Tappa wrote:
Countrymember wrote: Following the incident of a groom appearing to kick a horse in the stomach in the wash down area at Greyville racecourse on Friday, 13 January 2017, the groom, who is in the employ of KZN trainer Paul Gadsby, attended an inquiry into the incident on Tuesday, 31 January 2017.
The inquiry, conducted by SEESA, and which ran for over an hour, resulted in the groom in question (whose name we have been asked to keep private) being found guilty and issued with a final written warning, which will remain active until 31 January 2018.
Speaking to the Sporting Post, Paul Gadsby confirmed that it had been a long and thorough enquiry. “I do think he understood the gravity of the matter and he has apologised a number of times – both directly to me before the inquiry – as well as during the inquiry itself. I do feel he is genuinely remorseful and I feel that the outcome was fair, under the circumstances.”
They are normally very sorry when they are caught out......the thieves and murderers in court too....they show a lot of remorse afterwards!
To compare him to thieves and murderers is very callous. I dont condone what he did but we also have to take things into perspective.
From what I saw in the video he was grooming the horse, perhaps washing it down with a cloth. The horse moves and out of frustration, kicks it. It was night racing and hot. He must be was up early in the morning at the stable, then in the horse carrier and then at the racecourse. He must be was tired and fatigued which led to his frustration.
The groom could have done better and if is truly remorseful he deserves another chance. If he did get fired, he will be out of a job. That job could be feeding five lives. Depending on the offence everybody deserves a second chance. If the RA chairman can, why not a groom.
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