U.S. Dressage Team Eliminated From Olympic Competition: PETA Statement

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the elimination of Marcus Orlob and the horse Jane from the Olympic dressage competition today after Jane reared up, in apparent protest of entering the arena, and injured her right hind leg. The judges saw that Jane’s leg was bleeding and stopped Orlob from continuing.

We need to listen to the horse because while we applaud officials for eliminating the U.S. dressage team from the competition, the horse’s message is what the International Olympic Committee must now pay attention to: She reared up because she didn’t want to enter the competition. These horses aren’t “partners”—they’re subjugated and coerced to submit to authority and to behave in ways that aren’t natural. The Olympic Games are about the excellence of willing participants, and the equestrian events must go.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.