You have been doing valuable animal welfare work for decades, including for horses. What have you achieved for horses in the past ten years?
The public is increasingly aware that horses are not just bits of sporting equipment to abuse or exploit. The big problem is that equestrian “sport” is an extremely lucrative business, and therefore defended. Although we are seeing positive changes. From 2028, for example, the modern pentathlon will take place without show jumping, to be replaced by an animal-free event. And in racing, the use of whips is gradually changing. Horse husbandry is also improving. Despite this, thousands of horses are still suffering massively – we still have a lot of work to do.
Many riders feel that you treat them unfairly, accusing them of ignorance. They wonder whether you employ riders or former riders.
Yes, some PETA colleagues work with horses in their free time. The key thing is how animals are being treated, how they are kept, the bond between humans and horses, and time spent together.
Nevertheless, many riders consider you radical. Are you radical, or are riders simply selfish and unreflective?
We stand for animals without reservation, and we’re vocal for the overlooked ones. It’s a shame, but riders often act without thinking; they use horses for their own ends. In our modern world, we should push harder on treating horses as partners and become more animal-friendly.
You recently suggested replacing horse figures on carousels with non-living creatures. This proposal was met with disbelief. Why is that?
Many people don’t understand the difference. We think that having a reproduction of an animal on a carousel still reinforces the idea that animals – sentient beings – exist to entertain us. And it’s precisely that idea that we’re fighting against. Even though no real animal suffers on a carousel, it conveys an impression of our relationship with animals. Be it riding elephants, camels and even horses.
A lot has happened in horse-keeping in the last few decades. There are now many open stables. Which developments would you praise?
We praise changes that improve the lot of animals. This includes the fact that criticism of animal exploitation is getting louder. More and more people who go to horse races or show-jumping events share a feeling of unease. It tells us our society is changing. It’s worth mentioning accommodation for horses; in the past, tethering was a done thing, but these days open and active stables are spreading. They allow horses to live a more species-appropriate life within their herd.
Are there any conversations at the moment with associations, event organizers or well-known riders? If so, what topics and goals are you currently pursuing?
We regularly contact sponsors of horse races to ask them to withdraw their sponsorship. We also lobbied the International Olympic Committee to remove show jumping from the pentathlon. Our petition calls for all so-called equestrian sports to be excluded from the Olympic Games, because horses are subjected to massive stress levels and are often mistreated.
We also keep dogs for our enjoyment. Is that also abuse?
In today's world, most animals do not live with us, but for us - they are exploited, mistreated and abused for our own ends. Many people aren’t interested in what animals feel, what needs and desires they have. This makes it really important that we stand up for all animals - whether mice in a laboratory, sheep in a pasture, dogs on a leash or horses in a stable - and to take their needs seriously.
In a blog article you offer alternatives to riding a horse. How realistic is it, that someone would keep a horse that costs them over €1,000 a month, just to walk with it in a forest? To ask another way, if you had a free hand in determining how horses should live in industrialized nations, what would that look like?
In a modern world, it would be nice of us to be interested in the needs of our animal friends and to grasp that it’s wrong to exploit them. The question begs to be asked why a person would buy a horse costing them thousands of euros. A good life for a horse begins with the mare not being separated from her foal too early, that animals are allowed to live in family groups, that they are not locked up in boxes and not "trained" using questionable methods.
Riders claim that man and horse can form a partnership. A partnership that can also be stimulating for a horse - through care, contact and positive stimulation. Riders report horses reacting with joy to an audience and music, and even manifest ambition. Is this perception wrong? And, if so, how are you better at judging?
Maybe we should ask ourselves, if a horse had choice, would it prefer to spend a quiet day in a paddock with other horses, or would it choose to go to a competition where it has to wait for hours in a transporter and then made to run in front of crowds and noise? What would the horse pick?
If I understand you correctly, you see riding in elite sport as the most abusive form of all riding. How do you feel about the grand old age that some former sporting horses live to, such as Olympic show jumper Goldfever, who is now over 30 years old, happy, and in top shape. He is not the only example.
But how many top-level horses are allowed to retire in peace and live to such an age? Most end up in breeding programs or something similar and are kept working. And how many are seriously injured during training or competing in "sport", who fall and have to be put down? That's what happened to three-year-old stallion Meerchenprinz, who fell during a race and was put down on the spot. Such horrific tragedies don’t just happen in racing, but in other equestrian disciplines. These are not accidents. We humans are responsible for them.
Searching on horseback for missing people in difficult terrain, clearing trees from forests without using heavy machinery, therapeutic riding... should such "use" of horses be abolished, even if there aren’t alternatives?
As an animal rights’ organization, we are committed in principle to ending the use and abuse of horses.
A lot of riders are committed to animal welfare. They protest against factory farms and take in unwanted dogs. Some rescue horses from the slaughterhouse, care for them and, yes, ride them. "Non-riders" do this less often. Do you wish there were more of the former or of the latter?
Everyone who helps animals in need is doing something valuable. Every action is important for that animal. Those who rescue animals or stand up for them have different attitudes and sensitivities than those who abuse animals.
What can we expect from you in the future in terms of horse welfare? Are you planning new campaigns, and can you tell us what direction they’re taking?
We will continue to stand up for animals and fight for their rights, whether in elite “sport”, on the racetrack or in hobby stables.
