Heath Ryan

Heath was born 2nd July 1958 and in 1980 Heath and Rozzie were married. In 1990 the first World Equestrian Games ever were held in Stockholm, Sweden. Rozzie was a member of the Stockholm Australian dressage team and this was indeed the first Australian dressage team to leave Australian shores. Heath was a member of the Australian three day event team and Heath's mum and dad, Sue and Rod Ryan represented Australia in the four-in-hand carriage driving. Matt the baby brother! was in actual fact also selected for the Australian three day event team however a lame horse put an end to that and Matt became part of the carriage driving team hanging on to the end of the carriage counterbalancing whilst Heath's dad took the cross country course as fast as he could.

That was a memorable World Equestrian Games for the Ryans and the beginning of the Ryans story!!!

Matt made up for lost opportunity two years later by winning the individual gold medal and the team gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. 

Heath then went on to be assistant coach for the eventing team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where the Australians won a team gold medal and then Heath was again the assitant coach for the eventing team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Again the Australian team won gold. 

Heath has on three different occasions been the Australian three day event champion and on four different occasions been the Australian Grand Prix dressage champion. 

Perhaps Heaths most memorable horse to date has been the black stallion Regardez Moi who won over 40 Grand Prix dressage competitions! 

Heath has been a prolific producer of top competition horses with eight International Grand Prix dressage horses to his credit and some twenty 4* eventers to his credit. 

Heath rode Flame to win the 2006 Adelaide International 5* three day event. 

Heath has also been involved training riders from many other countries. In 1998 Heath focused up on coaching the Thai Eventing team and this team went on to win the Team Gold medal, the Individual Silver medal, and the Individual Bronze medal at the 1998 Asian Equestrian Games.

Riders come from all over the world to base and train with both Heath and Rozzie. A huge number of Australia's leading riders have spent time working and training with Heath and Rozzie.

Heath is a great believer in "winning" and as a result has been involved with the Ryan's horse breeding program for some 40 years. Basically Heath and Rozzie have raided the best genetics from all over the world and continue to bring them together in a program focused up wholly and solely on producing Gold Medal horses. Producing Olympic horses is in Heath's opinion very different to producing commercial horses.

Dressage bloodlines which Heath and Rozzie have incorporated include Donnerhall, Rubinstein, Angelo, Jazz, Ferro, Florestan, May Sherriff, Metall, Alabaster, Floreno, Weltmeyer, Action, Pik Bube, Quaterback, Quando Quando, Brentano II, Negro, Don Schufro, Totilas, De Niro, Consul, Glamourdale, Sezuans Donnerhall, Foundation, In My Mind and Total Hope.

Eventing bloodlines which Heath and Rozzie have pursued include Brilliant Invader, Souvenir, Contendro I, Chilli Morning, Jaguar Mail, Highland Blue Diamond, Salute, Double Cream, Baloutaire, CF Freestyle, Quintago, Centadel, Wimborne Constable, Balou Du Rouet and Quest for Fame. 

Both Heath and Rozzie have a collection of perhaps the best staff in the world and they attribute this to the fact that no-one is hired in the capacity of being a groom. All staff outside the office are current riders training with everything they have to be Olympians. Most week mornings start at 6am with Heath teaching one of the staff. Most weekends will find Heath and Rozzie including most of the staff scattered across Australia competing.

Heath absolutley believes the passion and the dream and hard work are indeed enough to produce Olympic riders even if they are not in the first instance natural superstars.