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Olympic dressage rider Heath Ryan was suspended by Equestrian Australia on Thursday after video shared online showed him reportedly whipping a horse.
The sports governing body announced the suspensions in a lengthy post, adding that it followed both the revelation of the video online and a formal complaint.
FILE – Australia’s Heath Ryan waves after riding with “Greenoaks Dundee” during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Grand Prix Dressage Equestrian event on August 13, 2008, in Hong Kong. (Mike Clarke/AFP via Getty Images)
“Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage,” the statement read. Ryan was not named in the statement.
“Equestrian Australia 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. This means they may take no part in competitions or events as competitor or Official or in the organization of, or participation in, any event under the jurisdiction of Equestrian Australia.”
Ryan, who represented Australia in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, posted a lengthy message on social media claiming that the video was from two years ago and shared by an “unhappy ex-employee.” Reports say the video showed Ryan whipping the horse 42 times.
FILE – Heath Ryan from Lochinvar, New South Wales, Australia atop Flame competes in the Dressage Phase of the 2007 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park April 27, 2007, in Lexington, Kentucky. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images))
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He claimed that the horse, Nico, had been brought to him by a family friend after that person was hospitalized following an incident with the horse. Ryan claimed he had saved the horse from being euthanized.
“If a beautiful [6-year-old] 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?? Well I didn’t and I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.
Heath Ryan of Australia and Greenoaks Dundee perform in the Individual Dressage Grand Prix held at the Hong Kong Olympic Equestrian Venue in Sha Tin during Day 5 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 13, 2008, in Hong Kong, China. (Julian Herbert/Getty Images)
“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. That video was a life or death moment for Nico and of that I was very aware,” Ryan said, later adding that his actions were done in the “best interests” of the animal.
Equestrian Australia said it “takes matters of animal welfare very seriously” and that Ryan’s suspension will remain in place pending an investigation by the Equestrian Australia’s Integrity Unit.
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