May 15, 2006

The writing on the posters included: 'Get that metal in YOUR mouth!'; 'Sportsmen, aren't you ashamed?'; 'Shame on sportsmen - horse torturers!'; 'Show-jumping is the favorite fun of yahoos. It's time to stop this sadistic fun! The equestrian sport is horse torturing and humiliation!'

A large Russian showjumping competition was marred recently by a mass protest against equestrian sport. The action was organised by the Horse Revolution Association at the 8th International Salon "Ipposfera" in St Petersburg.

A huge billboard saying "Aren't you ashamed?" was installed in front of the main pavilion of the exhibition. The protesters say it "drew public's attention to incalculable suffering that horses have to endure in the mincing machine of the equestrian sport".

The protest action attracted attention of the leading part of Russian mass media, many television channels showed later reports about it.

The protesters are involved with Alexander and Lidia Nevzorov's Haute Ecole movement.

• At the 39th Worldfest - Houston Independent Film Festival, April 21-30, 2006, Nevzorov's film "Horse Encyclopedia" received a Special Jury Award in the Documentary film category.

The jury considered it as an extremely bright work and as well as honest and revolutionary. A release said the film is "the first to show fairly and objectively the position of horses in the modern society and defined the problem of horse suffering in the equestrian sport."

Houston Film Festival is one of the largest in the world with 4500 entries received this year. Special Jury Award is the top award of the Festival for creative skills.