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Is anyone else tired of people calling rodeo abuse?

21K views 98 replies 30 participants last post by  Stillstandin 
#1 ·
OK I don't think its abuse. I know a few people at my school who think it's an abomination. That it should be stopped. I think that's absoultly crazy. Some things I don't approve off but honestly its not abuse.

What do you guys think? I know some other equestions who agree with stopping it and some who say its not abuse. Why do you think that?
 
#4 ·
I second feeling for the cattle. I also agree that there is abuse in every discipline, and that, if you really want to get technical- half the stuff we do to our horses- i.e, jumping on their backs and expecting them to hold us for hours, sticking metal peices in their mouth and expecting them to go where ever we want without acting up in anyway or else they are punished, is cruel.

That aside, I believe rodeo, to me, is one of the most natural sports out there that deals with horses besides trail riding, simply due to the fact that

1- horses in the wild will go around something before jumping it
2- dressage poses have to be learned, you don't see horses dancing around in a pasture
3- all a horse has to do in rodeo is either run around a barrel, or run and/or cut cattle or bronc a rider, which, is a bit cruel in my opinion, but if we are sticking to the "natural" argument, it is natural for a horse to bronc a predator on its back in the wild and running is a natural gait.

There are pros and cons. It all depends on the horse and rider as inividuals. If your horse puts up a fuss or you hurt your horse, obviously it should be stopped. But if your horse seems to enjoy it and just does as told...why not?
 
#12 ·
That aside, I believe rodeo, to me, is one of the most natural sports out there that deals with horses besides trail riding, simply due to the fact that
"Natural" does not equal good. Racing is natural for a horse too, yet it's responsible for more injuries and deaths than any other sport.

"Natural" is also a misnomer. If bucking was so natural for broncs they wouldn't need straps or spurs of any kind to do it.
 
#5 ·
I'm extremely tired of it.
What gets me, is that everyone I hear complain about it, doesn't understand about horses, cattle, goats, etc. These animals are usually taken better care of than anyone else's animals, these rodeoers use them as their career and can't afford to purposely abuse them. It's also a whole lot harder than people may think. It's beyond difficult to break a calf's neck, they're made to swivel (to a point..not sure what other word to use). Doing so would be a waste of money on the owner's part, and no rancher/farmer/cowboy I know of has money to waste.
And broncs..I don't see one bit of abuse with this. A horse bucks naturally, be it in a pasture or in the wild. The horses aren't forced to buck, they enjoy it. People don't understand this, and as soon as they see the spurs the riders wear they run around screaming abuse like chickens with their ears cut off.
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#6 ·
Threads like this tend to get hot pretty fast. Search the horse protection section or search rodeo abuse and you'll find tons of threads where this has been discussed to death. I think it's just one of those issues where you're never going to convince the other side that you are the one in the right.
 
#7 ·
ETA---
I apologise for above post of mine that wasn't finished..no clue how it happened D: this is the full post. ;;


I'm extremely tired of it.
What gets me, is that everyone I hear complain about it, doesn't understand about horses, cattle, goats, etc. These animals are usually taken better care of than anyone else's animals, these rodeoers use them as their career and can't afford to purposely abuse them. It's also a whole lot harder than people may think. It's beyond difficult to break a calf's neck, they're made to swivel (to a point..not sure what other word to use). Doing so would be a waste of money on the owner's part, and no rancher/farmer/cowboy I know of has money to waste.
And broncs..I don't see one bit of abuse with this. A horse bucks naturally, be it in a pasture or in the wild. The horses aren't forced to buck, they enjoy it. A lot of people don't understand this, and as soon as they see the spurs the riders wear they run around screaming abuse like chickens with their heads cut off. The spurs are rounded and rolled across the horse's side, not jabbed. And if you think about what people actually call abuse (with good reason, but I understand why) such as using cattle prods to get the horses out of the chutes, it's not much differed than smacking your horse with a crop while it's trying to shove you into a tree on the trail. A horse will get more injured by going off (late) in the chute, than getting a little shock to get it moving. It's safer for everyone involved, including rider, handlers, and horse. I'd much rather smack the crap out of my horse than have it decided to step off a ledge out on the trail and fly down a rocky hill; it's not much different. And my goodness, a horse that does work for about 8 minutes a year, as opposed to a top dressage horse that needs to be worked near daily, has a much easier life. Hell, I'd rather be a bronc than a dressage horse any day, ha.

Everything a horse does (be it undersaddle, in the pasture, in the wild) is dangerous. A horse can get hurt trotting around if a gopher decides to make an exit/entrance to their home in that area. Life is dangerous, I don't see us only sitting in fields eating grass, some of us sit in an office with only possible "life-threatening" paper cuts, and some of us work in construction where we can get crushed with equipment. Stuff happens, and people shouldn't holler abuse at every single thing they see.
But of course, that's just my opinion. :p
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#8 ·
Fact: Bronc and bull riders can get fined and disqualified if their spurs have been "set" and do not roll over the horses/bulls hide. It also gives them less sticking power (advantage animal) because to get points, they need to "spur" aka move their legs in a certain fashion.

