SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!

Sidelines MagazineSidelines Magazine

  • LOGIN
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Flipbook
    • Subscribe Options
    • Order Sidelines Caps
    • Order Individual & Back Issues
  • Podcast
  • Marketplace
    • Business Ads
    • Directories
      • Barns, Farms, Trainers & Clubs
      • Equestrian Services
      • Real Estate
      • Stallions
      • Tack & Feed Stores
    • Classifieds
    • Horse Trailers for Sale
  • Advertise
  • Blogs
    • Show World
    • What’s Happenin’
  • Partners
  • Contacts
    • Contacts
    • Employment
0
Friday, June 22 2018 / Published in Weekly Feature

Ryan Beckett: Always Up for a Challenge – Hiking, Biking, Riding and Learning from Real Estate to Reality TV

Ryan Beckett

By Britney Grover

Portraits by Isabel J. Kurek

Though he laughingly refers to himself with the age-old adage “jack of all trades, master of none,” Ryan Beckett’s affinity for stepping out of his comfort zone has given him a list of impressive, if eclectic, accomplishments. A successful Wellington realtor, Ryan has also competed in an Ironman triathalon, sailed from New York to Florida, completed a ranger training course for counter-poaching in Mozambique, hiked to Mt. Everest base camp and summited Everest’s sister peak, biked from Florida to California for charity, participated in ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise,” and is now working on a doctorate in business administration — just to name a few highlights.

One of the items on Ryan’s bucket list was to be on a “reality TV series” and he accomplished that as part of the cast of ABC’s “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”

Embracing a Culture

Despite loving animals from a young age, Ryan didn’t have much involvement with any growing up. “I grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, having nothing to do with horses,” he said. “I almost even made fun of my friends that lived in Wellington because I was a beach baby, and Wellington was known as horse country suburbs.”

Instead, Ryan grew up playing various sports with an interest in finance and real estate. It took a combination of circumstances to get him to Wellington and, in turn, horses. After graduating from Florida State University with a dual major in real estate and finance, his lacrosse coach recommended him into the Palm Beach Polo Club in 2005 to work with Palm Beach Polo Realty. “I went there and it stuck,” Ryan said. “I became friends with a lot of people, and before I knew it some of my best friends were top trainers. They said, ‘Ryan, if you’re going to be in the business, we need to get you on a horse.’ Equestrians like Elizabeth Plummer, Robert Coluccio, Richard Cunkle and Kim Stewart have all been gracious enough to help me learn, enjoy and access a level of riding in a way that I would never have been able to without them — but their friendship is what I appreciate the most.”

Ryan began riding, and found he enjoyed it. “I’ve always been an animal lover; I even get choked up at ‘The Lion King,’” he said. “Horses were never a planned landing spot for me, it just kind of happened, but I really enjoy operating around and being friends with other animal lovers. It fit well, and I enjoy the demographic of the horse world. It’s like I tell my friends who aren’t in the horse world: Wellington is such a high level of sport, everyone’s so passionate about it, it’s almost like being immersed in another language and culture. That’s how it all started.”

Like horses, residential real estate wasn’t exactly what Ryan had in mind. Like horses, Wellington fortuitously guided him into it. “I had this perception of a realtor as that cheesy guy with the nametag and the magnet on the side of a car, face on a park bench. So I thought, based on my education background and everything, that I would be more into commercial real estate, in a suit and working more on commercial properties and stuff like that.”

Don Langdon was running Palm Beach Polo Realty when Ryan joined on, and quickly became his mentor — instilling in him the importance and professionalism of the type of real estate they were doing. Ryan honed his skills with Palm Beach Polo for seven years, and then set out to expand his horizons. He co-founded a Sotheby’s franchise in Wellington, and then sold his interest in 2015 so that he could take on the professional challenge of starting his very own brokerage — all the while seeking out his next personal challenge.

Ryan grew up on the beach but after meeting equestrians, many who became his best friends, he began riding and found he loved the culture of Wellington, Florida.

