Two horses fight during a Xinhe Festival in Peixiu Village of Antai Township in Rongshui Miao Autonomous County on July 11, 2016 in Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Xinhe Festival is one of the most popular traditional festivals in Rongshui with various entertainment activities. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Two stallions confront each other at a horse fighting contest in Rongshui, China. More than 30 horses from surrounding regions took part in the traditional activity of the Lantern festival. (Photo by China Foto Press)

Ethnic Miao women in traditional costumes take part in a tug of war as they celebrate the local ethnic Miao's new year at a village in Rongshui Miao Autonomous county, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China January 5, 2019. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

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.

People look at a black bear at the Chengdu zoo amid the coronavirus outbreak on March 26, 2020 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province of China. (Photo by Wang Lei/China News Service via Getty Images)

Women perform yoga on a dried river bank in Yunyang county, Chongqing Municipality, August 21, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Tourists ride in inflatable boats as they go rafting down a river at Buyun Mountain Scenic Spot on July 10, 2020 in Dalian, Liaoning Province of China. (Photo by Wang Hua/VCG via Getty Images)

A father crosses a road with his twin daughters in Shanghai, China September 28, 2018. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)