Spanish Town's Cruel Tradition

Villagers in the Spanish town of Sabucedo participated in the annual festival known as Rapa des Bestas this past weekend.

If you’re unfamiliar with how this works, young men herd wild horses from the countryside into a ring where hundreds of onlookers watch them grapple the animals to the ground in order to trim their manes.

When the brutal ceremony is complete, the men lead the horses back into the wild and a party ensues. Although, it’s sort of unclear why there’s reason to celebrate the mistreatment of animals.

The tradition can be traced back over 400 years and is one that most folks probably wish had stayed there.