You could see he had serious permanent welt marks from where he had been whipped on his ass. There is also the scene when Harpo jumps off him going over the water hurdle - the poor horse lands hard on his neck.
ASPCA and the Humane Association had both been around for about fifty years when this was made. However the American Humane Association's Film and Television unit -- they're the "No animals were harmed" guys -- didn't really get started until two years after this picture was made and it wasn't until 1980 that the Screen Actors' Guild arranged to have animal handling experts on the set at all times, after the scandal over Heaven's Gate in which five horses died.
They are not so great either. They have been known to give their good housekeeping seal to films where animals were abused or killed.
Well, the city's being built and I'm winning this game. So don't interrupt us with trifles.
I don't think it could have been too horrific - Harpo Marx adored animals, dogs and horses especially, and I don't think he would have stood for any cruelty on the set.
I don't think that Harpo--or any of the Brothers--had that kind of clout at MGM. Mayer, Thalberg, et al. would have reminded them just how "lucky" they were to still have careers after the box-office failure of DUCK SOUP and their dismissal from Paramount. BTW, it wasn't Harpo who fell in that scene; it was his stunt double.
you would be surprised how much clout the brothers did have with Irving Thalberg though, he loved Chico and invited them to MGM..Thalberg kept turning up late for their meetings so they actually stripped naked and toasted potatoes in his office to get their point across and he was never late again, they demanded his respect and they got it where everyone else was scared of him they wasnt and said if he didnt respect them, all deals were off..yes i agree that Harpo was the most gebtle kind man around and wouldnt have been involved in such cruelty but then even to this day im sure horses are whipped too badly, would you really jump a fence that high in the National for fun..no way!