IRISH HORSE TRAINER John 'Shark' Hanlon has rubbished PETA's claims that his viral video where he brought a horse into a pub was a 'publicity stunt'
After winning the American Grand National in New Jersey, Hewick the horse and Hanlon went viral online for entering The Pint Depot' pub in Carlow.
So… a horse walks into a bar pic.twitter.com/QVs9Z4ScZU
— John Hanlon Racing (@jhanlonracing) October 31, 2022
The clip has over 400k views and was captioned 'A horse walks into a bar'. The horse trainer also joked about the horse enjoying a Guinness in another clip.
Many people saw the funny side, but a lot of people claimed that the video showed a lack of respect for animals.
One of Hanlon's biggest critics was animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
The non-profit organisation claimed that Hanlon only did it for a 'cheap laugh' and that the horse doesn't benefit from acts like the one in the video.
PETA’s statement reads: “Horses are not “show and tell” playthings – they are sensitive animals who are easily spooked, and anyone with a scintilla of respect for horses knows that a rowdy, cramped pub without an obvious exit is a stressful and dangerous environment for them.”
“This publicity stunt wasn’t done for Hewick’s benefit – it was done for a cheap laugh.
Hanlon has now responded to the charity. A quote from Irish Mirror from Hanlon said: “Hewick is a very safe horse. He doesn't buck and kick. We double-checked that everything is alright, and he doesn't hurt himself off anything. Then safely turned him around.”
He also shared a video to his Twitter account saying, "He’s not very drunk, you know, from the small bit of foam that he didn’t even drink cause he had his lips closed
The seven-year-old horse was bought in 2017 for €850 and has already paid back the small fee paid for him with his wins
The horse has become a national hero in Ireland. His wins in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April, the Galway Plate in July and the win in the States have meant his yearly prizemoney is now close to £450,000.
Hewick has already received quotes for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. He is also a being backed for next year's Grand National at Aintree.
He’s not very drunk, you know, from the small bit of foam that he didn’t even drink cause he had his lips closed 😂 pic.twitter.com/pWhu6PTHOJ
— John Hanlon Racing (@jhanlonracing) November 1, 2022
