Rodeo. An American Heritage Under Attack

Across America, in hundreds of small towns across the west, and from coast to coast, thousands of people gather to watch the annual rodeo. Whether it's a professional level or just the local amateur boys, rodeo has the deepest roots in America over any other professional sport. It's been a part of the western way of life since the late 1800's, when huge cattle ranches sprawled across most of the western part of the country. Now that a large part of the west has become urbanized, and cattle ranches are getting smaller, and fewer, rodeo holds an important role in linking the modern day with the past cowboys. A last of a dying breed, as I've heard some call the modern rodeo cowboy. The ranching way of life is still alive and well, but rodeo still holds an important role in preserving it. The annual rodeo in small towns is a tradition that goes back for some towns to the turn of the century, and is a huge boost to the local economy every year. Not to mention just a good time for all involved. Every year the town draws in hundreds of people to either watch or compete in the rodeo for a day, a weekend, or a week.

Sadly, along with the all the cowboys and contestants that show up for the rodeo, there's yet another group that usually follows. They're usually waving signs trying to stop the rodeo from going on. They say that it's cruelty to the animals, or stop the killing, or you name it. But they usually don't stop at just yelling or waving signs. Animal rights activits will resort to just about any measure including violence, and personally slanderizing the good name of individuals and companies alike who support the great sport of rodeo.

The hypocricy involved there is sickening. The animal rights activitsts supposedlly support saving the animals, and want to stop the needless killing or abuse of animals. But really, it's all a publicity stunt, and a way to get more and more Americans to blindly follow their so called cause, and donate more money. Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, one of the largest Animal Rights organizations in the country) has even been quoted saying that "Basically everything we do is a publicity stunt." So they're just putting on a show, to get your donations. So where does the money go? Not to saving animals that's for sure! It's all a big business to them, and a way to further their radical agendas. Not to mention, both PETA and SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) both have ties to another group that has been labeled by the FBI as a "domestic terrorist threat!"

But that's a topic that I've already covered extensively in two of my other articles. "The Truth Behind Animal Rights Hypocrisy: PETA, SHARK, and the ALF" and also "The Truth Behind Animal Rights Hypocrisy, the HSUS," which you can read by following the links below.

http://hballard.hubpages.com/hub/The-Truth-Behind-Animal-Rights-Hypocricy-PETA-and-the-ALF

http://hballard.hubpages.com/hub/The-Truth-Behind-Animal-Rights-Hypocricy

Now, the purpose of the article is not by any stretch of the imagination, to put down, or belittle anyone. Including those who attack, or disagree with, or simply don't understand the sport of rodeo. The only purpose is to show that animals involved with the sport are not purposely harmed, injured, or maimed in any way. It's true that accidents happen from time to time, but that's life. But in rodeo every precaution available is taken to ensure to safety of all athlets involved. Human and animal.

This article isn't meant to sway anyone's decision, or prove that my view of rodeo is right and yours is wrong. It's only meant to be a means of understanding. I don't fully understand why some people act the way they do, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong. It just means that I dont understand it. So why should certain special interest groups attack a way of life, and a sport, that they don't know anything about. This article will hopefully shed a little light on the subject.

I'm going to focus mostly on the roughstock end of rodeo, meaning the bucking events. Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, and Bull Riding. In the Bareback and Saddle Bronc Events, a cowboy attempts to ride a buckin horse using different techniques in both. In Bull Riding, well, that one's a little more self explanatory.

So why do those animals buck in the first place? Some speculate that they're jolted with electricity before the ride. Or maybe it's because of the flank strap and it's sharp and hurting him. Others think that the cowboys wear sharp spurs that cut and anger the horse. Well, I can personally attest that not one of those theories is true! Although I have personally been verbally attacked by people accusing me or my friends at a rodeo of using at least one of the three.

The real reason horses buck, is well, most of them enjoy it! It's a natural response when one has to much energy or excitement built up they want to let it out. The same holds true with a horse, and buckin is how they do it. Now, the other reason is it's also a defense. In the wild, if a mountain lion was to jump on a horse and try to bring it down, the horse would instinctively start buckin to try and get it off of it's back. They still have that engrained in their head, so when a person tries to ride a horse for the first time, their first reaction is try to get him off. It's new, it's foreign, and they don't like it up there. So they buck. Once they buck somebody off, then it almost becomes fun to them. In a way, they've won the competition. So next time somebody gets on, they're gonna do it again. And again. That's why rodeo horses keep on buckin as long as they do. They get good at their job, and they enjoy it when they buck somebody off. The same holds true for bulls as well.

