Heath Ryan suspended by Equestrian Australia after video shows him whipping horse ‘Nico’ 42 times

An Australian Olympian filmed whipping a horse 42 times has claimed he was doing so in an effort to save the animal’s life.

The footage, taken around two years ago at his stables in NSW, shows Heath Ryan repeatedly striking a horse named Nico as it bucks in distress.

The video was recently shared online, sparking widespread outrage.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW: GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING

Now Equestrian Australia has provisionally suspended Ryan from national and international competitions while it investigates the incident.

Ryan, who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is a three-time Australian three-day event champion, claimed the footage was taken by a disgruntled former employee.

The 66-year-old said the whipping of the six-year-old gelding was a last resort to prevent the horse from being euthanised.

“Oh my goodness! The most awful video of me on a young horse has just surfaced,” Ryan wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.

He described the situation as “life-and-death” for Nico, who he said was destined for the knackery.

“I have never ridden anything like it. 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 said.

“That video was a life-or-death moment for Nico and of that I was very aware. I felt I genuinely had to try my very hardest to see if Nico would consider other options. By the end of that initial ride, I did feel Nico was responding.”

Ryan added that after a few more days of training, Nico began responding well and no longer required “excessive driving aids.”

However, Equestrian Australia strongly condemned the footage.

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

“We have imposed a provisional suspension of this person’s membership and all associated rights, privileges, and benefits while the matter is investigated.”

Ryan also claimed that Nico had previously attacked its former owner.

“The horse grabbed her by the mouth, ripped her out of the saddle, and savaged her,” he said.

“It would stop, then turn around and try to grab you like a stallion. It had done this with its previous owner, who had never hit it.”

“(The whipping) turned everything around. This horse went on to have its best interests looked after. Clearly, in hindsight, it wasn’t horse abuse. It was actually saving its life. That’s irrefutable. It’s just that when you look at it, I understand—it’s bloody horrendous.”

“And if you think I enjoyed that, I did not. I hated it, but I felt desperate. This horse was maybe as good as dead. Could I talk to it? Could I open up channels of communication?”

The video was shared by US equestrian channel Dressage Hub, whose owner Susan Wachowich said it “infuriates me to the core.”

With 7NEWS