A participant peeks from his costume before the start of the the annual London Pantomime Horse Race in Greenwich, Britain December 13, 2015. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)
People in Mexico wave at U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border fence near San Diego, California, U.S., November 10, 2016. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)
Participants wrestle while riding yaks during Kyrgyz national horse games and festival near the Tulpar-Kul in the Chon Alai range, some 3500 metres (11483 feet) above sea level, Osh region, Kyrgyzstan, July 25, 2015. (Photo by Vladimir Pirogov/Reuters)
In this June 29, 2018 photo, a wild horse shakes off dust near a watering hole outside Salt Lake City. Harsh drought conditions in parts of the American West are pushing wild horses to the brink and forcing extreme measures to protect them. (Photo by Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)
Bosnian men urge their horses to pull logs up a hill during a competition in the Bosnian town of Sokolac 50 kms west of Sarajevo, Bosnia,on Monday, April, 13, 2015. The annual festival celebrates the centuries old tradition of pulling logs honoring the owners of the strongest horses. Owners of the horses gather from all over Bosnia and beyond, and compete in a show of horse strength. (Photo by Amel Emric/AP Photo)
Handler Jorge Garcia-Bengochea holds Honor, a miniature therapy horse from Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, as they visit with patients at the Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai in the Manhattan borough of New York City, March 16, 2016. Some of the most powerful medicine delivered to young patients at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York on Wednesday came in a package less than 32 inches tall and with a tail. Honor, a 10-month-old colt with Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, trotted into the hearts of dozens of children and teens being treated at the Manhattan hospital. (Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)
It’s a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, where two stallions fight over a female to ring the Chinese new year. And when it’s the Year of the Horse, the fights are considered to be even more significant. They’re held in small villages across southern China and have been condemned by animal rights groups, including Hong-Kong based Animals Asia. But those who participate in the events defend the fights and insist they take care of the animals.