‘Sacrificing horse for internet traffic’: man travelling from Europe to China on horseback facing animal cruelty claims

A man who made headlines with his plan to ride a horse from Europe to China may cancel his trip after the intervention of police and a vet

Police in Holland stopped the man after locals raised concerns and brought a vet to examine the horse which was found to be suffering from an old injury

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A Chinese man recently in the news for his plan to travel on horseback from Europe to China is in the headlines again after he was accused of animal cruelty. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 22 Sep 2022

A 32-year-old Chinese man who shot to fame after starting a journey from western Europe to China on horseback may have to cut his trip short after allegations of animal abuse.

Xu Zhixian, from Heze in Shandong province, eastern China, was detained by police in the Netherlands recently after they received complaints alleging Xu was abusing his horse, Toutiao News reported.

On February 20, Xu started a planned journey riding his eight-year-old purebred Arabian white male horse, Huihui, from Spain to central China. Moving about 30 kilometres a day, he has so far travelled through Spain, France and Belgium.

Late last month, the pair reached the Netherlands after covering more than 2,500 kilometres.

Xu had previously only ridden a horse once, and says he had to spend three months learning to ride before starting his journey. Photo: Weibo

In a video Xu posted online earlier this week he said local police in the Netherlands had detained him and taken his horse into custody, but said he was released two days later after they failed to prove the abuse allegations.

Xu then resumed his journey, however, two days later the police questioned him again, this time with a vet accompanying them.