A VET has defended his reputation after being accused of incorrectly measuring show horses.

Marc Auerbach from Oak Equine in Ongar has been removed from the Joint Measurement Board's (JMB) list of recommended measurers after concerns were raised over the legitimacy of his figures by the British Show Pony Society (BSPS).

Jim McTiffin, BSPS representative on the JMB said: "Ponies were travelling great distances to go to a particular vet, so we decided to follow it up with the JMB."

An investigation was therefore launched after it was claimed he had measured up to 90 horses two or three centimetres short.

But Mr Auerbach has refuted the claims saying: "I measured the horses according to the rules and to the best of my ability.

"There are research papers which show that there can be a difference of more than 1.9cm each time a horse is measured. The JMB has the final right to state a measurement, somebody has to, but no-one ever know's if that's the accurate height.

"Also, the condition of a horse can change and that could affect the height. Sedation can make a difference, although if a horse looks sedated we will always take a blood sample and the horses I have measured have all looked in a healthy condition.

"This is all pretty defamatory to me and of course I worry what people will think. I have been a vet for 20 years and worked hard to be where I am. But I vehemently deny the allegations that have been made."

Horse owners pay the JMB a £70 fee for a measurement certificate, which must be provided for every horse being shown in the UK, and the vet is then given a percentage of that fee.

Many of the horses measured by Mr Auerbach will now have to be re-measured at a cost to their owners.

British Show Horse Association Chairman Nigel Hollings branded the case as "the biggest scandal to hit showing in 20 years."

But a spokeswoman from the JMB said that re-measuring horses was normal practice.

She added: "The stewards of the JMB continually monitor measurement certificates and have and will issue instructions, under the rules, that various horses and ponies be re-measured throughout the year."

Howard Robinson, head of the JMB said: "The JMB don't comment on additions or deletions to the list. But we continually monitor results of measurements and if the stewards have any concerns then we carry out re-measurements.

"The reason for measuring is that people are competing in competitions which judge a horse by its height. I assume someone would try to measure a horse shorter than it is to try to get a bigger animal in a smaller class so they are then the tallest in that class. Some people might think that's an advantage."