02:14Spain: Watch participants wrestle with wild horses in the ‘'Rapa das Bestas’ festival
Spain: Watch men grapple wild horses in traditional 'Cropping of the Beasts' event
Thousands of people headed to the Galician town of Sabucedo, Sunday, to witness and participate in 'Rapa das Bestas,' a controversial festival in which men wrestle wild horses and forcibly cut their manes and tails.
The horses used in the festival live in a semi-feral state in the nearby mountains. Wrestling the animals, which can weigh several hundred kilogrammes, is seen as a test of strength and will. "Rapa das Bestas" means "Cropping the Beasts."
Horse wrestling is considered animal abuse by a number of organisations, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In the U.S. state of Oklahoma, horse wrestling is legally classified as animal cruelty, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 (€3,680) and seven years in prison.
02:14Spain: Watch men grapple wild horses in traditional 'Cropping of the Beasts' event
Thousands of people headed to the Galician town of Sabucedo, Sunday, to witness and participate in 'Rapa das Bestas,' a controversial festival in which men wrestle wild horses and forcibly cut their manes and tails.
The horses used in the festival live in a semi-feral state in the nearby mountains. Wrestling the animals, which can weigh several hundred kilogrammes, is seen as a test of strength and will. "Rapa das Bestas" means "Cropping the Beasts."
Horse wrestling is considered animal abuse by a number of organisations, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In the U.S. state of Oklahoma, horse wrestling is legally classified as animal cruelty, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 (€3,680) and seven years in prison.