Animal Rights Activists Storm the Arena. Could You See This Happening at a Horse Show?…
By: Brittany Bevis
On Sunday, March 11th, thousands packed the NEC Arena in The United Kingdom to see the Best In Show champion be crowned at the 2018 Crufts Dog Show. The crowd was stunned when two animal rights activists ducked under the ropes and stormed the arena carrying signs that read “Crufts: Canine Eugenics.” The protest was swiftly brought to a close as a number of security guards rushed the stage, tackling the two activists- one male and one female.
Known simply as Crufts to those in the canine competition world, the international event, held annually in The United Kingdom, is known as the highest profile dog show in British culture and is the largest of its kind in the world, according to Guinness World Records. Created in 1891, Crufts is held over four days in early March in Birmingham, England. Similar in format to any Championship level horse show, Crufts offers a variety of different canine competitions including conformation, agility, obedience, fly ball, and heel work to music.
A number of news reports have given credit for the protest to a PETA- affiliated organization known as the Vegan Strike Group. Apparently, the group has history of similar protests. A quick look at their Facebook page shows videos of members jumping into Mexican bullfighting rings with messages painted on their chests as well as disrupting a recent dolphin show at Splash Park, also in Mexico.
Within the About section of their page, the group’s mission statement reads as follows:
“The Vegan Strike Group is an international organization who fights animal abuse. Our campaigns are directed to defend animals who are enslaved and abused for human entertainment purposes; mainly in shows like bullfights and dolphinariums. We have stopped more than 30 bullfights in Spain, France, Portugal, and Mexico. Our actions have been reported in television and newspapers.”
Shortly after the demonstration, the UK chapter of PETA posted the following message along with a video of the activists. “Crufts encourages the extreme breeding of deformed and inbred dogs. Many spend their whole lives in pain because breeders are obsessed with these ‘ideal’ physical traits. Here’s why PETA supported the peaceful demonstration.”
Although the Best of Show winner, Yvette Short and her two and a half -year-old whippet, Ch. Collooney Tartan Tease, were obviously shaken when the activists charged in their direction, thankfully no animals or humans were harmed during the event. However, it was broadcast on live television and has since been replayed countless times on YouTube and social media, contributing to much debate regarding animal rights in the competition and entertainment sector.
With the canine competition world a close sibling of the equine show industry, many are beginning to wonder how long it will take before we might see similar demonstrations in the show pen…
In 2017, the long-running Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced the end of their 146-year run. In 2016, due to increasing demands from animal rights groups, the company chose to remove elephants from their traveling production. That decision, coupled with low ticket sales and high operating costs, proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the circus many remember as a beloved part of their childhood.
But these examples focus on elephants and dogs, dolphins and bull fighting. It’s completely different than the Quarter Horse industry or Paint Horse world… right? Think the horse industry is immune? Think again.
#1- Over the past several years, The Humane Society of the United States has trained their sights on the Tennessee Walking Horse industry with numerous undercover video operations and increasing involvement in politics by way of The Horse Protection Act.
#2- In 2016, The Humane Society of the United States formed a National Horse Racing Advisory Council to focus on the types of medications being used in racehorse competition.
#3- Let us not forget the uproar that resulted during the AQHA World Championship Show in 2017 when a horse competing in Barrel Racing, Dreaming Of Foose, was injured during a run and sadly had to be euthanized.
#4- Or the videos that circulate on social media showing less-than-excellent examples of Western Pleasure horses in competition.
While the majority of the horse industry is certainly focused on promoting and improving the welfare of our beloved equine partners with new guidelines regarding medication usage, changes to competition rules, and the creation of welfare advisory committees within breed associations, there will always be a few who don’t share this same vision, and its importance.
In the August 2017 edition of The Equine Chronicle, Lucas Oil and affiliate organization, Protect The Harvest, posed the question- Could the horse industry be next? Click here to read more about their concerns for the future of the horse industry.
Could you see something like the Crufts demonstration happening at a horse show? Why or why not?
