Departures of note

Barney Ward acted as a middleman for horse hitman Tommy Burns in a scheme that killed horses for insurance money. In 1994 he was charged with arranging the killings of four horses, claimed innocence, and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy. He was sentenced on June 14, 1996, served three years in federal prison, received three years of probation, and was ordered to pay $200,000 restitution to an insurance company. The American Horse Show Association barred him for life.

The lifetime ban prevented Ward from watching his son McLain Ward compete, and in a 1999 interview he said he made a mistake not coming forward about the insurance scheme.