Rolling Stones posed 'trauma risk' to horses

An animal rights group has forced the Rolling Stones to change their concert venue to avoid traumatising nearby horses.

An animal protection society in Belgrade complained it was worried that hundreds of horses situated near to the Stone's planned concert venue would endure a potentially traumatic experience.

The July 14 gig was due to be held at the Serbian capital's Hippodrome racetrack.

Following the complaint, local outrage over the horse's plight grew after the news media reported that hostlers had said they were ready to sedate the animals to keep them calm during the concert.

"The concert will not take place on the Hippodrome," said Raka Maric, manager of Music Star Production, the company organising the concert.

In a letter to the animal rights group ORCA, the organisers said they had been victims of bad publicity, and it was all much ado about nothing.

"The Rolling Stones' band members are great animal lovers," Maric said in the letter. "We didn't manage to convince The Stones' management that the concert would not harm the horses."

The band has never played in Serbia. A 2003 concert was cancelled due to the assassination of then prime minister Zoran Djindjic, and a 2006 date scrapped after guitarist Keith Richards suffered a head injury while on vacation.

The most likely new venue for the concert is the Usce park at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The open space has hosted concerts and big gatherings in the past, such as a rally of the late nationalist strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 1989.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.