Animal rights group condemns ‘horses’ after horse dies on Amazon show

Animal rights group Peta has condemned the use of live animals on a set after a horse died during the production of Amazon's television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The horse had a cardiac arrest on 21 March, while the fantasy spin-off was rehearsing for its second season in the UK.

A spokesman for Amazon Studios said on Sunday morning that they were deeply saddened by the death of a production horse. The incident took place in the morning while the horse was being exercised prior to rehearsals.

The trainer was not in costume, and filming had yet to begin. A veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent necropsy said that the horse died of cardiac failure. The horse was standing near 20 other horses when its heart stopped, sources told Deadline. More than 30 horses were reported to have been on the set that day.

Peta said the show was exploiting animals and called for film and television productions to use CGI instead of real creatures in a statement released shortly after the news broke.

It seems that living underground with the orcs is par for the producers of The Rings of Power, because they have the option of using CGI, mechanical rigs and other humane methods, said Lisa Lange, senior vice-president of Peta.

Peta wants the show's creators and all other producers to take a new quest without using any real horses. The Devil's Horsemen, a supplier of horses and stunt people in the film industry, provided all horses used in the second season of The Rings of Power.

The company has worked with big-name series such as Game of Thrones and The Crown, as well as Hollywood productions such as Justice League and Transformers.

The Lord of the Rings franchise has previously come under fire for its treatment of live horses.

Peter Jackson was criticised for the production of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012. Three horses, as well as other farm animals, had died during production, according to animal wranglers on the set.

Peta launched a petition urging filmgoers not to see movies where animals have been harmed.

Jackson later denied the claims that any animals had been mistreated, saying that they were unsubstantiated. The production regrets that Peta has chosen to make such a serious allegation, which has distressed many of the dedicated Kiwis who worked with animals on the film, Jackson wrote on Facebook.

The Rings of Power is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, set in Middle-earth thousands of years before the events of the film series.

Its first season, which was filmed in New Zealand, became a blockbuster success for Amazon. The studio said it was the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, drawing 25 million viewers in its first 24 hours.