Equestrian: Horseman's late-night 'smack in the face' costs him his top job

Showjumping New Zealand has sacked its chairman for hitting a fellow administrator in the face.

Details of an "unfortunate affair" at the South Island showjumping championships in Blenheim in February are in the latest issue of the Equestrian Federation's magazine Equestrian NZ.

Federation president Sir Ron Trotter said the chairman of the federation's showjumping discipline, Graeme Hart, gave federation vice-president Kevin Hansen "an unprovoked smack on the face which resulted in a bleeding lip" at a social event during the championships.

"The incident was witnessed by a number of people," Trotter said, in a letter responding to criticism of the punishment meted out to Hart.

As well as being removed as chairman, the Hastings horseman has been suspended from the sport for four months - reduced on appeal from 18 months - and ordered to pay costs of $3000.

But Trotter said the disciplinary process had cost the federation $30,000.

He said Hansen did not make an official complaint about the incident.

But a member reported it to the federation under one of its articles relating to "behaviour, fairness and accepted standards of sportsmanship which is prejudicial to the interests of the sport."

Federation chief executive Larry Graham said the suspension was effective until the end of September.

He said one person, Trevor Gregory, of Cambridge, was standing for the chairmanship at Showjumping New Zealand's annual meeting in Auckland today.

Hart said the entire matter had been blown out of proportion.

"It wasn't serious. It happened late one night at a party."

He said he regretted the incident and had apologised for it.

"They had a hearing which I attended which they said was a low-key affair so I didn't take a lawyer. Then they suspended me for 18 months.

"The first hearing was a kangaroo court, it wasn't fair.

"It was chaired by a person who is an eventer, and eventers hate showjumping administrators.

"That was completely unbelievable. I appealed and ... in some ways the appeal exonerated me in a big way."

Hart said he believed he was the victim of a move to have him removed as chairman.

"It was political. Over the two years I was chairman there were things people could have been pulled up for, but they went after me because they wanted to remove me as chairman.

"All they wanted was for me to resign, and they would have withdrawn the complaint against me. I refused to resign."


- NZPA