Network for Animals has been campaigning against Organized Horse Fighting in the Southern Philippines for many years, where male horses are forced to fight each other for the ‘prize’ of copulating with a female horse. Female horses are tied up with rope in the centre of the horse fighting arena and mounted repeatedly, as pairs of males fight for her consecutively during a horse-fighting event.
There is no justification for the cruelty involved in horse fighting: It is an out-dated spectator bloodsport, which celebrates pain and suffering.
Although Organized Horse Fighting is embedded in Southern Filipino culture, Network for Animals has made spectacular positive changes in recent years. We told you last month about how Network for Animals’ worked with Mayor Lopez of Santa Cruz in the Southern Philippines to announce the end of Organized Horse Fighting in Santa Cruz. This was a positive step for Network for Animals and the horses of the area.
Today, we have another piece of good news. Last week in Antipas (an area of North Cotabato in the Southern Philippines), our Veterinarian Medino Yebron reached agreement with officials in the area, that in exchange for enforcing a ban on Organized Horse Fighting, Network for Animals will conduct free clinics for non-fighting horses.
Veterinary services for horses in the Philippines are very basic and often too expensive for impoverished local farmers, who enter their horses in tournaments for minimal participation money. The promise of a ban on Organized Horse Fighting in exchange for free horse clinics is a positive change for everyone.
Network for Animals is making real progress and our partnerships mean we save horses from the most awful cruelty. However, veterinary horse clinics are expensive, typically costing around $700/£500/€650.
We’ve come so far in the Philippines and we want to keep fighting. Please continue to help us, by supporting our provision of free horse clinics in the Philippines.