Growing Through Doing

Focusing on just one thing has never been one of Ryan’s strong suits. “I grew up in a very jock family, all boys, mom was an athlete, dad was an athlete, and I was always playing some kind of sport — swimming, baseball, lacrosse, all those were big parts of my life. I’ve always loved playing different kinds of sports — I played lacrosse in college, and I got really into triathlons. Triathlons were fun for me because it wasn’t just running, it wasn’t just cycling, it wasn’t just swimming; it was a few disciplines that I could rotate and it was good to keep my interest and always be challenged.”

Starting out with small distance triathlons turned into international distances, then to a half-Ironman, and ultimately to a full Ironman. “A recurring theme is that I always like being put outside of my comfort zone, because I truly believe that’s how you grow as a person,” Ryan said.

True to that theme, he’s “a big bucket-list guy,” and he’s already got quite a chunk of that list checked off. He was slated for the reality TV series “Survivor,” but when he was bumped from the cast at the last minute he didn’t let that keep him from utilizing his free summer. Instead, he and show jumper Dani Goldstein went on a cross-country bike ride from Florida to California in the name of Danny & Ron’s Rescue, a 35-day endeavor.

Ryan’s chance to cross “reality TV series” off his bucket list came later when he got a call to appear on “The Bachelorette.” “There were a lot of reasons not to do it, but I try not to be so worried about failing or care so much about what everyone thinks, and just have more experiences in my life. I knew that it would be a unique, wild ride, and that in fact it was. The best thing that came out of it was I made some of the best friends that I have, even though I didn’t end up engaged — and maybe that was a win,” he added with a laugh.

Ryan and Dani Goldstein went on a cross-country bike ride from Florida to California in the name of Danny & Ron’s Rescue, a 35-day endeavor.

When he finished with “The Bachelorette,” Ryan was happy he did it — and determined he’d never do anything like it again. “It was kind of like when I went skydiving,” he said. “I was like Well that was good, but I’m not going to keep skydiving. I just wanted to do it to do it. It was the same thing with ‘The Bachelorette.’ I thought, That was intense, stressful but a great experience. I’m glad I did it; upward and onward.’”

But when producers called about “Bachelor in Paradise,” Ryan’s adventurous personality ultimately won out. “Both times I had trepidation about doing the shows, and I had these epiphanies last minute, in the 11th hour of making the decision, that on your deathbed you regret more things that you didn’t do than things that you did do. I believe in putting yourself out there, and not taking yourself too seriously. So I went for it again, and again I had a blast; it was great.”

Ryan, showing off two pups available for adoption, has a big heart and regularly volunteers his time to help people and animals.

Giving Back & Moving Forward
In addition to his adventurous side, Ryan also has a big heart — and the two sometimes work in tandem, like in his cross-country ride for charity. Most recently, Ryan has become an advocate for counter-poaching with the GEOS Foundation. Instead of simply fundraising from the sidelines, Ryan once again got in on the action to prevent poaching of rhinos and other animals in Mozambique. “We went through full ranger training for two weeks — we slept in the bush for three days, got live ammunition training and got to see what these rangers really do in terms of the difficulty, how they live and the whole experience. We had a phenomenally successful ‘friendraiser’ at the end of WEF, which was graciously hosted by the Gochman family at their gorgeous farm, where we screened an informative movie shining a light on the rhino-poaching epidemic.”

Beyond animal welfare charities, Ryan also supports charities for children, including being an ambassador for Shuzz Foundation, donating shoes to children in need both foreign and within the U.S. “Often when animals or small children are in need, they’re in that position because of humans,” he said. “It’s not something that happened by mother nature; it’s not like the lion eating the zebra in Africa on the Serengeti. A lot of times it’s humans, unfortunately, that are the problem. I feel some sort of responsibility, being a human, to counter all the negative things that humans are doing.”

