Heath Ryan “On The Front Foot”

“I’m not qualified to do this, but I’m hurting like hell and if I don’t do it nobody is going to do it. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to do it, but it just did not happen”, commented Heath concerning a document he is writing in collaboration with webmaster, Sharon Carroll relating to the necessary compensation to those involved in the Olympic FEI disciplines suffering from the EI outbreak.

“The document will try and secure funding for those people falling through the cracks and we have been going ‘flat tango’ on this for a week. We took the proposed document down to the National EFA to see if they would run with it or whether we had to establish a peak body such as the one in Queensland. Once completed, the document will be presented to Minister McGauran under the banner of the EFA”.

Horse Deals put it to Heath, would it not be better for all the pleasure/performance horse organisations to present a united document? “I know it would be better to have a totally unified approach from right across the pleasure horse industry, but that is such a monster job. Just concentrating on the Olympic disciplines is just about killing us to produce. We will release this document we are producing to the Queensland group and to anybody that is interested and they can use it as a blueprint to represent their own industry. The reason we are doing this and that other peak bodies are being formed, is that people feel they are not getting serviced and this document is a reflection of that. These things only happen if there is a need out there.

“The pleasure horse industry is so far out of the loop at the moment where government funding and compensation is concerned. You don’t see the Thoroughbred industry forming peak groups to represent them, because their representatives are already in there throwing punches on their behalf and they feel they are being well represented. I think you would find if our people were getting money thrown at them they’d quiet down very quickly. At the moment we go in there and say ‘us too’ and ride on the coat tails of the Thoroughbred industry. They know what they want, but do not just leave it at that. They actually put the infrastructure together and take it to the Government. This is what we are, this is what we want and this is what we need to do it and get so many people back to work etc. The pleasure horses industry just goes along and says they would like some funding as well. We generate the same amount of money, its just not quantifiable at the moment. We have to produce documentation regarding the size and value of our industry and what we want from the government.

“This document includes a scale of compensation and goes through the various categories, from owners, breeders and trainers to non profit organisations. For instance NSW Horse Trials administers the sport in this state and to do that they receive a ten dollar levy on every entry. But no competition, no levy, no funds. This document is for everybody so they can swing off the numbers; it will provide a facility for other pleasure bodies to assess their worth.


“We have to go on the front foot about this”.

Heath also has some information regarding proposed class action which was posted earlier today on this website. http://www.eiclassaction.com/