from 7 News (dated 08mar11)

The genteel world of New Zealand showjumping has been rocked after a leading horse was disfigured in an attack its owner believes was carried out by a competitor.

The 13-year-old gelding Squirt suffered burns to its face after creosote was smeared around one of its eyes on Saturday night, when the animal was stabled at Hawera Showground ahead of a showjumping competition, owner Kathryn Corry said.

Police in the North Island town said they were investigating but would not confirm reports in local media that a rival female showjumper was being questioned.

Corry said the attack, which left the flesh on one side of the horse's face blistered and weeping, was the second time Squirt had been attacked with the corrosive substance in a week.

She said creosote was applied to the animal's girth the previous Saturday after another event in Foxton but she did not report it at the time because she believed it was a one-off event.

Corry had no doubt a showjumping rival was behind the attacks.

"It's revolting. It's beyond belief," she told Fairfax Media. "It could only be to put me out of competition."

"To pick on the same horse two weeks in a row, to me that narrows it down to a person that had to be at both Foxton and Hawera and that's most likely to be, well, yes another competitor."

The sport's governing body, Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) condemned the attack and appealed for any witnesses to contact police.

"It's hugely regrettable, very unusual and distressing for all involved... I've never seen anything like it," ESNZ chief executive Jim Ellis told Radio New Zealand.

He said any showjumpers found to be involved in the attack faced a life ban from the sport.

Ellis said Squirt was "on the mend" but unlikely to compete in a major showjumping event scheduled for later this month.