We knew that the producers and directors of the stage production of War Horse at New York's Lincoln Center put on a stellar show about the strong bond between horses and humans, but now we know that they care for real horses, too. When PETA learned that the equine puppet hero, Joey, was scheduled to appear at Belmont Park on Friday to present the owner of a winning racehorse with a prize, we quickly wrote to them about the cruelties of the horseracing industry, including pervasive drugging of horses, the staggering rates of horse breakdowns and deaths, and the high number of horses sent to slaughter each year. They had no idea that they would be supporting such abuse by appearing at the track, and soon after hearing from us, notified us that they pulled the plug on the appearance.

jurvetson|cc by 2.0

We congratulate the show's producers and directors for doing the honorable thing and staying true to the message of War Horse. PETA is sending them some delicious dairy-free chocolate horseshoes as a small token of our sincere appreciation.

Domestication certainly hasn't benefited horses, as they've long been abused as beasts of burden and in other ways—as shown by our current battle to stop their export and slaughter for meat. But the new movie War Horse makes a strong case that the bond between humans and horses transcends exploitation. Based on the book of the same name by Michael Morpurgo, War Horse follows the journey of a horse named Joey from birth to a World War I battlefield.

Image (c) 2011 DreamWorks

Unlike those involved in the making of We Bought a Zoo, the producers of War Horse took PETA's concerns about the use of animals on the set seriously and were responsive, open, and proactive. Director Steven Spielberg and producer Kathleen Kennedy—both horse lovers—took care to ensure that the horses used in the production of the film were not harmed.

(Spoiler alert: If you don't want to know how it was done, stop reading here.)

Computer-generated imagery was used in the most dangerous-looking scenes, a special track was built to help with the horses' footing, and breakaway ropes prevented tripping. In addition, the dramatic barbed wire scene was created using an elaborate system involving a harness, rubber "barbed wire," an animatronic horse, and a healthy dose of Hollywood magic. As one producer told PETA, "Great credit goes to the art department for making it look dangerous when it wasn't; everything was built to accommodate the horses."

War Horse's strong and moving anti-cruelty message is also sure to resonate with moviegoers and help them empathize with horses' plight. Hopefully, many will think long and hard before they patronize the modern-day horse "battlegrounds" created by the racing, rodeo, and carriage industries. The movie may also prompt people to call their representatives to support the bill to ban American horses from being slaughtered in the U.S. and abroad.