Fact: The flank strap helps to animate an already natural motion that a horse makes. It is like a belt that you wear, and is no tighter then that.

False: Flank straps are allowed to have metal in it to poke the horse and annoy it into bucking.

Fact: Rodeo companies work really hard to make sure that their animals are well taken care of. They rotate them, trying to make sure that they do no over use them. Without the stock, they cannot put on the rodeo. Poor quality stock does not perform as well, and means that contestants are less likely to enter another of their rodeos.

Fact: Most rodeo stock enjoy their job, and even know what they are supposed to do. Ever notice how as soon as the rider is off, they stop bucking? Its a game for them. Heck, I would love to work for 16 seconds in a weekend, and thats it!


Anyone who actually is willing to do even the slightest bit of research can find out a lot of information in a short little time. The PRCA is more then willing to give out information on the treatment of their roughstock and the rules that apply to them. They even made it super easy, and have a section on their website dedicated to it. ( See here: http://prorodeo.com/Animal_welfare.aspx)

What a lot of people forget is that most people who rodeo...most...grew up on a ranch or working with animals, and so have grown up learning how to properly treat them. They are their livelihood, and without the animals, wouldn't have a job.
 
#15 ·
I'm not knocking rodeo, I'm knocking the "but it's natural!" argument. That argument isn't sound (sound, get it?) Either everything we ask horses to do is natural or none of it is - it all depends on how you look at it. Some sports are easier for the horse, but none are more "natural" than others.
 
#16 ·
I have to disagree. Of all the sports we ask horses to do, the two most "natural" actions for them would easily be bucking (rodeo) and galloping (racing). Reining, cutting, pleasure, jumping, Dressage all incorporate things you really never see horses do (or rarely) either in the wild or domesticated in pasture. Bucking and fleeing are probably the two most natural responses/instincts horses have!

Maybe some "airs above the ground" could be considered natural though. :lol:

It definitely doesn't mean racing and rodeoing are "correct" or "best" for horses. But in regarding only the "natural" argument, I'd have to disagree.
 
#17 ·
I'm not too familiar with rodeo, but I watched some last night and want some clarification.
A small percentage of bulls actually began to attack their rider once they were bucked off. These bulls were the more difficult (harder to stay on) bulls, mostly. Is there any reason for this? There were quite a few that stopped DEAD once the rider was off, and many that just proceeded to run off (potentially trampling the rider, but not intentionally.) Any reason for this?
 
#18 · (Edited)
Bulls are a lot different then horses. Unfortunately, bulls are not domesticated the way horses are. A bull is a VERY dangerous animal whether you're on it's back or just in a field with it. A stallion will run, a bull will attack with little provocation.

The key is that if you took an actual "wild" bull and an actual "wild" horse, you'd have dead cowboys. Both animals would be terrified and stop at NOTHING to get the creature off it's back, and often go on the fight afterwards as well. If you've ever seen a cowboy break in a wild horse, you'll understand the difference between a "wild bronc" and a "trained bronc". Scared animals are highly dangerous animals - a scared horse will flip, slam into fences, and all sorts of other dangerous behaviors that are NOT wanted in a rodeo ring. Anyone who's worked with a few wild animals can so the enormous difference in a scared animal and a rodeo bronc.

However, with the bulls, it's a very fine line. Because bulls have a much higher tendency to inborn violence compared to horses, even the "trained" bulls will come after you because bulls actually get mad. A lot of rodeo horses you can walk up to in pens and pat with no problems - bulls you simply can't do this with, as most ranchers know. SOME are obviously more docile then others, I have known friendly bulls, but the domestication is a lot newer as compared to horses and bulls don't become "tamer" the more time they spend around humans as horses tend to.
 
#19 ·
Bulls, in general, are very aggressive creatures, especially when they are already in a moment of excitement or agitation. Driving normal bulls (not those bred for bucking) across a pasture on a horse can be a very delicate procedure because they are quick to turn and fight if you push them even a little bit too hard. One of the reasons why cattle have horns is because they cannot flee all threats the same way that a horse can, they don't have the speed, agility, or endurance to outlast most large predators. That is also why they are more willing to go on the offensive and attack. Even though the human isn't hurting them, the rider is seen as a threat because it has attached itself in the same basic location that a predator would (think lions and wildebeests as can be seen in the picture below). Therefore, the bull gets his testosterone up and goes on the offensive to eliminate the 'threat'.

