sexual Offender Predator Unit and Intelligence Unit Detective. Over John’s tenure as a Detective with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office he worked many cases with Federal, Local and State Law Enforcement partners and was a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team for nearly 20 years. John has received several awards and commendations over the years but most notable he was awarded the privilege of being selected as the Lee County Sheriff’s Office 2016 Deputy of the Year. John has a AS in Criminology and a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies.
In December of 2023, John retired from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and moved to Lexington with his family. John’s family loves to travel, play sports, music and enjoys spending time outdoors. In September of 2024, John accepted a position as the Integrity Investigator for USEF. As the USEF Integrity Investigator, John investigates horse welfare and safe sport cases assigned to him but not every report that is received by USEF. This allows John to approach every investigation in an unbiased manner with a goal of gathering all the facts and evidence in a case to determine whether a violation occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the case is provided to the legal department for determination to whether a violation occurred and if so, what the appropriate outcome is. Being independent from the determination process ensure fairness and consistency focusing on the facts and evidence in the case so there is a clear understanding of the situation before pursuing formal disciplinary action.