A friend of mine worked on the set of the Fox Films' shoot of Flicka, and witnessed the cruel use of horses in what is known as a "Wild Horse Race." Wranglers chase frightened horses around a ring, and try to drag them down and mount them.
The horses are terrified, and in the case he witnessed one was tripped on its rope, kicked in the head, and died an agonizing death.
There was absolutely no justification for subjecting horses to this inhumane treatment, except to shoot a sensational scene to make money for Fox.