Equestrian: Tait leaves high performance post

Former Olympic and world champion Blyth Tait finishes up today as eventing high performance director for Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ).

Tait said he was not renewing his four-year contract as high performance director but remained the manager of the New Zealand eventing team "at this stage".

He said ESNZ was restructuring the high performance branches of all equestrian disciplines so it was timely to quit as director to concentrate on his Chesterfields horse breeding business at Karaka and also sort out the business affairs of his father who died this year.

"I have done four years. That was what the contract was and ESNZ was comfortable with me resigning as high performance director," Tait told NZPA today.

"I will stay involved in the sport. As part of the restructuring there will probably be an advisory panel to the high performance manager and hopefully I will be involved."

ESNZ said in a statement that it hoped to retain Tait's "knowledge and expertise in some capacity into the future" and thanked him for his dedication over the last four years.

ESNZ's eventing national coach Erik Duvander would continue his involvement in the high performance programme.

- NZPA