While he regularly volunteers his time to help people and animals, Ryan continues to chip away at his bucket list. He and Carlos Arruza hiked to Everest Base Camp and summited the Island Peak in honor of Ryan’s aunt’s father, Tenzing Norgay, the first man to summit Mt. Everest. Ryan and Carlos have been talking about planning a trip to Kilimanjaro next, but it may have to wait until Ryan is finished with his current escapade: With an MBA from Palm Beach Atlantic University, Ryan decided to pursue a doctorate in business administration at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida.

“I didn’t think I was going to get in,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m half-way through the first year and up against a deadline for a big paper. Writing these papers is one of the more challenging things I’ve ever done.”

Though he continues to ride, showing is one of the few things not on Ryan’s bucket list. “I just enjoy going to the farm and riding,” he said. “During the winter season, all my clients are in town and it’s hard for me to get out to ride, but outside of the season, I find myself riding a lot. I just go out for fun and do some jumps every once in a while, and just enjoy it for the sake of riding.”

Other side ventures include a startup tech company and fashion modeling for TV commercials and print work. “My friends say I’m the most random person ever,” Ryan admitted. “There are upsides and downsides — it’s that saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ I wish there was something I was hyper-focused on, but it’s never been my personality.”

Even as it is, Ryan certainly has accomplished quite a bit — and he’s not going to stop, even if it’s one bucket-list item at a time. “I like to describe things like Everest or even my education like a marathon in that it’s fun to talk about the marathon, it’s fun to sign up for the marathon, it’s fun to train for the marathon, it’s fun to start the marathon. But once you get to mile 20 of that marathon, you’re like, What am I doing, what is wrong with me, this is hell. But soon thereafter, the accomplishment makes you go, Wow, I’m really glad I did that.

Double D Trailers Info

Share this page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Tagged under: britney grover, isabel j. kurek, real estate, Ryan Beckett, the batchelorette, wellington

What you can read next

Scott Stewart Just Loves Showing
Tootie Anderson: Jumping the Odds
Anna Buffini’s Childhood Dreams Are Coming True

Download Sidelines Digital now from your favorite app store!

Sidelines Magazine - Apple store   Sidelines Magazine - Google Play store   Sidelines Magazine - Amazon store
Update iOS app. Re-download Google Play and Amazon app.

Follow on Instagram!

sidelines_magazine

Sidelines Magazine
Jessica West always rode any horse that was availa Jessica West always rode any horse that was available to her throughout her Junior career, so she knew she had an advantage when she decided she wanted to ride on an NCAA team in college. Now a senior at @@auburnu and majoring in psychology, Jessica has enjoyed everything about the equestrian team and is ready to move on to her next adventure. 

Read more about Jessica at the link in our bio!

#ncea #ncaa #equestrian #collegiateequestrian #huntseatequitation #hunterjumper #equestrianlife #collegelife #showjumper #hunterhorse #horseshow #sidelinesmagazine
In the unique and challenging sport of combined dr In the unique and challenging sport of combined driving, Jacob Arnold has proven himself to be a bona fide star. It’s been said that success develops from a recipe based on hard work, perseverance, learning and sacrifice, paired with a love of what one is doing. Since the time he was a boy, Jacob has had the right combination of all of those ingredients, which have culminated in a meteoric rise to stardom.

Beginning his career as a Junior, Jacob earned the coveted @usequestrian Junior Equestrian of the Year award in 2011. Since then, he has taken the combined driving world by storm, competing successfully in four @fei_global World Championships. He also won the USEF Advanced Pair Horse National Championship in 2020 and 2021, among other victories—all before the age of 28, in a sport that has historically been dominated by older drivers. Last September, he placed 12th—the highest of any American driver—at the 2021 FEI Driving World Championship for Pairs in a field of over 100 top-level drivers.

Read more about @jacobarnoldcombineddriving at the link in our bio!

