Emaciated white horse allegedly exploited for tourist rides in Bali dies

A white horse suspected of being exploited for tourist rides along the beach in Canggu, Bali, has died.

Content creator and horse rider Quentin Emery, who initially uploaded a video on Sept 17 showing the severely emaciated animal, shared an update later the same day that it had died before he could buy it from its owner.

Badung regency administration also traced the horse and confirmed that it died the previous day, reported The Bali Times.

"We visited the location with the Agriculture Agency and coordinated with the Canggu village head," said Badung Public Order Agency chief I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara on Sunday.

"The horse featured in the viral video was more than 30 years old and had died after falling ill and experiencing stress."

Two other horses were also found on the premises and transferred to Tabanan, also in Bali, where they will continue to be monitored by authorities.

Though the owner used to rent them out for tourist rides in the past, Suryanegara said that the business had closed two years ago.

He said they were instead taken for walks along the beach instead of paid rides recently.

'She can rest in peace now'

Despite the agency denying that the horses were being hired for tourist rides, Emery shared a video screengrab in his initial post showing the white one being ridden.

He claimed that his friend had sent him the clip the day before.

Emery wrote in the caption that he "drove through the streets of Canggu looking for the place" the animal was housed before finding it.

In the video, the white horse can be seen inside a stable in poor condition, with its ribs clearly visible.

A sign outside advertises horse rides.

Emery wrote that he was told that the horse was not ridden but "kept there for 'connection'".

"But my friend and several local Indonesian people who work around the area told me that the horse is taken onto the beach for rides every evening, and that many locals are also deeply uncomfortable with what they’re witnessing," he added.

He shared that he had made an offer to buy the animal and hoped its owner would accept it.

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However, Emery shared shortly after that he had been called back to the premises and saw that the white horse was on the ground with no chance of recovery.

"Being there with everyone, accompanying her through her final moments and her last breath, was something deeply meaningful to me," he wrote in the caption.

"I’m grateful I could have my hand on her head and let her know she wasn’t alone.

"She can rest in peace now."

While he could not help the white horse, Emery confirmed that there were two ponies at the same facility that had been saved, and that they would be transferred to a bigger location.

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drimac@asiaone.com