The horse riding elements of the sport could easily be replaced, but the luck of the draw is all part of the sport

There is no shortage of strong opinions when it comes to the modern pentathlon, both for and against its existence/adaptation:

• The showjumping element of the sport - which has often been criticised for its unfairness and cruelty - could easily be replaced with another sport that respects the event's military origins, such as climbing
• The randomness of the horses selection - whereby contestants do not get to ride their own horse and are given one from a draw - has been called unfair
• The Tokyo 2020 Olympics saw repeated accusations of animal cruelty, paving the way for further questions as to why the event still exists in its current format
• However, some officials claim that there is 'no basis for athletes to complain' about the supposed unfairness of the event, as riders should competently adapt to different horses
• Showjumping is just one event within the modern pentathlon, and so athletes should not necessarily be punished when their event can, instead, be modified

In short, the governing bodies for the sport and the Olympics more broadly must reckon with the criticism they have received, but not at the expense of athletes who have worked so hard for the modern pentathlon.

There will always be cases of abuse in high-level sports involving animals, when a lot is riding on their performance and behaviour.

• The pentathlon is comprised of five different events, but it is the equestrian show jumping portion of the sport that has been widely criticised for being cruel.

• There have been multiple cases reported where horses have been treated badly. Most recently, German coach Kim Raisner was suspended for striking a horse with her fist in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

• Welfare issues are bound to happen continually when animals are involved in sports. As performance will always be a top priority for high-level athletes, this gives an incentive to push animals beyond their physical limits. As horses are randomly assigned for fairness, athletes may be more likely to be given a horse that does not comply and therefore go on to treat their horse badly.

• It has also been argued that showjumping itself is cruel, as jumping can begin to take a toll on feet, joints and ligaments, making the horses susceptible to injury and reinjury. Again, if proper medical care is administered then this is not an issue, however dependence on horses for performance provides an incentive to make animal welfare a secondary concern.

While it is not fair to suggest that all horses are treated with cruelty in the Pentathlon, using animals in sports does seem to be quite open to abuse and could be considered cruel for that reason.