Horse Dies On ‘The Rings of Power’ Set 

A horse died on the set of the Lord of the Rings spinoff series, The Rings of Power. Amazon has found itself in trouble after the animal died as the animal rights organization PETA has accused the streamer of not caring enough for the animals they use. 

They have also called for the industry to use animated or CGI horses since the use of real-life horses is considered abuse by the organization. The horse died during the rehearsals of the much-awaited second season of the hit show. Will this death cause further issues and delay the release of the second season? Here’s the whole story.

Horse Dies of Cardiac Arrest

The horse died on the 21st of March, the date was confirmed by an official as they released a detailed statement regarding the unfortunate incident. It was reported that the horse had previously not shown any health conditions even as it stood among its brethren of thirty other horses. There are designated horse providers that supply the animals for filming in Hollywood.

The Devil’s Horsemen, the supplier, confirmed that even though the horse was brought on stage, it showed no signs of distress. PETA, the well-known animal rights foundation, called the show out by saying, “stop lording over animals.”

“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a production horse died,” said a spokesperson for Amazon in the official statement. “The incident took place in the morning whilst the horse was being exercised prior to rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had yet to commence.” 

The incident has clearly saddened the streamer, especially because it may mean backlash. While horse deaths aren’t common in Hollywood, it has happened before and will likely continue to happen in the future as long as animals are used. Some unforeseen health conditions are inevitable, just like in this case.

“Both a veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent necropsy has confirmed that the horse died of cardiac failure.” Said the spokesperson. Even with a veterinarian present, the horse could not be saved. The Devil’s Horsemen has been in business for about fifty years and claims that this is the first time a horse has died on the set of a series. The same supplier was also responsible for the horses used in the famous Game of Thrones series. Regardless, PETA isn’t very pleased with the way animals are being treated in Hollywood.

“It seems that living underground with the orcs is par for the course for the producers of The Rings of Power because they have the option to use CGI, mechanical rigs and other humane methods that wouldn’t run vulnerable horses to death on set,” said PETA senior vice-president Lisa Lange.

HBO has had its bouts with animal rights activists, even in its 2012 drama Luck which was all about the game of horse racing. Three horses died on the set as a result of being part of the show. Perhaps the racing routine was too much for horses who were raised simply to be on the screen. Regardless, Luck was canceled by HBO because they were losing too many animals too fast.

“PETA is calling on the show’s creators — and all other producers — to take on a new quest without using any real horses. If they can’t avoid exploiting animals for their art, they should find a new medium, because no one wants to see a spinoff for TV with torment as the theme,” said Lange as she mocked the original Lord of the Rings franchise for its serious themes. Will there be more trouble with the public image as the second season goes into filming? Hopefully, fans will get their second season without much trouble.