James E. Ryan (August 30, 1900 – July 26, 1976) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing trainer in both steeplechase and flat racing.A native of Ireland, his father, Owen J. Ryan, was the master of Cleaboy Stud in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. While working in a factory in England in his early teens, Jim Ryan began riding steeplechase horses on weekends. He eventually made it a career and after moving to the United States in the 1930s, became a trainer and breeder.