Deadline has confirmed that one of the horses used for Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power died during production. Roughly 20 of the animals were being prepped for a battle scene when one of the horses suffered from cardiac failure.
Sources reported that more than 30 horses were being used for filming that day. The production just switched to a different animal handling service as it moved from New Zealand to the UK. The Devil’s Horsemen have worked for such TV series and movies as Wonder Woman, Justice League, Transformers: The Last Knight, Game Of Thrones, and Netflix’s The Crown. Based in Buckinghamshire, it’s a family-owned company run by horsemasters Daniel and Camilla Naprous, and their father Gerard.
After the horse collapsed, the cast and crew were asked to leave for roughly 30-45 minutes while the body was removed from the set. Work resumed shortly after, sources told Deadline.
Animal deaths and injuries are still quite rare, but animal rights groups have called for the removal of animal labor in recent years more than ever. This isn’t also the first time animal deaths were a part of a Lord of the Rings production.
During the production of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, there were reports of several incidents dealing with cruelty and neglect. Horses died after being injured on set, goats and sheep died from worm infestations, totaling almost 30 deaths.
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