Film crew abuse horse to perform dangerous stunt on set

On the set of the film "My Favorite Champion,” that was created with the support of the Russian Equestrian Federation, stuntmen treated the horse cruelly and pulled its tied hind legs to shoot a dangerous stunt, Elena Ovsienko, founder of Lirs Help horse assistance fund believes.

"Just be aware: Marina Sechin [chair of the Equestrian Federation] and Maxim Kretov [film producer] are two bloody destroyers of Russian equestrian sports. These people abuse the horse in the world that lives with AI and does not need stuntmen anymore. These people do not fight against animal abuse, nor do they protect animal rights — these people sponsor the abuse of horses," Ovsienko said in a statement.

The film crew did not coordinate this episode with the federation, but this cooperation did not require such approvals. It was a specially trained horse that performed the stunt, the horse continues its career, the Russian Equestrian Federation said in response to the above statement.

"The stunt was performed at the highest professional level, taking account of all possible safety measures in relation to the horse in the first place. The team that prepared this stunt constantly works in film production and has unique and unprecedented work experience.”