@alex.banks.photography #combineddriving #drivendressage #dressage #driving #carriage #horsedriving #equestrianstyle #equestrianlife #horselover #drivinghorse #carriagehorse #showhorse #sidelinesmagazine
@rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the f @rolex Testimonee Daniel Deusser has claimed the first equestrian Major of 2022, winning the prestigious Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters. In doing so he also claimed an additional bonus for non-consecutive Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping wins, following his victory at CHIO Aachen last year. The German champion’s outstanding performance riding his trusted partner Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z once again makes him the live contender for the coveted Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.

Catch up on all the action and watch the free highlights video on the Sidelines Show World blog (link in bio!)

#showjumping #rolex #grandslam #rolexgrandslam #showjumper #dutch #netherlands #dutchwarmbloods #equestrianlife #hunterhorse #hunterjumper #equestrianstyle #showhorses #showjumpersofinstagram #jumpinghorse #grandprixjumer #grandprixhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 ac Dog and Horse friendly 3 bedroom 2 bath on 1.25 acres in Jupiter Farms, Florida.

Jupiter Farms is an equestrian community with a trail system and a sand riding arena at the park. Charming home features vaulted ceilings, custom trim, custom lighting in master bedroom that changes color with a remote. Granite countertops in kitchen and laundry room. New 2022 stackable washer/dryer. Privacy fenced backyard with beautiful tall pines for shade, many palm trees also on property.

Secure fenced  25’ x 25’ pen with wood fencing , for a horse, dogs or a garden.  Wonderful property in desirable Jupiter Farms. 45 minutes to Wellington, 25 minutes to Jupiter Dog Beach. Perfect oasis for dog and horse lovers, close to everything in South Florida. MLS# 10778333, Agents welcome.

$655,000
Contact 561-246-9317
Load More... Follow on Instagram

From Our Classifieds Ads

  • Dandy Products
    Padding and Flooring Specialists Over 30 Years of Experience Keeping your Equine Athletes Safer www.dandyproducts.net 513-625-3000 • dandypro@aol.com

    [Read more]

  • LAINIE WIMBERLY - BRIGADOON SHOW STABLES,INC
    Hunters, Jumpers, Equitation National Championships from Ponies to Grand Prix Training, development of horse and rider Ridgefield, Connecticut 203-470-1258 www.brigadoonstables.com Brigadoon Lainie

    [Read more]

Sidelines Articles by Email

Subscribe to Sidelines Magazine Articles by Email

RSS Sidelines Blogs: What’s Happenin’

  • A Paris Horse Adventure: Saut Hermes 2022
  • Better Business with Malvern Bank: Michael Meller’s Secrets to Success
  • Third Annual Painted Ponies Art Walk takes over Southern Pines, NC!

RSS Sidelines Blogs: Show World

  • Jung Ends as He Began — On Top — at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EQUESTRIAN™
  • ROLEX TESTIMONEE DANIEL DEUSSER WINS ROLEX GRAND PRIX AT 2022 DUTCH MASTERS
  • STABLE VIEW IN AIKEN POSTPONING ‘A’ RATED $400,000 H/J CHALLENGE SERIES DUE TO RESTRICTIVE MILEAGE RULE

Category

Recent Posts

  • Cutest Horse Races Ever: Leadline Racing at the Aiken Horse Trials

    Photos by Barbara Magrogan   Young partici...
  • From Patient to Powerhouse: Lauren May Woodruff & RecoverEase

    When did you start your company and what gave y...
  • Kimmy Cecere: Finding Her Life’s Calling

    By Haylie Kerstetter Portraits by Alex Banks &n...
  • Amazing Adventures From the Olympics to Pirates to Arena Footing

    Karen Leeming Liverpool, England, originally; n...
  • To Succeed, You Have to Start: Jill Slater & RIATA Designs

    By Britney Grover   Jill Slater isn’t afra...

Copyright © 1987 - 2021 Sidelines Magazine
Privacy Policy · Returns & Refunds Policy · Hosting by Lucian Web Service
· Login

TOP
Get the Sidelines Scoop — your weekly look behind the scenes.Sign me up!