Australian equestrian Heath Ryan issues statement after horse whip video emerges
Australian Olympic equestrian Heath Ryan has been forced to defend himself after shocking vision of him whipping a horse emerged on social media.
The vision is two years old and it shows Ryan, 66, whipping a horse called Nico 42 times.
The video was shared on YouTube and Facebook by DressageHub, with the title: 'Australian Olympian Heath Ryan Hits a Horse 42 Times in 30 Seconds .... Pretty sure this video will get pulled. Watch it while you can.'
'It's never-ending ... this horse is completely shut down. It's traumatised,' DressageHub says.
7NEWS.com.au has chosen not to show the viral video, which takes place in an indoor training arena.
The sound of the cracking whip can be clearly heard, and the horse reacts by kicking its rear legs and swishing its tail.
But Ryan was quick to defend himself when he realised the video had surfaced, and said that all the facts needed to be taken into account before any judgement was made.
'Oh my goodness! The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced,' he said in a lengthy statement on Facebook.
He then explained that it was a a 'life-and-death' situation for the horse and it was in fact saving it from the 'knackery'.
'I have never ridden anything like it. I am so sad this was caught on video. If I had been thinking of myself, I would have immediately just gotten off and sent Nico to the knackery,' he said.
'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 use of excessive driving aids.'
He said Nico — who had been 'beautifully bred' by his best stallions — had always been a 'problem child'.
And before the horse was dropped off to him for training, Nico had a put his owner and good friend in intensive care.
'Nico, before he came to me, always had the best of best homes. He wanted for nothing. He was in wonderful condition, he was always rugged, he had his own paddock, he was regularly ridden and he was loved. Here is the question: if a beautiful 6yo horse turns up at your facility and it was bred by your stallion and it belonged to a lifelong friend of yours who had been put in hospital in intensive care by this horse, would you just send it to the Knackery??'
He said he felt obliged to retrain the horse to 'see if it was possibly salvageable'.
He said after that training session he found a 'brilliant' new home for Nico and the horse was 'thriving in a loving and competitive home with an exciting future'.
'All of this transpired sincerely with the horse's best interests the sole consideration. Unbelievably it was so successful for everyone except me with the release of this video. What can I say?' he said.
'If you think I did that flippantly, you are wrong. I hated reaching out in those moments to Nico and asking the hard questions. That was the last place I wanted to be. I have never before ridden a horse that reacted like that and I certainly will never do it again.
'Was it worth it?? Well, not for me, however, I am very happy for Nico. 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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
36 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Australian Olympian suspended as world left horrified by footage of horse whipped 42 times
WARNING: The following story contains images readers may find disturbing. Australian Olympian Heath Ryan has been provisionally suspended over horrific footage that has been circulated around the world. The equestrian horse trainer has taken to social media to defend his actions after video of an apparent whipping incident was shared by an outspoken dressage content publisher on social media platforms. The viral video shows Ryan, 66, appearing to strike six-year-old gelding Nico during an indoor training session. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The clip that has been swirling online shows Ryan raise his left hand and strike the eventing horse on the rump 42 times. Equestrian Australia has said the organisation is aware of the footage and has begun an investigation. 'Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage,' the governing body said in a statement. 'The person depicted in the video is a member of Equestrian Australia. EA is currently investigating this matter ... [and] has this afternoon imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership. 'Equestrian Australia takes matters of animal welfare very seriously. Contrary to commentary on YouTube, we have no information to suggest Equestrian Australia management asked for the footage of this incident to be removed.' The situation has now turned into a very public war of words with Ryan telling Facebook followers he had been attempting to rescue the horse from being sent to the 'knackery'. According to Ryan, the chestnut gelding had been labelled 'dangerous' by a previous owner and had been marked to be euthanised before the horse was transported to the Novocastrian's training facility. He said the horse had attacked its previous owner and left the person needing treatment in an intensive care ward. 'That video was a life or death moment for Nico,' he wrote. 'I am so sad this was caught on video. If I had been thinking of myself, I would have immediately just gotten off and sent Nico to the Knackery,' Ryan said. He said the video was filmed two years' ago and was released by an 'unhappy' former employee. He insisted in the comments published on Facebook that he was attempting to save the horse's life. Citing Nico's incident with a previous owner, Ryan said: 'The horse grabbed her [by the mouth] and ripped her out of the saddle and savaged her. 