Now, at rodeo's, you will see a rope or a leather strap of sorts put on both the horses and bulls called a flank strap. It goes around their belly close to their back legs, and its' usually covered in sheep wool to make it soft. It doesn't hurt them in any way. All it does, is it makes them kick just a little higher then they normally would do on their own. It's just one more thing that they think they can get off, so they kick towards it.

Born to Buck. Nowadays many (if not most) of the horses and bulls you see buckin at a rodeo were specially bred for that purpose. Livestock registrys such as the ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc. which is the second largest livestock registry in the nation next to the Jockey Club) and the American Buckin' Horse Registry, preserve bloodlines of specific buckin horses, and pass those bloodlines down.

What you get are horses and bulls who are specially bred to buck, and they love what they do!

They can get to be worth a lot of money as well. Last year, the top earning 3 year old bull in the ABBI circuit earned over $40,000. And that's just one bull! And a buckin horse's worth is pretty comparable to.

The stock used in the roping events are generally Corriente cattle. Cattle bred almost exclusively now just for the sport. Bred to be fast, agile, and tough, they are suited for the rodeo life. Each one of the steers can also be worth between $400-$500.

So if stock contractors have so much money invested into their animals (not to mention time, effort, and emotion) then why would they purposely allow them to be brutally abused like so many people and organizations accuse them of doing? From a purely business standpoint, that would be pretty stupid! That would be like making a huge investment in a company, but then doing your best to slanderize it and make it fail. It just doesn't make sense. Plus, each rodeo animal has a distinct personality as well, and after owning specific animals for so long, a contractor can become attached to his animals, just like any person can become attached to their favorite pet or animal.

And it's not just the stock contractors who care about the stock, almost all of the cowboys involved in rodeo have some kind of a tie, or a background in, ranching or the western way of life. So they wouldn't ever go out of their way to purposely seriously injure an animal. Especially an animal that without, they wouldn't be able to make their living.

The PRCA, (or Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) has been around since the 1930's. It is the oldest, and biggest professional rodeo organization in the country, and the world. They sanction hundreds of rodeos every year, and roughly about 30% of all rodeos. As the largest rodeo association, they have come under the most attacks regarding animal welfare. To ensure the safety of all animals, and keep in practice practices that have long been had already, the PRCA has instituted rules and fines to assure the safety of all competitors involved. Animal and Human.

The PRCA has also conducted surveys, and studies to see just how many animals are injured at their rodeos. In a 1994 survey, they found that of 33,991 animal exposures, only 16 were injured. That's less than five-hundedths of one percent! Or 0.00047%, and less than one animal for every 2,000. Abuse? Hardly. There are actually more injuries in other equestrian sports such as horse racing, and jumping, even though those are looked upon as more "civilized." So where do Animal Rights Activtivists get their figures saying that "hundreds" of animals are killed every year in rodeo? I guess it's pretty easy to get "hundreds" from 16.

The following is a video released by the PRCA regarding animal welfare. Their care, their breeding, a history of rodeo in general, and measures that have been taken to ensure animal safety.

Below is another video that I found very useful and informative about the event of Calf Roping. This event comes under attack almost as heavily as the Roughstock events. The following video was released by the Calgary Stampede, a major rodeo held every year in Calgary, Alberta, and it is of a professional veterinarian and his take on calf roping, and what he does to ensure the safety and well being of these calves.

All in all, animals used in rodeo are not abused. Accidents happen it's true, but in life, nothing is a guarantee. More injuries happen to the brave cowboys and cowgirls involved then the animals. More injuries happen every year in just about any other sport, but you don't see protestors trying to shut those down. Most rodeo cowboys don't have much, it's a tough way to make a living. And ranching, where rodeo finds its roots, is an even harder way. So why do it? Even if they know they might work their whole lives and never get ahead. Rodeo is a way of hanging onto a dying American Heritage, a tradition that goes back a couple hundred years. A dying breed of people, as I've heard some say.

Even though cowboys may not have much, they have something to hang onto. And it's incomprehensible to me, why people who are ignorant to their way of life, try to bring the cowboys to their knees. So in conclusion, I would like to share a poem (although I do not know who wrote it) that for me describes the heart of the American Cowboy. Why he does why he does, and what makes the bumps and the bruises, the long spells without any money, the hardships, the pain, but the good times as well, all worth it.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.

“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered:
“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

For more information about animal welfare in Professional Rodeo visit these links:

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

http://prorodeo.com/animal_welfare.aspx

Professional Bull Riders

http://www.pbr.com/en/bulls/animal-welfare.aspx