Sponsors Bates Saddles, Prydes EasiFeed drop Heath Ryan after horse whipping video goes viral

The fallout from dramatic footage of former Olympian Heath Ryan repeatedly whipping a horse has been swift, with key sponsors dropping him and the sport’s governing body imposing sanctions.

Newcastle-based trainer and Olympian Heath Ryan is being investigated by the RSPCA and Equestrian Australia following the release of a video where he is seen whipping a horse..

Olympic equestrian Heath Ryan has been suspended from competition and dropped by at least two major sponsors after disturbing footage emerged on Thursday showing him whipping a horse 42 times during a training session.

Equestrian Australia confirmed it had received a formal complaint from a member of the public and has launched an investigation, resulting in a decision to provisionally suspend Ryan from competition.

The suspension was mirrored by the international governing body, Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).

Equestrian Australia said in a statement it was “extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage”.

The RSPCA has also confirmed it has launched a separate investigation into the incident and was “making further enquiries”.

The Australian Olympic Committee said it was aware of the video but did not confirm whether it would take action.

The footage, which surfaced on US-based website Dressage Hub, shows Ryan striking a six-year-old horse named Nico with a long dressage whip while schooling the animal in an indoor arena.

Ryan, who represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, claimed the clip was filmed two years ago and was leaked by a disgruntled former employee.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Ryan said the footage showed a “life or death moment” for the horse, which had previously hospitalised its owner and was en-route to be destroyed.

“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 wrote.

“That video was a life or death moment for Nico… I felt I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options.”

“If you think I did that flippantly, you are wrong… That was the last place I wanted to be.”

Heath Ryan at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Grand Prix dressage equestrian event in 2008. Picture: AFP / Mike Clarke

Prydes EasiFeed and Bates Saddles, both long time supporters of Ryan, announced on Friday, in separate statements, they had cut ties with the former Olympian.

In a statement posted on the Bates Facebook page, the company it was “shocked and heartbroken” by the video.

“The video footage is completely at odds with the Heath Ryan we have partnered with for decades, and we have immediately ended our sponsorship,” the company said.

Bates has sponsored Heath and his wife Rozzie, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, for decades, with the pair often featured in advertising and promotions for the company.

Prydes confirmed it had ended its support of Ryan.

“We are deeply concerned by Heath Ryan’s actions as shown in the video footage and take any form of animal cruelty extremely seriously,” a spokesperson said.

“As a company committed to high standards of animal welfare, we have made the decision to terminate our sponsorship arrangement with Mr Ryan effective immediately.”

Newcastle-based trainer and Olympian Heath Ryan is being investigated by the RSPCA and Equestrian Australia following the release of a video where he is seen whipping a horse.

Meanwhile, another key sponsor, major equestrian retailer Horseland, appears to have quietly removed Mr Ryan from its line-up of sponsored riders on its website, although no official statement has been released.

The Telegraph has approached Horseland for comment.

The incident involving Ryan has drawn comparisons to British Olympian Charlotte Dujardin, who was banned for a year and fined by the FEI in 2023 after a video showed her repeatedly whipping a horse during a training session