People for Ethical Treatment Towards Animal(PETA) has urged to stop all the sporting activities involving animals. The organization has made attempts to make sure that Olympic Committee drops the Equestrian event which involves horses. On the other hand, Indian equestrian rider Fouaad Mirza has said that the caretaking for all the horses is always given a premium by the riders and that this is one of the rare competitions where men and women compete on “equal terms”.
We'll be urging our 9 million supporters and many others who agree with us to tell IOC what is obvious to everyone: The Olympic Games should be modernized to include only willing participants. Competitions involving animals must end and this means horses, who don't care at all about medals, should be left out.
Kathy Guillermo, Senior Vice President, PETA
Ours is perhaps the only sport in the world where men and women compete on equal terms and which involves a human and animal partnership. In terms of Olympic values, it ticks all the boxes of sport, courage, compassion and team work. One needs only to walk amongst the stables to see how much care competitors take of their horses and how devoted we are towards them. Horses are an extension of our families.
Fouaad Mirza, Equestrian Rider, India