08/21/24 Renewed Announcement of Horse Abuse at Štraparijada Events
Animal Friends request the state inspectorate and Popovača city authorities to ban horse log-pulling competitions
- Horse log-pulling competitions are already illegal, held not for horse preservation but for betting and profit
After the illegal approvals for horse log-pulling competitions events this year in Velika Gorica and near Lonjsko Polje, the veterinary inspection refused to grant consent for another competition near Požega last month. Animal Friends praised the inspection for listening to experts and the majority public opinion, expressing hope that this would mark the end of the exploitation and abuse of horses in Croatia for grotesque entertainment. However, the organization reports that they had to write again to the State Inspectorate and the authorities in Popovača due to the announcement of a horse log-pulling competition next weekend.
In their complaint to the State Inspectorate, Animal Friends requested that the veterinary inspection not grant approval for the event and that the market inspection prevent illegal profit-making at the expense of animals, considering the announced prize fund of 5,000 euros. In a letter to Popovača Mayor Josip Mišković and his associates, they demanded that the event not be allowed and urged them not to spend taxpayers' money as they did last year when the leadership of Popovača allocated funds from the city budget to host the first horse log-pulling competition.
"Your support for horse log-pulling competitions is a scandalous endorsement of law-breaking and the torture and abuse of horses solely for the profit of individuals who see it as an easy and profitable way to make money on the suffering of horses," Animal Friends emphasized in their letter to Popovača city authorities. They stated that competitions are already illegal because they violate many provisions of the Animal Protection Act. The law does not permit the use of horses for carrying and pulling wood from the forest except in inaccessible areas where it is not possible otherwise. This clearly prohibits any other use of horses for pulling logs and, therefore, any use of horses in horse log-pulling competitions. Additionally, the law prohibits forcing animals into behavior that causes them pain, suffering, injury, or fear.
Animal Friends pointed out that coercion and aggression towards horses and their fear of beatings are central to competitions: "We know that horses will not pull even overloaded carts, but will stop. It is also clear that with their 600-700 kg, they will not voluntarily pull logs weighing one and a half to two tons. As part of their regular preparation for competitions, owners routinely 'condition' horses by hitting them with wooden sticks in stables, all to create obedient horses with ingrained fear, who will automatically pull heavy logs at these so-called competitions at the mere shout or raised hand."
At competitions, horses are subjected to severe physical exertion, the yelling of crowds, the noise of cars, heat, and exposure to strong sunlight. They suffer as they pull heavy logs, become agitated, rear up on their hind legs... Owners roughly pull them by the bit from the front, causing additional sharp pain in the horses' mouths and jaws by tugging on the reins and the chin chain. Some owners whip the horses before the competition or drug them.
"Owners of horses spare no effort because victory guarantees significant earnings and increases the value of the horse, which they can then sell for much higher amounts than what they bought them for. The winner's price rises to up to 10,000 euros, and abusers can earn a year's or two years' salary on two or three such horses annually, which they buy cheaply and sell expensively. Illegal betting, with amounts reaching tens of thousands of euros, also brings in profits. The horse log-pulling competition announced in Popovača is not held for horse preservation, but for betting, profit, and entertainment," warns Animal Friends.
They point out that problematic individuals are trying to introduce horse log-pulling competitions into the country, and that these events have nothing to do with Croatian customs and culture, but instead bring shame to Croatia. Competitions do not promote love for horses and the preservation of horses as cultural heritage, but rather profit from animal abuse. Therefore, Animal Friends appeal to Croatian cities not to import events from neighboring countries that are based on law-breaking and animal mistreatment: "People can have fun by organizing horse exhibitions and showing, in a non-violent way, whose horse is more beautiful and stronger. Log pulling by tractors can also be organized. Horse log-pulling competitions certainly have alternatives, but they have no justification."
Animal Friends conclude that the law should be applied equally throughout Croatia. The State Inspectorate must issue a clear directive that those events are already illegal and cannot be regulated. It should not happen that each inspector decides on their own whether to grant permission for their holding. Simply put, there is no good competition – they are always and only backward competitions in horse abuse.
