Details of Michael Barisone wife and his family have caught everybody’s attention after the dressage trainer’s case aired on the CBS News show “48 Hours” on June 9.
Michael Barisone is an established dressage trainer who stood trial in March 2022 for a shooting incident on his horse farm in New Jersey.
In 2019, former Olympic equestrian and trainer Michael Barisone was charged with the attempted murder of one of his students, Lauren Kanarek, and her boyfriend.
The dressage trainer was acquitted on March 2022 from the charge. Barisone’s legal team claimed the defense of insanity at the time of the shooting, and the jury declared him not guilty.
Barisone was considered one of the best coaches in the world, with impressive students like fellow Olympians Boyd Martin and Allison Brock.
The former Olympics equestrian was a part of the 2008 Olympic dressage squad and also participated in the 1997 Nations Cup competition for the team at Hickstead, where they won the gold.
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Michael Barisone Wife Vera Kessels: Married Life And Divorce
Michael Barisone married in 2000 in Palm Beach, Florida, to Vera Kessels, a skilled horse rider from the Netherlands. However, the couple parted ways out of personal differences in 2018.
They decided to end their marriage and filed for divorce in Morris County in 2017, which was granted a year later in 2018.
Reportedly, the couple divorced after Michael Barisone was romantically involved with Mary Haskins Gray in 2015.
Vera, born in the Netherlands, was a professional horse rider who participated in several horse riding competitions in dressage and jumping from 1980 to 1990.
She worked with Barisone Dressage as a former partner, specializing in training young horses to progress in their skills.
Some horses she worked with have competed in prestigious events like the World Cup, Pan American Games, and the Olympics. As a teacher, Vera spends her summers in Connecticut and winters in Florida.
Recently, the dressage trainer has been with his present girlfriend, Lara Osborne, whom he first met in the summer of 2018 when she enrolled her daughter, Jordan, in his dressage clinic.
Their relationship began with friendship, which deepened after the former Olympic equestrian was held behind bars.
Lara stood behind him throughout his hard time and supported him. She helped him with finances by starting a GoFundMe page to raise money for his legal costs, raising more than $60,000.
Michael Barisone Kids And Family Details
Michael Barisone was born in 1964 in New Jersey, United States, and is 59 years old as of 2024. He was born and raised in New Jersey by his parents and has an American nationality.
The dressage trainer comes from a family with Norwegian background, but he has never shared anything related to his family. Hence nothing is known about his family.
Barisone has not talked much about his family and early background in public. The former Olympic equestrian prefers to keep his family out of the gossip and give them space.
Regarding his kids, no sources have revealed his children. Barisone was married to Vera Kessels for 18 years, but whether the couple has children is not confirmed.
Besides Vera, Michael has also had romantic relationships with several other girls. However, there is no news of him having kids with them.
Without adequate information and confirmation, it is better to presume that the horse trainer has no kids.
He resides with his present girlfriend, looking after his two magnificent horse farms, one outside Palm Beach, the other in prime New Jersey horse country.
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