Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament is a Royal Pain for Animals

The medieval period, or the Middle Ages, was known for royalty and peasants, war and poverty. Apparently, Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament aims to bring back the violence from that period, especially animal abuse.

Medieval Times dinner theaters offer guests a themed meal and a show that includes jousting, horse performances, and falconry. The chain markets itself as a “family-friendly experience,” but mentions nothing of the whips or harsh treatment of animals, which is disturbing for families. According to complaints sent to PETA, the horses at the show they attended showed signs of severe stress:

“Their eyes were huge, their ears were back and they were bucking through the whole performance.”

Countless grievances detail the cruelty witnessed in multiple cities. Many go into detail about a specific incident they witnessed:

“[The] horse’s tongue was sticking straight out of his mouth with his eyes bugging out and staggering.”

The chain’s falcon display also puts birds at risk. One complaint stated that after a falcon was forced to fly around a loud arena, the handler roped the bird roughly, throwing him to the ground:

“The bird handler let the bird circle the area several times … when it was time for him to retrieve the bird, he threw up a rope and pulled it down with force. The bird hit the ground very hard. He did not move for awhile. The handler picked him up and left the arena. It was quite apparent to me that this bird was injured–or worse.”

PETA’s mission statement reads, in part, “animals are not ours to use for entertainment.” Animals used by this company are robbed of everything that is natural and important to them. Please ask Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament to end the use of live animals in their shows.

1. Leave comments on recent posts and pictures on the company’s Facebook and Instagram pages:

2. Contact the chain by emailing it directly:

3. Contact Medieval Times by calling 1-888-935-6878. Politely ask the company to stop using animals in their dinner theater:

Looking for talking points? Ask Medieval Times to rewrite their show so that animals are no longer used. Guests routinely report that the horses look stressed and overworked, and the show employs loud music and strobe lights, which may be disorienting to both horses and birds. Animal-free shows would include all the entertainment without any of the cruelty.

Thank you for your compassion for animals.