10 Movies That Abused Animal Rights During Production

3. Jesse James Threw A Horse Off A Cliff

The treatment of animals in the 1939 classic Western Jesse James was so appalling that it actually convinced the AHA to begin monitoring Hollywood films in the way that they do now. Although the extent to which several horses were abused remains a point of speculation - Darryl Zanuck's film contains one particular scene that is so shocking it was enough to cause outrage all over the country. The exciting plot for the Western film involved a chase scene where a horse and stuntman would both go shooting off the edge of a cliff. It was shot once, and the unfortunate horse selected for the fall was killed. Some say that the horse died on impact from the high ledge, whereas others argue that it splashed around in the water below and died drowning from panic. Either way, the fact that the production team were ready and willing to toss a horse off one side of a cliff is almost beyond belief. To make matters worse, the horse was also abruptly tricked into performing the stunt - meaning that the animal will have suffered an enormous degree of shock and stress even before it left the ground. Everyone is all for rowdy Westerns, but launching a horse off a cliff to its death is wickedly cold-blooded.