AUSTRALIAN HEATH RYAN REPEATEDLY WHIPS HORSE
By CNN
Published: June 13, 2025 at 2:23PM EDT
Australian dressage rider has been provisionally suspended and will be investigated, according to Equestrian Australia (EA), after a video emerged on social media that appears to show him repeatedly whipping a horse.
Heath Ryan, who represented Australia in dressage at the 2008 Olympics, can be seen in the video – which the rider said is about two years old – hitting a horse around 40 times.
Ryan said in a lengthy Facebook post defending the incident that everything in the video “transpired sincerely with the (horse’s) best interests the sole consideration.”
Did you ‘get’ that?
Ryan said in a lengthy Facebook post defending the incident that everything in the video “transpired sincerely with the (horse’s) best interests the sole consideration.”
Really?
Seriously?
The suspension comes as the international dressage world is still trying to restore its social licence following another horse whipping scandal involving Great Britain’s three-time Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin, who received a one-year suspension from international competition after video of her whipping a horse was released on the eve of the 2024 Paris Games.
What do YOU think?
Join the conversation on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/@NoAussieHorseSlaughter
#MOHM THREATENED?
We’ve been threatened by those in the horse racing industry and those who benefit from horse slaughter more times than we can count.
But we are not going away.
We are going to persist until horse slaughter no longer exists for any purpose within Australia -- and until the horse racing industry makes drastic changes.
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.
CONTACT THE PM
Use the button above and fill out the form to let the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, know exactly how you feel about horses being slaughtered in Australia. Your note can be as simple as "I oppose the slaughter of horses in Australia, for...
OTTB TRAINER KARIN GRACEY
KARIN GRACEY IS SAVING THE LIVES OF HORSESWe’d like to introduce you to someone we consider to be a hero, Karin Gracey. Karin has dedicated much of her life to helping thoroughbreds.For the past 22 years Karin has worked full time with thoroughbreds including working...
Join us on social media and become a keyboard warrior.