'I'd never run into anything like that before. It would just stop, but it would also turn around and try and grab you like a stallion and rip you out of the saddle. It had done this with its previous owner, who had never hit it. '[The whipping] turned everything around. This horse went on to have its best interest looked after. Clearly, in hindsight, it wasn't horse abuse. It was actually saving its life. That's irrefutable. It's just that when you look at it, I understand it. It's bloody horrendous. 'And if you think I enjoyed that, I did not. I hated it, but I just felt I was desperate. This horse was maybe as good as dead as I thought it could be. Could I talk to it? Could I open up channels of communication? 'People say that's disgusting, and you know, that's not opening channels of communication. I was going, 'Well, it actually saved its life. In 48 hours, it would have been dead.' The horse is still alive and lives with a new owner. The scandal was first brought into the public domain when shared by the 'Dressage Hub' page on Facebook. The video, shared by Dressage Hub's Susan Wachowich, has since been deleted from Facebook. One version has since been shared under the 'Dressage Hub' profile on YouTube. The American-based site has 58,000 followers and the video of Ryan's incident has been viewed more than 26,000 times. Wachowich said in commentary of the video Ryan had 'savagely abused' the horse. 'This video infuriates me to the core,' she said. Wachowich also made a startling claim Equestrian Australia had asked the original publisher of the video to remove it from Facebook. Ryan is well-respected of the Australian equestrian community and represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where the Australian team finished seventh in the mixed dressage team event.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Brumbies legend says team tapered for Super finals push
Winner of two Super Rugby titles, Joe Roff feels the Brumbies have got their preparations right this season after falling short in recent years. The ACT franchise face the table-topping Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the Super Rugby Pacific grand final. Roff was part of the title-winning Brumbies sides in 2000 and 2004, which was the club's last trophy, but the Wallabies legend says former teammate and coach Stephen Larkham has the team primed to perform. The Brumbies have made the last four semi-finals but haven't been able to make the decider. "Speaking with Steve ... he has unfinished business here," Roff told AAP. "He knows now, in the cycle of his coaching evolution, that the Melbourne Cup is not won in February. "He's coached his team to be primed at the right time of the season and so this weekend, I'm expecting and looking forward to a big performance." No Australian team has won a Super play-off in New Zealand with a 0-20 record, but Roff said that statistic shouldn't bother the Brumbies. They snapped a 12-year hoodoo in Auckland against the Blues this season while they've also beaten the Chiefs in Hamilton, back in 2022. "I see with the Brumbies a sense of self belief," Roff said. "It was only two years ago where, as an Australian public, we were saying we don't know how to beat New Zealand Super Rugby sides and that is not the case anymore, not by any, any stretch. "The belief that the Brumbies have going over to play against a wounded Chiefs team, who will come out very hard, is there." Speaking from Hamilton, Brumbies lock Nick Frost said such records were there to be broken and asked "why not us". "Obviously a lot of it is a bit upstairs, a bit mental," Frost said. "It's we haven't won here for a while or we don't do that well', but it's why not, why can't we be the first to break a record, why can't we be the first team to do that? "In 2013, the Brumbies were the first Australian team to win a play-off match in South Africa ... so the record in New Zealand is going to be broken one day so why can't it be us?" Frost said the team wanted to start well and believed they had the ability to close out a tight game if that was how it unfolded. "We've worked at our game through the year to be able to really close out games and we obviously fell short against the Crusaders, but we still have that big belief we can come home with a wet sail," the Wallabies forward said. "Probably the big thing is starting well, we didn't do that against the Crusaders and you let a quality side get out to a big lead it's hard to claw back, so we want to start strong and start hard." The Chiefs have lost the last two grand finals and were upset by the Blues in the qualifying final, but have All Blacks Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea back in the line-up. The Brumbies, who overcame the Hurricanes in their week-one final, are unchanged. Winner of two Super Rugby titles, Joe Roff feels the Brumbies have got their preparations right this season after falling short in recent years. The ACT franchise face the table-topping Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the Super Rugby Pacific grand final. Roff was part of the title-winning Brumbies sides in 2000 and 2004, which was the club's last trophy, but the Wallabies legend says former teammate and coach Stephen Larkham has the team primed to perform. The Brumbies have made the last four semi-finals but haven't been able to make the decider. "Speaking with Steve ... he has unfinished business here," Roff told AAP. "He knows now, in the cycle of his coaching evolution, that the Melbourne