KEY POINTS:
A West Auckland riding club is fighting eviction after being told it has three months to get off land it has occupied for more than a decade.
Laingholm Riding Club president Mels Barton said the club's 140 members and 12 horses had to be out by the end of May after Waitakere City Council granted the land lease to another riding club, Muddy Creek Riders.
Dr Barton said the 17-year-old club had nowhere to go. It would fight the decision and was willing to take it to a judicial review.
The council's ruling followed an intense, two-year battle between Laingholm Riding Club and Muddy Creek Riders, which was formed by Laingholm Riding Club ex-members in 2005.
The fight for the land was also fuelled by the diminishing space for the sport.
"We are all being pushed out because the land is wanted for houses," said Dr Barton. "What are the council doing?
"They are kicking off ones that are providing perfectly good community services."
She said the club's lease at Owen's Green Reserve expired last year and it had been trying to secure a renewal.
But the recommendation from council-appointed independent adjudicator Matthew Casey released this month granted the land lease to Muddy Creek Riders.
Muddy Creek Riders president Andreas Bodenstein called for peace and said the club wanted to push ahead with plans to develop a $70,000 all-weather arena at the site.
In his decision, Mr Casey noted both clubs had rapidly built membership in the past two years, with Muddy Creek Riders growing from 15 to 120 members during the period and Laingholm Riding Club having a "remarkable" increase to 140.
The apparently picturesque scene of horses grazing in a paddock was painted as far from tranquil.
"While I am unable to resolve the truth of the competing claims about the events of 2005," wrote Mr Casey, "they highlight the obvious point that the use of the grounds for the grazing of members' horses can become a highly charged issue."
The animosity between some senior members of the clubs was so strong they were unlikely to ever reconcile their differences.
Mr Casey considered the clubs' fundraising capabilities, structure and land maintenance plans when making his decision.
From more than 60 public submissions, he noted allegations that Muddy Creek Riders were pursuing a "campaign of revenge" against the older club.
He said the decision was not a victory or a defeat for either of the clubs, but was focused on the best outcome for the community.
