WHIPPED INTO SUBMISSION…
We first addressed this incident on June 14, 2025 — and it like too many other stories, left us heartbroken and outraged. We felt the need to add to the original post – which you can find here – with a few more thoughts below…
THE DISTURBING CASE OF HEATH RYAN & NICO THE “PROBLEM CHILD”
Another elite equestrian caught on camera.
Another horse whipped into submission.
Another excuse offered under the banner of “training.”
Last week, footage emerged allegedly showing Australian Olympic dressage rider Heath Ryan repeatedly whipping a horse more than 40 times.
The video, which Ryan has confirmed features him and a horse named Nico, is both disturbing and damning — revealing a horse being beaten into obedience while showing visible signs of distress.
What’s worse? Ryan isn’t denying it. In fact, he’s justifying it.
According to Ryan, Nico was “a problem child” — a difficult horse destined for slaughter after reportedly injuring a previous owner.
Ryan claimed he stepped in to “salvage” the horse and used the whipping as a last resort.
In his view, he did Nico a favour.
But whipping isn’t salvation.
It’s cruelty, plain and simple.
The footage paints a horrific picture. Ryan, mounted on Nico, strikes him again and again — the sound of the whip slicing through the air and hitting flesh is clearly audible.
Nico kicks out multiple times in response, a clear sign of distress. But the blows continue.
Eventually, the horse appears to “shut down,” a state known in equine behaviour as learned helplessness — when an animal no longer tries to escape a painful or frightening situation because it has learned that nothing it does will make the suffering stop.
Make no mistake: Nico was not being trained. He was being broken.
Just like humans, horses feel pain. The gluteal area — where Ryan focused many of his strikes — is sensitive and vulnerable. And the idea that physical violence is a valid method of correcting behaviour, especially from a seasoned Olympian, is nothing short of alarming.
THIS ISN’T AN ISOLATED INCIDENT – IT’S A PATTERN
Ryan’s case isn’t an outlier. In July 2024, footage surfaced of Charlotte Dujardin, another decorated Olympic dressage rider, repeatedly whipping a horse on its hind legs. She was later fined and suspended by the International Equestrian Federation.
More recently, in May 2025, a Tasmanian court found racehorse trainer Liandra Gray guilty of animal cruelty for striking a horse more than 40 times with a padded racing whip.
The court ruled that the whipping caused unreasonable and unjustifiable pain, a landmark decision that finally shattered the myth that racing whips “don’t hurt.”
Across disciplines and across continents, the whip is wielded not as a tool of guidance — but as a weapon of domination.
CONSEQUENCES VERSUS COMPASSION
This is consequentialism at its worst — using a perceived positive outcome to excuse inhumane actions.
Ryan’s justification reflects a broader culture in equestrian sport where horses are valued not for who they are, but for what they can do for humans.
If they don’t comply?
They’re beaten. If they resist?
They’re punished.
If they fail?
They’re discarded — sometimes to slaughter.
WHY WAS NICO DIFFICULT IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Horses don’t misbehave in a vacuum. “Difficult” behaviour in horses is often the direct result of poor communication, fear, pain, or mishandled training.
Scientific evidence has shown that horses learn through the release of pressure, not through repeated punishment.
When cues are unclear or aversive stimuli are used excessively, horses become confused, anxious, and defensive.
In Nico’s case, it’s likely he didn’t understand what Ryan wanted — or was too frightened to respond.
Repeated exposure to pain doesn’t fix that. It makes it worse.
A CALL FOR MODERN, COMPASSIONATE TRAINING
Groups like the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe have issued strong warnings about the dangers of aversive training methods. They argue — with science on their side — that such methods are inefficient, harmful, and unacceptable.
ISES has even published 10 core principles for ethical equine training, showing that even the most “difficult” horses can be reached with compassion, patience, and understanding — not violence.
So why are elite riders still resorting to brute force?
Why are horses still being whipped under the guise of sport?
Why does the equestrian industry continue to protect those who abuse the animals they claim to love?
IT’S TIME TO END THE ABUSE – NOT EXCUSE IT
The cases of Nico, The Bolt, and so many others aren’t accidents. They are symptoms of a deeply broken system — one where the horse’s wellbeing always comes second to human ambition, ego, or convenience.
At Meet Our Horse Meat (MOHM) we fight to expose cruelty in all its forms — from the slaughterhouse to the show ring. Because whether it’s a “problem child” horse or a champion racer, no animal deserves to be whipped into silence.
It’s time for real reform — not just empty apologies.
It’s time to stop making excuses — and start making changes.
HELP US FIGHT FOR HORSES LIKE NICO AND THE BOLT
At Meet Our Horse Meat, we’re not just raising our voices — we’re rolling up our sleeves.
Every day, we expose cruelty, challenge powerful industries, and speak out for the horses who can’t speak for themselves. But our work doesn’t stop at advocacy. We also provide support for horses in crisis — those who’ve been abused, neglected, or were one step away from the slaughterhouse.
Your donation helps us:
Campaign for stronger animal welfare laws
Hold abusers accountable
Rescue and care for at-risk horses
Educate the public and shift cultural norms around equine treatment.
If you’re outraged by what happened to Nico… If you believe in compassion over cruelty… Please donate today.
Your support saves lives — and strengthens our fight for a world where no horse is ever whipped into submission again.
Because silence isn’t an option.
Because justice needs fuel.
Because horses deserve better.
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We are going to continue our hands-on work to offer lifelong sanctuary to as many horses as possible. We generally have 20 at just one of our locations - at any given time.
We have the acreage to take on more horses as financial support allows.
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