Australian Olympian Heath Ryan has been suspended for 18 months and fined by equestrian’s global governing body following an investigation into allegations of horse abuse. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) handed down the suspension on Friday (Saturday AEST), saying the 68-year-old had brought the sport into disrepute and breached the FEI code of conduct for the welfare of the horse.
FEI Tribunal ruling and penalty
The FEI Tribunal concluded that Ryan engaged in horse abuse pursuant to Article 142.1 of the FEI General Regulations, bringing both the FEI and equestrian sport into disrepute, according to a statement from the Swiss-based governing body. The ban is retrospective, starting from the date of the provisional suspension on June 12 2025, meaning it will end on December 12 2026.
Ryan, who rode for Australia in dressage at the 2008 Beijing Games, was also fined 3,000 Swiss francs (A$5,174) and ordered to pay the same amount towards the FEI’s legal costs.
Video and prior suspension
The dressage and eventing rider had already been suspended by Equestrian Australia last year after a video appearing to show Ryan whipping a horse repeatedly surfaced on social media. When the Equestrian Australia ban was invoked in June 2025, Ryan released a lengthy statement on social media defending his actions, saying he had saved the six-year-old horse from being destroyed after it attacked its owner.
“The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced. This horse was dropped off at my place on his way to the knackery,” he wrote last year. “I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable ... and had never ridden anything like it. I am so sad this was caught on video.”
Ryan’s response and context
Ryan said the video had been placed online by an “unhappy ex-employee” and posted another video which he said showed the horse thriving in a new home. The FEI’s decision follows a thorough investigation into the allegations, which first emerged in 2025.
The suspension is effective immediately and will run until December 2026, after which Ryan will be eligible to compete again in FEI-sanctioned events.