Cup is not won in February. "He's coached his team to be primed at the right time of the season and so this weekend, I'm expecting and looking forward to a big performance." No Australian team has won a Super play-off in New Zealand with a 0-20 record, but Roff said that statistic shouldn't bother the Brumbies. They snapped a 12-year hoodoo in Auckland against the Blues this season while they've also beaten the Chiefs in Hamilton, back in 2022. "I see with the Brumbies a sense of self belief," Roff said. "It was only two years ago where, as an Australian public, we were saying we don't know how to beat New Zealand Super Rugby sides and that is not the case anymore, not by any, any stretch. "The belief that the Brumbies have going over to play against a wounded Chiefs team, who will come out very hard, is there." Speaking from Hamilton, Brumbies lock Nick Frost said such records were there to be broken and asked "why not us". "Obviously a lot of it is a bit upstairs, a bit mental," Frost said. "It's we haven't won here for a while or we don't do that well', but it's why not, why can't we be the first to break a record, why can't we be the first team to do that? "In 2013, the Brumbies were the first Australian team to win a play-off match in South Africa ... so the record in New Zealand is going to be broken one day so why can't it be us?" Frost said the team wanted to start well and believed they had the ability to close out a tight game if that was how it unfolded. "We've worked at our game through the year to be able to really close out games and we obviously fell short against the Crusaders, but we still have that big belief we can come home with a wet sail," the Wallabies forward said. "Probably the big thing is starting well, we didn't do that against the Crusaders and you let a quality side get out to a big lead it's hard to claw back, so we want to start strong and start hard." The Chiefs have lost the last two grand finals and were upset by the Blues in the qualifying final, but have All Blacks Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea back in the line-up. The Brumbies, who overcame the Hurricanes in their week-one final, are unchanged. Winner of two Super Rugby titles, Joe Roff feels the Brumbies have got their preparations right this season after falling short in recent years. The ACT franchise face the table-topping Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the Super Rugby Pacific grand final. Roff was part of the title-winning Brumbies sides in 2000 and 2004, which was the club's last trophy, but the Wallabies legend says former teammate and coach Stephen Larkham has the team primed to perform. The Brumbies have made the last four semi-finals but haven't been able to make the decider. "Speaking with Steve ... he has unfinished business here," Roff told AAP. "He knows now, in the cycle of his coaching evolution, that the Melbourne Cup is not won in February. "He's coached his team to be primed at the right time of the season and so this weekend, I'm expecting and looking forward to a big performance." No Australian team has won a Super play-off in New Zealand with a 0-20 record, but Roff said that statistic shouldn't bother the Brumbies. They snapped a 12-year hoodoo in Auckland against the Blues this season while they've also beaten the Chiefs in Hamilton, back in 2022. "I see with the Brumbies a sense of self belief," Roff said. "It was only two years ago where, as an Australian public, we were saying we don't know how to beat New Zealand Super Rugby sides and that is not the case anymore, not by any, any stretch. "The belief that the Brumbies have going over to play against a wounded Chiefs team, who will come out very hard, is there." Speaking from Hamilton, Brumbies lock Nick Frost said such records were there to be broken and asked "why not us". "Obviously a lot of it is a bit upstairs, a bit mental," Frost said. "It's we haven't won here for a while or we don't do that well', but it's why not, why can't we be the first to break a record, why can't we be the first team to do that? "In 2013, the Brumbies were the first Australian team to win a play-off match in South Africa ... so the record in New Zealand is going to be broken one day so why can't it be us?" Frost said the team wanted to start well and believed they had the ability to close out a tight game if that was how it unfolded. "We've worked at our game through the year to be able to really close out games and we obviously fell short against the Crusaders, but we still have that big belief we can come home with a wet sail," the Wallabies forward said. "Probably the big thing is starting well, we didn't do that against the Crusaders and you let a quality side get out to a big lead it's hard to claw back, so we want to start strong and start hard." The Chiefs have lost the last two grand finals and were upset by the Blues in the qualifying final, but have All Blacks Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea back in the line-up. The Brumbies, who overcame the Hurricanes in their week-one final, are unchanged.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Up to Australia's bowlers again in WTC title defence
