09/25/24 The State Inspectorate Permits Horse Abuse Due to Fear from Organisers of Log-Pulling Events?
Animal Friends Croatia emphasizes that suffering is inevitable at log-pulling competitions – as soon as a horse is forced to pull a log, it suffers.
- Every log-pulling event involves horse abuse and violates the Animal Protection Act and the Criminal Code.
“Who are the State Inspectorate and the veterinary inspection afraid of when they allow horse abuse in Croatia?” ask numerous citizens who have contacted Animal Friends Croatia, expressing suspicion that the veterinary inspection is approving log-pulling events to favor log-pullers. These suspicions are justified when we see that after events held in Velika Gorica, near Lonjsko Polje, and in Popovača, another one is scheduled for the following weekend in Nova Lipovica, in the Požega-Slavonia County. Animal Friends Croatia reported each of these events to the State Inspectorate, presented evidence of horse abuse and law violations, highlighted that it is impossible to avoid horse suffering at these events, and requested that the veterinary inspection not issue permission for the use of horses. Despite this, the State Inspectorate continues to approve the forcing of horses to pull overly heavy logs for pure profit and entertainment, even though it is not a Croatian custom or tradition.
"Even to a layperson, it is clear that log-pulling events are not a sport, but events where horses are forced to pull logs, some weighing up to two tons, and are subjected to torment. Regardless of the organizers' and horse owners' manipulations, who often mask the brutality with methods like pulling on the horse’s bit instead of whipping, no log-pulling event can be held without animal suffering. The suffering begins the moment the log is attached to the horse because it cannot pull the log without suffering! At every log-pulling event, we see horses stumbling from exertion and having to stop frequently because they can't go further, but the pain caused by pulling and yanking on the bit, combined with the conditioned fear of being hit as a result of ‘training,’ raising of hands, yelling, or swinging of a whip, forces them to continue pulling. It is alarming that the inspection turns a blind eye to the fact that such treatment of horses is both a misdemeanor and a criminal act of animal abuse," warns Snježana Klopotan Kačavenda from Animal Friends Croatia.
She adds that they are appalled that the veterinary inspection, even though present at the log-pulling events, has not taken action to protect the horses: “The horses often stop, show obvious signs of distress, stumble, rear up on their hind legs, and refuse to continue pulling the log, whose weight clearly exceeds their physical capabilities. It is evident that they are subjected to extreme efforts, and combined with the noise, crowd shouting, and stress due to the unfamiliar environment, they experience severe physical and psychological suffering. Pulling on the bit further exacerbates their suffering, as it causes sharp pain in the horse’s mouth and jaw due to the pressure on the tongue and gums, and in some cases, can lead to serious injuries. Therefore, no regulation of log-pulling events is possible – they must be completely banned because their essence is the abuse of horses!”
The Animal Protection Act stipulates that it is prohibited to inflict pain, suffering, and injury on animals, deliberately expose them to fear and illness, use tools to influence their behavior as a form of punishment, hit them, stab, squeeze, pull, or twist their body parts. Additionally, the law prohibits using animals for competitions "if they are forced to engage in behavior that causes pain, suffering, injury, or death." Furthermore, log-pulling events involve illegal betting with earnings of tens of thousands of euros, which also falls under the jurisdiction of the State Inspectorate, which tolerates this instead of preventing and sanctioning illegal profit-making at the expense of animals. A winning horse is sold for much more than it was bought for, with its price rising to up to 10,000 euros. Abusers make an annual or biennial salary from two or three such horses, which they buy cheaply and sell at high prices.
The obedient behavior of horses at log-pulling events is the result of brutal training methods, including beatings and intimidation, which the horse owners themselves admit. "The purpose of log-pulling events is to force horses to pull logs by causing pain. Therefore, every log-pulling event violates the Animal Protection Act, and causing unnecessary pain and exposing an animal to unnecessary suffering is a criminal offense punishable by up to two years in prison, or up to three years if the crime is committed for profit, which is precisely the case with log-pulling events. It is the duty of the veterinary inspection to protect horses from abuse by refusing to issue permission for their use in these events," Animal Friends Croatia emphasizes.
In their latest report, they requested that the veterinary inspection not issue permission for the use of horses at any log-pulling event, including the one in Nova Lipovica. They call on the veterinary inspection to muster the courage and act in accordance with legal provisions to protect the horses.
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