Wrestling camel “Faytoncu” adorned with colourful ornaments is escorted by his groom as he waits for the Camel Beauty Contest ahead of the annual Selcuk-Efes Camel Wrestling Festival in the Aegean town of Selcuk, near Izmir, Turkey, January 14, 2017. (Photo by Murad Sezer/Reuters)

In this Sunday, June 27, 2010 file photo two men compete in an ostrich race at Highgate ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. Clambering onto an ostrich for a ride used to be popular among tourists in a South African town of Oudtshoorn known of as the “ostrich capital of the world”. Not so much anymore. Two major ostrich farms in Oudtshoorn have stopped offering ostrich rides to tourists, responding to concerns about the birds’ welfare. A third farm is sticking with the feature, saying it is regulated and that ostriches do not experience discomfort. The Highgate farm, however, continues to offer ostrich rides. (Photo by Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo)

A Ukrainian soldier inspects a destroyed Russian APC after recent battle in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 24, 2022. The writing made by Ukrainian soldiers reads: “Not to War”. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons rides a wave during the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games at the El Tunco beach in El Salvador on June 6, 2023. (Photo by Marvin Recinos/AFP Photo)

NHRA top fuel driver Kyle Wurtzel explodes an engine on fire during qualifying for the E3 Spark Plugs Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway. in Clermont, Indiana on July 11, 2020. (Photo by Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)

Spanish Patrulla Aguila (C-101), aerobatic demonstration team of the Spanish Air Force performs during the Radom Air Show at an airport in Radom, Poland August 23, 2015. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Artist German Vinogradov acts in the performance of the burning of Maslenitsa tower, devoted to Pancake Week, a pagan holiday marking the end of winter, in the village of Nikola-Lenivets, Kaluga region, Russia, February 25, 2017. (Photo by Maxim Shemetov/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.