A 32-year-old Chinese man who shot to fame after starting a journey from western Europe to China on horseback may have to cut his trip short after allegations of animal abuse.
Xu Zhixian, from Heze in Shandong province, eastern China, was detained by police in the Netherlands recently after they received complaints alleging Xu was abusing his horse, Toutiao News reported.
On February 20, Xu started a planned journey riding his eight-year-old purebred Arabian white male horse, Huihui, from Spain to central China. Moving about 30 kilometres a day, he has so far travelled through Spain, France and Belgium.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Late last month, the pair reached the Netherlands after covering more than 2,500 kilometres.
In a video Xu posted online earlier this week he said local police in the Netherlands had detained him and taken his horse into custody, but said he was released two days later after they failed to prove the abuse allegations.
Xu then resumed his journey, however, two days later the police questioned him again, this time with a vet accompanying them.
The vet gave the horse a full health check and then, according to Xu, told him that the horse had received an injury before he purchased it.
‘Are they vampires?’: parents sue daughter for not buying younger brother a home
“I am informed that the horse doesn’t feel up to a long journey based on the policy of animal protection groups,” Xu said.
Xu said he followed police guidance to stay put and wait three more weeks until the police and vet came for a follow-up review.
Xu said he is now resigned to the reality of the situation and told the police that they would end their intercontinental journey if required.
“I will probably look for a farm for the horse. We will end this trip if the horse feels unwell,” Xu said.
A video news report on Xu and his horse had received 5.14 million views and 6,019 comments on mainland social media at the time of writing. Many people said they believed he had abused the horse, but some said they believed Xu had not violated any laws.
One commented: “Isn’t the horse exhausted?! Sacrificing the horse for internet traffic!”
“Would it be better if he travelled by walking or cycling? On a horse? I think he is abusing it,” another wrote.
Another commenter said: “Is riding a horse considered cruelty to animals? How about the equestrian competition at the Olympic Games?”
More from South China Morning Post:
- Hell’s kitchen: images of cockroaches, cigarette butts, batteries and worms in food at university canteen shock China
- ‘Dad, you are a hooligan’: tearful girl, 2, in China refuses to let father undress or wash her after mother’s ‘sex education’ talk
- ‘Don’t let me down’: girl, 12, in China surprises older sister with US$43 from savings to encourage her to study hard in viral story
- ‘Vicious, you do not deserve to be human’: couple in China throw dog out fourth-floor window during argument
- ‘Sweet girl image ruined’: video of Chinese actress Angelababy smoking at private event causes controversy with 120 million views, but defended by fans
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2022.
