Parties holding event to encourage children to paint on ponies get slammed by activists in UK

Who on earth thinks of the idea?

A child activity, pony painting, which has turned popular recently in the UK, got slammed harshly by animal rights campaigners, saying the event is disturbing and disrespectful and unjust.

Children were told to treat the animals' body as the canvas where they can write their names, paint them different, or draw pictures they like with chalk-based materials.

More than 22,000 activists signed a petition launched by Sophie Tomlinson, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, and describe the event as the "disturbing trend". Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said parents should remind that ponies and horses "aren't party props".

However, the service providers insist the practice is harmless and leaves no lasting mark on the animals.

Callister, who posted a few photos of the event, said, "It teaches us to objectify and use. It teaches us that if human animals are being made to feel happy, we can disregard the non-human animals. It's disgusting, disrespectful and unjust."

Sophie wrote after the post, "Pony painting parties are a disturbing trend popping up all over the UK. Imagine being tied up amidst shrieking laughter, unpredictable touching and having strangers smear your hair in paint. Would you trade places?

"This is happening all over the country to horses right now and we need to take a stand. How would you feel about strangers smearing paint on your pet?"

Many netizens expressed their rage in the comments, thinking this is an animal abusing behaviours and saying parents took the biggest responsibility to teach their children to love the animal and nature.

A spokesman of the pony party companies, Buckinghamshire-based Diddy Pony Parties, mentioned in the petition, said, "Diddy Pony Parties is aware of the petition. The petitioner has never made contact with DPP and has never experienced what we do."

"DPP places pony welfare as its highest priority and all activities are supervised by knowledgeable and caring equine professionals.

"All materials used in our parties are certified safe for use on animals and specifically equines. The matter is now in the hands of our legal advisers."