Greg Ryan relinquishes reins for tree ropes after big career

The one-time Australasian-record holder for riding wins in a season has finally hung up his reins after a mammoth 30-year career. He's notched 4035 wins - that's way up in the upper echelons of the sport.

It didn't seem that long ago when he swapped motor mechanics in Wellington for horse riding at the age of 25, and now 30 years later he's swapped reins for ropes - helping his son Isaac in his tree service business at Dubbo.

It's not as if his new career is any safer. It can get pretty hairy pruning or cutting down trees as well.

Ryan slipped quietly and without fuss out of racing last December - just as he wanted it. What was intended as a short break turned into a decision for a new life. While riding he'd been helping Isaac but combining both pursuits became unrealistic - for maintaining his jockey weight and exhaustion. He's already hit 67 kilos post riding, when he was often riding at 54-55kg.

"My son had been an arborist for about seven years but became a bit disullusioned with the work, so we decided to get our own trucks and start up his own business (Ryans Tree Service). He started getting a lot of jobs and before I knew it I was getting too busy with that. Some of those guys up the trees have some balls I'll tell you, swinging away with a chainsaw as the tree wobbles. So I try and sit there get the ropes swinging the right way for the timber to fall. It's made a big difference, I'm home every night for dinner and I'm enjoying that side of it."

He's won many country Cups, and set records that'll probably never be broken including 10 Gilgandra Cups. At his last Gilgandra Cup win in 2019 he was dumped off a buckjumper and later got up to ride his 10th Cup winner. He's won four Wellington Boots and many city winners. He once passed up an opportunity to ride in Singapore, an offer he regrets not taking, so for a large part of his career it's been hitting the road in NSW.

He's dealt with some of the best in the business, his long-time friendships with trainers Pat Farrell and Sue Grills, appropriately riding his last ever winner in December last year for Grills at Mudgee. Grills met Ryan when he first became mates with Tamworth trainer Keith Swan. "He's just a good bloke and a great jockey," she says. "He didn't want a big fanfare bowing out, but I think Racing NSW could have done something more for him."

Farrell says there isn't a better bloke. "I think he must be made of rubber," says Farrell who has seen Ryan bounce out of catastrophic race falls many a time. "I wish he'd make a comeback." Ryan rode several city winners for Farrell including on the horse Alart, on which Ryan rode to win the 2015 Wellington Boot and backed up in town later winning the Listed Reg Allen at Rosehill.

Ryan's been in two five-horse race falls, and both times was the only one to walk away without a broken bone. That's the gamble of the track. Only two years ago his mount at Tamworth had a heart attack in the race, and the fall sent down another four jockeys. (pictured above).

At his side and working the phones the whole time has been his wife Pauline. She was working in the school office when Ryan first kicked off, and was booking the rides for him, using an old Motorola phone the size of a brick. Ryan became so in demand she left work to manage him full-time, a partnership that's lasted right up to the end of his career.

"I couldn't have done any of this without her," Ryan says. "It was great to come home sitting over the table talking over upcoming rides. Becasue I was the only jockey she managed I had her undivided attention. She was always worried if she'd booked me on the right horse right up until the end. I told her 'you've been booking my rides for 30 years and you're still worrying about it'. I just said 'a decision is better than no decision'."

Ryan rates cattlemen as some of the best hobby trainers he's come across. One from Cumnock had an old horse he owned returned to his farm by a leading trainer because it was going no good. The farmer asked Ryan if he'd do some track work on it and Ryan was sceptical to say the least. The farmer showed up with no saddle and a bridle so long and thick Ryan had to tie it up eight times. "At training you bring the saddle," Ryan told the farmer. The track work was unimpressive. The farmer lined up a race start at Wellington for his charge and Ryan was trying to dodge the commitment. The farmer this time turned up with a saddle. "No, the jockey brings the saddle on race day," Ryan told him. The big lump of a horse went in the barriers with Ryan thinking his career had hit the pits. The horse surprisingly jumped well and rounding the turn sped away to win at a huge price. Ryan couldn't believe it. "You know I reckon that horse just relaxed being out in the paddock with the cattle on the farm." He'd ridden for a few other cattlemen he rated as good horse trainers.

Ryan says he'd like to see some changes to country racing, preventing horses going up too quickly in the weights as this often curtailed their career and made placing them almost impossible in country races. Also despite the TAB Highway race in the city being a huge success, it favoured horses stabled closer to the city, unlike a horse say from Dubbo that has to brace many times on a float as it travelled to Sydney. "If you're coming from Goulburn say, that's just a carpet ride to the city," he says.

Ryan grew up among the "housos" of Tregear in western Sydney, where his dad still lives. He remembered running around in the neighbourhood with heaps of kids and always having someone around to play football or cricket with. He moved to Wellington at the age of 13 to live with his grandparents, his grandfather was a horse trainer from Cobar, that sparked his interest in horses.

Ryan loves his 'tree change' and plans a few trips around Australia with Pauline once restrictions ease. He's lived an active life and only wishes kids today would do the same, giving up their screen time a bit more!