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.

Fishmongers cut and clean fish at the Soumbedioune fish market in Dakar, Senegal, May 31, 2022. In Senegal, fish and seafood represent more than 40% of the animal protein intake in the diet. According to a U.S. report, one in six people work in the fisheries sector. (Photo by Grace Ekpu/AP Photo)

Jackie Galarza greets the Camarasaurus dinosaur held by Houston Ferguson during the “Jurassic Quest” experience at Broward County Convention Center on July 08, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Fans of dinosaurs can walk through moving and roaring animatronic replicas of the now extinct creatures during the three-day event. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Singapore's Wie Qi Katelin Heng competes in the individual all-around qualification round during the 39th FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships at the Arena Armeets in Sofia (Arena Armeec hall) on September 14, 2022. (Photo by Nikolay Doychinov/AFP Photo)

A Ukrainian service member shoots from a machine gun at a position on the front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of New York, Donetsk region, Ukraine on June 9, 2022. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Recruits carry ammunition during a military training at a firing range in the Rostov-on-Don region in southern Russia, on October 4, 2022. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military has recruited over 200,000 reservists as part of a partial mobilization launched two weeks ago. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)

People wearing face masks pose for a photo holding the flag of the Communist Party of China the Museum of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, China, 14 October 2022. The CPC museum is a site devoted to permanent and comprehensive exhibitions of the party's history. (Photo by Wu Hao/EPA/EFE)

A Hindu devotee takes a holy bath on the banks of the Bagmati River on the occasion of Rishi Panchami at the end of the three-day long Teej Festival, in which Hindu women fast during the day and pray for the long lives for their husbands, in Kathmandu on September 1, 2022. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)