Reuters.- PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday to eliminate equestrian events at future Olympics, citing cruelty to horses at Tokyo 2020.
In an incident that went viral on social media, German Annika Schleu was caught whipping her horse Saint Boy after it refused to jump during modern pentathlon competition.
German trainer and trainer Kim Raisner was also shown hitting the horse. The modern pentathlon federation (UIPM) quickly disqualified Raisner from participation in the men’s event for his actions.
“The world was shocked when a visibly upset German pentathlon competitor, Annika Schleu, was filmed spurring and whipping the Saint Boy horse after it refused to enter the course,” PETA said in a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach.
Schleu’s trainer, Kim Raisner, was then shown hitting the horse. Raisner was justly expelled from the Olympics, but the fines and suspensions are not enough to protect other horses from trainers who may commit similar offenses. “
The IOC could not be immediately reached for comment.
PETA also noted two incidents in the equestrian test competition.
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In one of them, Jet Set, a horse ridden by Swiss competitor Robin Godel was so badly injured during a cross-country event that he had to be euthanized, while in the other, Irish rider Cian O’Connor forced Kilkenny to finish the tour despite the blood coming out of his nostrils.
“The Olympics show human athletes, not the ability to terrorize and injure horses who do not choose to compete, but who do all the work, sometimes at the cost of their own lives,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk .
“Just as the Games have evolved to include modern sports like skateboarding, PETA calls on the International Olympic Committee to relegate abusive equestrian events to the history books.”
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