A leading animal rights organization criticized an Irish racehorse trainer for parading his winning horse through a pub earlier this week.
On Monday, John “Shark” Hanlon posted a video on his Twitter taking US Grand National winner Hewick to a pub as part of the horse’s homecoming celebrations.
Hewick had won the lucrative race – with a prize pool of $500,000 – in New Jersey on October 15 before returning to Ireland.
The video shows Hanlon walking into the busy bar with his seven-year-old horse before patrons quieted down and started taking pictures.
No jokes here, a horse LITERALLY walks into a bar 🐴
Hewick and John “Shark” Hanlon, the dynamic duo 👏@jhanlonracing pic.twitter.com/riRnWireJU
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) October 31, 2022
However, the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told CNN that the “publicity stunt was not made for the benefit of Hewick”.
“Horses are not toys – they are sensitive animals that are easily startled,” said Elisa Allen, PETA’s vice president of Programs and Operations UK, in a statement.
“Anyone with a spark of respect for horses knows that a noisy, cramped bar with no obvious exit is a stressful and dangerous environment for them.”
“This… was done for a cheap laugh, perhaps to distract punters from the fact that trainers are still whipping horses, risking catastrophic injuries, and running to their deaths just for a chance at winning the prize money.”
In a statement to CNN Hanlon responded to PETA’s criticism by saying that everything was checked before the horse entered the pub.
“Hewick is a very safe horse, you could almost call him a pet, he doesn’t resist or kick,” Hanlon said in a statement.
“By bringing him to the pub, we verified that everything was safe. We brought him in, turned him around and left with him.”
Hanlon, who in the video tried to keep the horse calm, also ordered a Guinness beer. Another video shows the drink being placed on the horse’s lips.
On Tuesday (1), John Hanlon Racing tweeted a photo of Hewick in his stable with the caption: “He’s not too drunk, you know, for the little bit of foam he didn’t even drink because he had his lips closed.”
Hewick was among the favorites to win the US Grand National last month and produced an impressive performance to stay ahead of the pack.
The horse is now commanding respect across Europe and is being cast in some big races next year, including the UK Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The viral video attracted over 500,000 views on Twitter, drawing criticism and support.
“Looks terrified,” said one social media user, while another tweeted, “Why would he be terrified, he’s used to being around large crowds that…wouldn’t bother that horse.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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