After another dramatic collapse, Australia's pace machine will need to bowl them to a famous victory as South Africa struck back in a pulsating World Test Championship final at Lord's. Having secured a first-innings lead of 74 thanks to a landmark 6-28 from captain Pat Cummins, Australia limped to 8-144 at stumps on Thursday in a decider that should be over well within three days. A frantic 45-minute collapse of 5-29 after tea on day two left the door ajar for the Proteas to pull off a monumental upset as they attempt to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998. The lead of 218 could already still be enough after South Africa were rolled for just 138 in their first innings. Only four teams have successfully chased a target of more than 200 in a Test at Lord's. "Happy we got 200," Cummins said. "Hopefully, we get another 20 or 30 in the morning, that'd be good. "That would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields. "Ideally we'd have a few more wickets in the shed. "We're going to have to still bowl well in the fourth innings." Fourteen wickets tumbled on Thursday, after 14 had already fallen on a dramatic opening day. But wicketkeeper Alex Carey (43) and star quick Mitchell Starc (16no) were able to steady Australia late in the day. The pair put on a crucial 61-run stand, after the reigning WTC title holders had slumped to 7-73. Kagsio Rabada (3-44), however, had one last spell in him and was able to dismiss Carey for his eighth wicket of the Test. Starc was then dropped by towering Proteas quick Marco Jansen in the slips two balls before stumps. In seven overs of chaos after tea, unheralded Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi (3-33) steamrolled Australia's middle-order in stunning fashion to boost the chances of a boilover. Left-armer Jansen, who appeared to hurt his finger in the field, removed Marcus Labuschagne in the second failure of his first Test as an opener. Having not played a Test since September, Ngidi then took the prized wicket of Steve Smith, before taking care of Beau Webster and Cummins. Earlier, Cummins had demolished South Africa to become the eighth Australian to take 300 Test wickets. While Starc started the destruction on Wednesday evening, Cummins was relentless in finishing the job with the 14th five-wicket haul of his brilliant 68-Test career. The first paceman to captain Australia long-term, Cummins joins the country's greats in reaching 300 wickets. Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563) sit one and two, while Cummins' teammates Nathan Lyon (553) and Mitchell Starc (384) are next in line. Dennis Lillee (355), Mitchell Johnson (313) and Brett Lee (310) are the others to take more than 300. Out of those eight, only McGrath has a better average (21.64) than Cummins' 22.08. The 32-year-old also finished with the best figures by a captain at Lord's, bettering England's Bob Willis' 6-101 in 1982. One of Cummins' six victims was Kyle Verreynne, who had to go after being trapped lbw. As Cummins was pedalling backwards while appealing, he and Verreynne collided with each other and tumbled over. The umpire gave the South Africa wicketkeeper not out, but Cummins successfully appealed. David Bedingham (45) top scored for South Africa, while Proteas captain Temba Bavuma survived a controversial DRS decision. Adjudged lbw on 16 off Josh Hazlewood, Bavuma left it late to review, but eventually took the decision upstairs with four seconds remaining. Bedingham insisted South Africa were not burdened by the weight of history and the Proteas' dismal record in big ICC games. "There's a massive belief in this team," he said. "It's just an amazing chance. "We're all very excited about the opportunity to win." This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which is broadcasting the World Test Championship final. After another dramatic collapse, Australia's pace machine will need to bowl them to a famous victory as South Africa struck back in a pulsating World Test Championship final at Lord's. Having secured a first-innings lead of 74 thanks to a landmark 6-28 from captain Pat Cummins, Australia limped to 8-144 at stumps on Thursday in a decider that should be over well within three days. A frantic 45-minute collapse of 5-29 after tea on day two left the door ajar for the Proteas to pull off a monumental upset as they attempt to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998. The lead of 218 could already still be enough after South Africa were rolled for just 138 in their first innings. Only four teams have successfully chased a target of more than 200 in a Test at Lord's. "Happy we got 200," Cummins said. "Hopefully, we get another 20 or 30 in the morning, that'd be good. "That would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields. "Ideally we'd have a few more wickets in the shed. "We're going to have to still bowl well in the fourth innings." Fourteen wickets tumbled on Thursday, after 14 had already fallen on a dramatic opening day. But wicketkeeper Alex Carey (43) and star quick Mitchell Starc (16no) were able to steady Australia late in the day. The pair put on a crucial 61-run stand, after the reigning WTC title holders had slumped to 7-73. Kagsio Rabada (3-44), however, had one last spell in him and was able to dismiss Carey for his eighth wicket of the Test. Starc was then dropped by towering Proteas quick Marco Jansen in the slips two balls before stumps. In seven overs of chaos after tea, unheralded Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi (3-33) steamrolled Australia's middle-order in stunning fashion to boost the chances of a boilover. Left-armer Jansen, who appeared to hurt his finger in the field, removed Marcus Labuschagne in the second failure of his first Test as an opener. Having not played a Test since September, Ngidi then took the prized wicket of Steve Smith, before taking care of Beau Webster and Cummins. Earlier, Cummins had demolished South Africa to become the eighth Australian to take 300 Test wickets. While Starc started the destruction on Wednesday evening, Cummins was relentless in finishing the job with the 14th five-wicket haul of his brilliant 68-Test career. The first paceman to captain Australia long-term, Cummins joins the country's greats in reaching 300 wickets. Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563) sit one and two, while Cummins' teammates Nathan Lyon (553) and Mitchell Starc (384) are next in line. Dennis Lillee (355), Mitchell Johnson (313) and Brett Lee (310) are the others to take more than 300. Out of those eight, only McGrath has a better average (21.64) than Cummins' 22.08. The 32-year-old also finished with the best figures by a captain at Lord's, bettering England's Bob Willis' 6-101 in 1982. One of Cummins' six victims was Kyle Verreynne, who had to go after being trapped lbw. As Cummins was pedalling backwards while appealing, he and Verreynne collided with each other and tumbled over. The umpire gave the South Africa wicketkeeper not out, but Cummins successfully appealed. David Bedingham (45) top scored for South Africa, while Proteas captain Temba Bavuma survived a controversial DRS decision. Adjudged lbw on 16 off Josh Hazlewood, Bavuma left it late to review, but eventually took the decision upstairs with four seconds remaining. Bedingham insisted South Africa were not burdened by the weight of history and the Proteas' dismal record in big ICC games. "There's a massive belief in this team," he said. "It's just an amazing chance. "We're all very excited about the opportunity to win." This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which is broadcasting the World Test Championship final. After another dramatic collapse, Australia's pace machine will need to bowl them to a famous victory as South Africa struck back in a pulsating World Test Championship final at Lord's. Having secured a first-innings lead of 74 thanks to a landmark 6-28 from captain Pat Cummins, Australia limped to 8-144 at stumps on Thursday in a decider that should be over well within three days. A frantic 45-minute collapse of 5-29 after tea on day two left the door ajar for the Proteas to pull off a monumental upset as they attempt to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998. The lead of 218 could already still be enough after South Africa were rolled for just 138 in their first innings. Only four teams have successfully chased a target of more than 200 in a Test at Lord's. "Happy we got 200," Cummins said. "Hopefully, we get another 20 or 30 in the morning, that'd be good. "That would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields. "Ideally we'd have a few more wickets in the shed. "We're going to have to still bowl well in the fourth innings." Fourteen wickets tumbled on Thursday, after 14 had already fallen on a dramatic opening day. But wicketkeeper Alex Carey (43) and star quick Mitchell Starc (16no) were able to steady Australia late in the day. The pair put on a crucial 61-run stand, after the reigning WTC title holders had slumped to 7-73. Kagsio Rabada (3-44), however, had one last spell in him and was able to dismiss Carey for his eighth wicket of the Test. Starc was then dropped by towering Proteas quick Marco Jansen in the slips two balls before stumps. In seven overs of chaos after tea, unheralded Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi (3-33) steamrolled Australia's middle-order in stunning fashion to boost the chances of a boilover. Left-armer Jansen, who appeared to hurt his finger in the field, removed Marcus Labuschagne in the second failure of his first Test as an opener. Having not played a Test since September, Ngidi then took the prized wicket of Steve Smith, before taking care of Beau Webster and Cummins. Earlier, Cummins had demolished South Africa to become the eighth Australian to take 300 Test wickets. While Starc started the destruction on Wednesday evening, Cummins was relentless in finishing the job with the 14th five-wicket haul of his brilliant 68-Test career. The first paceman to captain Australia long-term, Cummins joins the country's greats in reaching 300 wickets. Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563) sit one and two, while Cummins' teammates Nathan Lyon (553) and Mitchell Starc (384) are next in line. Dennis Lillee (355), Mitchell Johnson (313) and Brett Lee (310) are the others to take more than 300. Out of those eight, only McGrath has a better average (21.64) than Cummins' 22.08. The 32-year-old also finished with the best figures by a captain at Lord's, bettering England's Bob Willis' 6-101 in 1982. One of Cummins' six victims was Kyle Verreynne, who had to go after being trapped lbw. As Cummins was pedalling backwards while appealing, he and Verreynne collided with each other and tumbled over. The umpire gave the South Africa wicketkeeper not out, but Cummins successfully appealed. David Bedingham (45) top scored for South Africa, while Proteas captain Temba Bavuma survived a controversial DRS decision. Adjudged lbw on 16 off Josh Hazlewood, Bavuma left it late to review, but eventually took the decision upstairs with four seconds remaining. Bedingham insisted South Africa were not burdened by the weight of history and the Proteas' dismal record in big ICC games. "There's a massive belief in this team," he said. "It's just an amazing chance. "We're all very excited about the opportunity to win." This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which is broadcasting the World Test Championship final.
