Former glamour model Katie Price has sparked concern among animal welfare advocates after sharing a photo of herself riding her horse Wallis on Instagram.
The 46-year-old’s image drew criticism from followers who claimed the bit in the horse’s mouth appeared to be too tight, with the controversy reigniting debates about Price’s animal care practices.
In the photo shared with her 2.7 million Instagram followers, Price beamed while sitting on her black horse in the sunshine, dressed in black jodhpurs, riding boots and a premium horse riding helmet, looking every bit the equestrian expert.
Price captioned the image: “Everyday routine out riding. My happy place,” receiving thousands of likes.
However, animal welfare advocates were quick to voice their concerns in the comments section of Price’s post as one wrote: “His bit is way too tight! Come on Katie, this is basic know-how for horses.”
“Jesus, loosen the bit ffs,” a second noted before another concerned fan added: “Ouch! What have you done to the mouth – needs a bigger bit and loosen the rein.”
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“Noseband and bit both too high, nice horse though,” remarked another.
Despite the criticism, some followers defended Price in the comments as someone praised: “Horses are soul medicine of the best kind.”
Another fan commented: “I don’t care where Katie got the horse from it’s a lovely photo and why do people have a problem with anyone having a happy place.”
A third defender added: “Lovely pic so what if she is riding someone else’s horse she can ride.”
This controversy follows a history of concerns about Price’s animal care, where previously in 2020, a petition was launched on Change.org calling for her to be banned from owning animals.
The petition has since garnered over 37,000 signatures and came amid a series of distressing revelations concerning the welfare of her pets over the years.
Price has experienced several pet tragedies in recent years, with her German Shepherd being killed on the A24 near her home, and another dog dying on the same road just seven months later.
One of her horses also died after escaping from her fields and being struck on the A24, before her French Bulldog puppy Rolo suffocated after becoming trapped under a chair in 2020.
Despite the controversies, Price has consistently expressed her love for horses and particularly for Wallis and described her passion for equestrianism as something that gets her through he hard times.
She previously described the horse as her “sidekick through thick and fine.”
In August last year, she shared a heartfelt post about her long-standing relationship with Wallis: “I’ve been riding horses since I was 7 and I’ve had Wallis since he was 8, he is now nearly 22, horses are my life and passion.”
