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. This is happening all over the country to horses right now and we need to take a stand and get pony painting parties banned.

How would you feel about strangers smearing paint on your pet? Is this something we want to encourage in children? If left unchecked, this will only get worse. What will happen when a stressed horse kicks or bites a child? What if there are tragic fatalities? These parties are dangerous to both children and animals - and all just for a bit of money.

The 2006 Animal Welfare Act says that owners have a positive duty of care towards their animals and a responsibility to prevent the animal from becoming distressed. Animals have ways of communicating distress - horses show stress signs through swishing, flared nostrils, raised tail, sweating and a raised heartbeat. These subtle signals are not obvious to families/children and could even be ignored by organisers who are prioritising profits.

Animals do not want to be grabbed at, shrieked at or painted on for human's enjoyment. Sign my petition to take a stand today to get this unnecessary cruelty banned!

#BanPonyPaintingParties