Spirit of the Horse calls itself "equestrian theatre" and tries to dress itself as anything other than a horse circus, making money out of exhibiting performing horses. At the end of the day, it is a travelling show with performing animals - if that's not a circus, what is? We could argue semantics all day, but whether theatre or circus, the issues are still the same: the horses are travelled around the country (here and abroad); stabled in tents with little exercise apart from in the ring; and when in the ring they are coerced into performing tricks for people's amusement. Training issues are also dubious: horses and especially stallions (not known for their compliance!) cannot be encouraged to perform unnatural and dangerous tricks by offering them a loving stroke! Supporters of Spirit of the Horse are fooling themselves if they believe the horses are trained in a different way to that of other circuses.
This show does not treat "their" magnificent animals with respect; instead they are exploited to make money for the show's owners. MAP call on the public to boycott this circus and any other circus with performing animals. See CAPS' web pages for more details on animal circuses.
Manchester Animal Protection (0845 456 2492, info@mapsoc.org.uk)
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