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The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Olympian Heath Ryan Suspended for Whipping Horse 40+ Times
OLYMPIAN Heath Ryan has been suspended by an 'extremely alarmed' Equestrian Australia after a video showed him whipping a horse more than 40 times. The 66-year-old, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said in a statement he had been acting in the animal's 'best interests'. The video, originally shared to US-based Facebook account Dressage Hub, showed him striking the stallion repeatedly with a narrator saying the horse was 'traumatised in every state'. Equestrian Australia said it was 'extremely alarmed and concerned'. 'Equestrian Australia has imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership,' it added. The ban will remain in place pending an investigation by its integrity unit. Ryan, a former three-time Australian three-day event champion, defended his actions, saying it had been a 'life or death moment' for the horse, named Nico. He said the six-year-old had always been a 'problem child' and was destined for the knackery after an incident with a family friend that left her in intensive care. 'I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable,' he said. 'That video was a life or death moment for Nico and I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options. '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.' He claimed the video was two years old and posted by a disgruntled ex-employee, with Nico now thriving in a new home. Three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin missed the Paris Games last year following a different horse-whipping controversy. The British rider was banned just days before the start of the Olympics after a video emerged showing her repeatedly striking a horse on its legs.
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Australian Olympic equestrian suspended over horse-whipping video
OLYMPIAN Heath Ryan has been suspended by an 'extremely alarmed' Equestrian Australia after a video showed him whipping a horse more than 40 times. The 66-year-old, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said in a statement he had been acting in the animal's 'best interests'. The video, originally shared to US-based Facebook account Dressage Hub, showed him striking the stallion repeatedly with a narrator saying the horse was 'traumatised in every state'. Equestrian Australia said it was 'extremely alarmed and concerned'. 'Equestrian Australia has imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership,' it added. The ban will remain in place pending an investigation by its integrity unit. Ryan, a former three-time Australian three-day event champion, defended his actions, saying it had been a 'life or death moment' for the horse, named Nico. He said the six-year-old had always been a 'problem child' and was destined for the knackery after an incident with a family friend that left her in intensive care. 'I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable,' he said. 'That video was a life or death moment for Nico and I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options. '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.' He claimed the video was two years old and posted by a disgruntled ex-employee, with Nico now thriving in a new home. Three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin missed the Paris Games last year following a different horse-whipping controversy. The British rider was banned just days before the start of the Olympics after a video emerged showing her repeatedly striking a horse on its legs.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Aussie Olympian Heath Ryan is BANNED over shocking video showing him subjecting a horse to a shocking act 42 times in footage that has gone global
Olympian Heath Ryan has been suspended by Equestrian Australia after a video surfaced showing him repeatedly whipping a horse. Ryan had insisted he was on a 'rescue mission' after horrific footage emerged of the international equestrian star whipping a horse more than 40 times at a private stable. He claimed he was acting in the horse's best interests, saying the animal had a dangerous history. Equestrian Australia called the footage alarming and issued a provisional suspension pending a formal investigation. 'Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage,' a statement read. 'Our policies include high standards to protect all participants and their horses against any adverse physical, social, and emotional conditions.' Ryan, 66, who competed at the 2008 Games in Beijing in the dressage team event, issued a statement online after the confronting vision appeared on social media via US-based Facebook page Dressage Hub. He conceded the footage is 'awful' - but the Newcastle based rider maintained he was doing his utmost to ensure the horse wasn't sent to the slaughter house. Ryan also claimed the vision was posted 'by an unhappy ex-employee.' 'Oh my goodness! The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced,' his lengthy Facebook post began. 'This horse was dropped off at my place on his way to the knackery. His name is Nico. He was 6 years of age. A beautiful type. '(After the repeated whipping) I rode Nico for another couple of days and he responded very well. 'All of this transpired sincerely with the horse's best interests the sole consideration. 'I (also) need to add that this happened about two years the video has been posted by an unhappy ex-employee. Heath Ryan's lengthy statement after the confronting vision appeared on social media via Facebook page Dressage Hub '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 has competed in equestrian events in Australia for decades, with his crowning achievement an appearance at the Beijing Olympics. He is also the brother of triple Olympic equestrian gold medallist Matt Ryan, who was part of the eventing team who famously stormed to victory at the Sydney Games in 2000. The incident follows British golden girl Charlotte Dujardin sensationally quitting just days before the 2024 Paris Olympics after a video emerged of her allegedly whipping a horse on the legs repeatedly. Last December, Dujardin was suspended from the sport for 12 months by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), as the six-time Olympic medallist conceded she made an 'an error of judgement' during a coaching session. Dujardin had returned to competition leading into Paris after giving birth to her first child Isabella in March of 2023.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Authorities take action over horror horse whip video
An Australian Olympian filmed whipping a horse 42 times has claimed he was doing so in an effort to save the animal's life. The footage, taken around two years ago at his stables in NSW, shows Heath Ryan repeatedly striking a horse named Nico as it bucks in distress. The video was recently shared online, sparking widespread outrage. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING Now Equestrian Australia has provisionally suspended Ryan from national and international competitions while it investigates the incident. Ryan, who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is a three-time Australian three-day event champion, claimed the footage was taken by a disgruntled former employee. The 66-year-old said the whipping of the six-year-old gelding was a last resort to prevent the horse from being euthanised. 'Oh my goodness! The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced,' Ryan wrote in a lengthy Facebook post. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. He described the situation as 'life-and-death' for Nico, who he said was destined for 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. By the end of that initial ride, I did feel Nico was responding.' Ryan added that after a few more days of training, Nico began responding well and no longer required 'excessive driving aids.' However, Equestrian Australia strongly condemned the footage. 'Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage,' the organisation said in a statement. 'We have imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership and all associated rights, privileges, and benefits while the matter is investigated.' Heath Ryan at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Credit: MIKE CLARKE / AFP Ryan also claimed that Nico had previously attacked its former owner. 'The horse grabbed her by the mouth, ripped her out of the saddle, and savaged her,' he said. 'It would stop, then turn around and try to grab you like a stallion. 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 interests 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's bloody horrendous.' 'And if you think I enjoyed that, I did not. I hated it, but I felt desperate. This horse was maybe as good as dead. Could I talk to it? Could I open up channels of communication?' The video was shared by US equestrian channel Dressage Hub, whose owner Susan Wachowich said it 'infuriates me to the core.' With 7NEWS
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Australian Olympic Equestrian Heath Ryan Suspended Over Horse-Whipping Video
Olympian Heath Ryan has been suspended by an "extremely alarmed" Equestrian Australia after a video showed him whipping a horse more than 40 times. The 66-year-old, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, said in a statement he had been acting in the animal's "best interests". The video, originally shared to US-based Facebook account Dressage Hub, showed him striking the stallion repeatedly with a narrator saying the horse was "traumatised in every state". Equestrian Australia said it was "extremely alarmed and concerned". "Equestrian Australia has imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership," it added. The ban will remain in place pending an investigation by its integrity unit. Ryan, a former three-time Australian three-day event champion, defended his actions, saying it had been a "life or death moment" for the horse, named Nico. He said the six-year-old had always been a "problem child" and was destined for the knackery after an incident with a family friend that left her in intensive care. "I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable," he said. "That video was a life or death moment for Nico and I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options. "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." He claimed the video was two years old and posted by a disgruntled ex-employee, with Nico now thriving in a new home. Three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin missed the Paris Games last year following a different horse-whipping controversy. The British rider was banned just days before the start of the Olympics after a video emerged showing her repeatedly striking a horse on its legs. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
