At Medieval Times shows, horses carry armored knights through jousting matches while crowds cheer and feast. But a former cast member’s lawsuit claims the animals behind the spectacle suffered badly out of public view.

In a 2019 lawsuit, Bethany Regan, who worked at the Buena Park, California, castle, alleged that the head trainer whipped horses for no good reason until welts rose across their bodies. She also claimed some horses were trained in ways that left them bleeding, including from the mouth, and that they were pushed so hard they became dehydrated before being allowed to rest. According to her complaint, one horse died. She said she was suspended and later fired after raising concerns. The case settled in 2020, and the terms were never made public.

None of these claims have been proven in court. That is exactly why the horses need independent eyes on them. Medieval Times runs 10 castles across the United States and Canada, and the public has no way to know how the horses at any of them are treated today.

Medieval Times should let independent, licensed veterinarians inspect the horses at every castle and publish what they find. And the California State Legislature should set clear, enforceable care standards for horses used in live entertainment, covering rest, water, training methods and veterinary care.

“Anybody that works with horses, or works with something that has no voice of its own—children, horses, any animal—you have to be the voice,” former dinner theater trainer and horse rescuer Yvonne Barteau told Fox News Digital.

These horses can’t speak up for themselves. Sign the petition to demand independent welfare checks for Medieval Times horses, so every animal in the arena gets the care it deserves.