Olympian filmed ‘hitting horse over 40 times'
A video has emerged of an Olympic dressage rider repeatedly whipping a horse barely six months after Charlotte Dujardin was banned for a year for a similar incident.
Heath Ryan, 66, was filmed apparently hitting a horse called Nico more than 40 times in footage uploaded to the Facebook page of Dressage Hub.
The video prompted a response from Ryan, who competed for Australia at the 2008 Olympics, stating that his actions had been part of a 'rescue mission' to prevent the horse from being sent to the slaughterhouse.
He also claimed the video had been 'posted by an unhappy ex-employee'.
'Oh my goodness! The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced,' he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. 'This horse was dropped off at my place on his way to the knackery. His name is Nico. He was six years of age. A beautiful type.'
Ryan said the 'problem child' horse had been sent to him after putting a 'wonderful family friend' of his in intensive care.
'That video was a life-or-death moment for Nico and of that I was very aware. I felt I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options. Anyway by the end of that initial ride I did feel Nico was responding.
'I rode Nico for another couple of days and he responded very well and started to go without the excessive use of driving aids.
'All of this transpired sincerely with the horse's best interests the sole consideration.
'I need to add that this happened about two years ago and the video has been posted by an unhappy ex-employee.
'All I can say is that this awful video was collateral damage of me from the bottom of my heart launching a rescue mission.'
Ryan, who has competed in equestrian events in Australia for decades, is the brother of triple Olympic equestrian gold medallist Matt Ryan.
In December, Britain's three-time Olympic champion Dujardin was banned for a year for whipping a horse on the legs more than 20 times.
That followed the emergence of years-old footage shortly before the Paris Games, from which she withdrew, conceding she had made 'an error of judgement' during a coaching session.
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