Picture perfect: custom-bred to make Disney horse a reality
Vets say ‘ridiculous’ drive to create pets to match notions of perfection has spread to equine world
THE trend for breeding domestic animals to fit human ideas of what’s attractive, even when it damages their health, has spread to horses, as veterinarians released images showing a “cartoon-like” colt bred with features reminiscent of a Disney character.
Extreme breeding practices have already left animals such as French bulldogs and pugs struggling to breathe as their heads have been altered to suit market demands.
Vets believe the worrying practice is happening in horses after a US stud farm offered an Arabian Colt for sale with excessively wide nostrils, large eyes, and a flattened nose, more like the character Buck from Disney’s 2004 film Home on the Range.
The farm boasted the horse was a step towards perfection, but equine experts warned the animal may find it difficult to breathe and exercise with such a flattened nose.
Tim Greet, an equine specialist from Rossdales Veterinary Service in Newmarket, said Arabians were known for their “dished” features, but the pictures showed modifications being taken “to a ridiculous level” and said the deformity could be even worse for a horse than a dog.
“Dogs, like man, can mouthbreathe. However, horses only breathe through their nose,” he told Veterinary Record magazine. “I suspect exercise would definitely be limited for this horse.”
The nine-monthold colt, called El Rey Magnum, was bred by Orrion Farms, a specialist Arabian stud in Ellensburg, Washington. And it has been inundated with inquiries after it uploaded a promotional video this month under the title You Won’t Believe Your Eyes.
Doug Leadley, the farm manager, said: “This horse is a stepping stone to getting close to perfection.” While US vets who claim to have examined the colt say it has no respiratory issues.
Public reaction has been polarised with some people commenting that the horse looks beautiful while others have been horrified.
Commenting on the images, Adele Waters, editor of Veterinary Record said: “My first thoughts were ‘is this the work of CGI trickery?’
“Many specialist horse vets have had a similar reaction. However, the truth is that this is a real horse and it has been bred to meet the demands of a particular market that likes a particular appearance.
“Where will it end? Is it really so bad for a horse to look like a horse and not a cartoon character?”
Jonathan Pycock, an equine reproduction expert and president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, said the horse was abnormal while its new features “serve no functional purpose and could put the horse at risk of breathing problems”. Dr Madeleine Campbell, director of the Equine Ethics Consultancy, condemned “extreme breeding” practices on welfare grounds, adding: “This could compromise the ability to breathe or eat normally…or go to extremes of animal size, which might compromise the ability to give birth normally.”