The F1 champ and vegan advocate shared an animal charity’s post – that showed children painting a horse as part of their summer class activity- to his fans.

F1 champ Lewis Hamilton has taken to Instagram once more to stand up against animal cruelty

The pro racer turned vegan advocate shared a video of children painting a horse as part of their summer activity class on his Instagram story.

He accompanied it with a simple caption, saying: “This is so sad.”

The video taken at an equestrian centre in Murcia, Spain, was originally posted by Charity Organization Karmagawa on its Instagram account.

According to the group, the centre offers several summer classes with various craft activities, one of which is painting a horse.

In the post, the charity wrote: “Animals deserve far better!”

“This is wrong on so many levels — horses are NOT objects to be used by humans and animals should NOT be used for entertainment!

“WE must stop forcing innocent animals to be treated like this and instead learn to respect these beautiful creatures much more!

“On top of that, we must teach our children that animals deserve our love, compassion and respect, not that they can be used as objects to be painted on.

“No animal deserves to be treated like this and our children must be taught better values in life!”

Petition 

This isn’t the first instance of horses being used as canvases. Pony painting parties are a disturbing trend popping up all over the UK.

Animal welfare groups have warned that businesses offering horse painting are creating a risk to the horses’ health and say the parties are likely to cause extreme distress for the animals. 

 A petition has also been launched urging for ‘pony painting parties’ to be banned.

“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,” the petition reads.

 Nearly 3,46,208 have signed the petition to date.

Karmagawa’s post of the disgusting use of an animal as a canvas has provoked a strong reaction in many of those who watched it, with one person commenting: “What’s wrong with people? And to still include a child in this activity is messed up, what morals are they instilling?”

Another commented that the practise was prevalent across the pond as well.

“People really treat animals as if they don’t feel. This type of horrible treatment really needs to stop. I continue to be baffled by the lack of empathy,” a third added.

Animal advocate Hamilton

This isn’t the first time Hamilton has used his platform to advocate for animals.

Earlier this year, he shared a BBC article headlined –Confessions of a slaughterhouse worker – with his Instagram followers.

The feature told the story of an anonymous abattoir worker in the UK.

Alongside the post, Hamilton wrote: “100 million animals per month [are] killed in the UK.

“Those of you that eat meat, please take a moment to think. Please stop eating meat, we have to end this horrific atrocity.”

Last year, he said the COVID-19 lockdown has made people realize how animals living in captivity feel. 

The 36-year-old uploaded several images of pandas locked in an enclosure with a caption that said:  “If you’re home on lockdown, perhaps you can feel a little of what the animals in captivity go through every day, their entire lives stopped from them.

“In future, please don’t go to any zoos or circuses because this is what our money goes to supporting #NoMoreZoos #Freedom.”

• Read: Bryan Adams, Robert Bateman, William Shatner and other notable artists call for a ban on elephant ivory trade in Canada

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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