- Video was released of incident at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in New York
- The Chronicle identified the rider as heiress Jazz Johnson-Merton
- Chris Wynne, who was in the judge’s booth when the incident took place, said: ‘She got up, lost her temper and tried to kick the horse in the stomach’
A wealthy heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune has reportedly been caught on camera ‘trying to kick her horse in the stomach.’
A video was released of the incident at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in New York earlier this month.
The Chronicle identified the rider as heiress Jazz Johnson-Merton with her horse Joe Cool.
A wealthy heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune has reportedly been caught on camera ‘trying to kick her horse in the stomach’
Her boot is seen swiftly kicking the horse in the belly next to the jump
Chris Wynne, who was in the judge’s booth when the incident took place, told the publication: ‘She got up, lost her temper and tried to kick the horse in the stomach.’
He added: ‘It was one of those gray areas of, was it unsportsmanlike? Absolutely. Did it really hurt the horse? Probably not.’
Julian McPeak, director of marketing and communications of United States Equestrian Federation, said the organisation was ‘aware of the incident with Ms. Johnson at the Hampton Classic’ and is ‘currently in the process of reviewing the report at this time.’
Ms Johnson-Merton is an heiress of the wealthy and prominent Johnson & Johnson family.
High society: Jazz-Johnson-Merton pictured left with a friend at the launch of her book The Social Climber’s Bible which she wrote with family friend Dirk Wittenborn (both pictured right)
The Chronicle identified the rider as heiress Jazz Johnson-Merton (pictured left in 2005 alongside Ivanka Trump)
The heiress is seen here at a 2009 gala in Manhattan with a friend
Raised in New Jersey, she is a former debutante and graduate of Barnard College.
According to the website for her book The Social Climber’s Bible, she is a distinguished horsewoman and has won in the Amateur Owner Hunter division at the top horse shows in the country.
She currently manages her family estate, serves on the board of charitable foundations, is master of the Essex Fox Hounds.
MailOnline has attempted to contact Ms Johnson-Merton’s representatives for comment.