 
#20 ·
Rodeos are a part of horse and human life together. Rodeos have been around for a long time. Even though there is tugging on the bits, sharp turns, and cattle to get grounded to the ground, that is what the horses have been trained for and its not that their riders want to injure them, its just that its a level the rider wants to aim for and a lot of the time it brings the horse and rider closer together to have a tight bond. Abuse is chosen by the rider. Horses are loving animals and with the right person can be confident happy creatures. There are people who do abuse their horses but the idea of a rodeo doesn't include abuse it involves horsemanship and passion.
 
#21 ·
Okay, with this topic I'm fairly uneasy. There are some rodeos that are actually abuse-free. However, I have been in many rodeos myself and have seen a lot of abuse. Yes, calf skin is thick yaddayadda, but I have also seen the way the rider's snap the rope to jerk the calf backwards and slam all their weight on their back. I've seen many calves die from this action just by back and neck injuries.

I definitely do not support the "wild horse race" either.
The rodeo in general is not abuse, it's the people that participate in my opinion.
 
#23 ·
How many times have you personally seen this? "Half the time" is a pretty gross overstatement. Using electricity is highly illegal, and is only seen at bottom of the barrel mostly unsanctioned and low key rodeos. If anyone were caught doing that in pro rodeo, they would be strung up and their careers would be over.
 
#25 ·
I just saw it on a few youtube videos not at rodeos I go to
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Always question the internet. Those videos on YouTube are just like PETA, and basically show you completely unsanctioned rodeos that don't follow any organization and therefore, do not have any governing assembly in place to make rules. It's like video taping horse slaughter in Mexico and trying to tell people that's how they get slaughtered in the US!
 
#26 ·
i think it all comes down to... you can find abuse in any disapline or sport involving animals! rodeo is a sport, just like jumping is a sport and both use spurs. your always going to find the stupid people in every sport, really you cant escape it!!
 
#28 ·
Well actually, this kind of stuff doesn't only happen at low-key, backyard rodeos. There is one big rodeo that a lot of abuse happens there, I attended once in my life and walked out. The Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo is a pretty big rodeo, as they call it, "The Daddy of Em All".
 
#29 ·
Im not bashing the rodeo I enjoy going and all the ones ive been to I have never witnessed abuse and they are not huge rodeos and if a animal is hurt they have people there in a blink of a eye to help the animal. the peta type videos is where I saw the abuse the "hidden side of the rodeo business" type videos
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#30 ·
The stock is better treated (as a general rule) at the high-end rodeos. The bucking stock is valuable and well-maintained, and thus treated humanely. There's nothing inherently cruel with bucking out horses and bulls (though some of the bull-riders' spurs, if you look, are rather sharp even for a bull's thick hide).

At the low-end rodeos, there is far less regulation, and far greater instances of cruelty and abuse. Bucking stock is not nearly so well taken care of.

Barrel racers are, well, barrel racers. We've hashed and rehashed that issue in many threads. Some are good and some are bad. Most, despite rough treatment, care about their horses' welfare and don't actually intend to be rough/abusive, and barrel racing is absolutely no different than any other horse sport.

However, any way you look at it, the roping and bulldogging events are cruel. They do NOT simulate actual work on the range in the good ol' cowboy heritage days, when the goal was not speed but efficient, stress-free, easy work on the cattle. Jerking a young calf to the ground from a dead run is appalling, and even at some of the bigger pro rodeos, you will see very rough handling of the horned stock (out of view of the spectators, of course). Bulldogging isn't a whole lot better, and it's got to be extremely stressful for the steer. The same thing with team roping. The way those cattle are "trained" to run isn't exactly humane, either....

At some of the real, good ranch rodeos, they practice a style of roping that is far more realistic for a practical working environment, and this shows a far more useful (if less flashy/impressive) skill as well as being far kinder to the cattle.
 
#31 ·
However, any way you look at it, the roping and bulldogging events are cruel. They do NOT simulate actual work on the range in the good ol' cowboy heritage days, when the goal was not speed but efficient, stress-free, easy work on the cattle. Jerking a young calf to the ground from a dead run is appalling, and even at some of the bigger pro rodeos, you will see very rough handling of the horned stock (out of view of the spectators, of course). Bulldogging isn't a whole lot better, and it's got to be extremely stressful for the steer. The same thing with team roping. The way those cattle are "trained" to run isn't exactly humane, either....

At some of the real, good ranch rodeos, they practice a style of roping that is far more realistic for a practical working environment, and this shows a far more useful (if less flashy/impressive) skill as well as being far kinder to the cattle.
I will agree with you on the bulldogging, I don't like that either just because I don't see the point of it. Why jump off a perfectly good horse to wrestle with a steer?

However, I'm not sure where you're getting your idea behind the roping events having no connection to actual ranch work. Roping (especially team roping and even tie-down roping and steer tripping) is one of the few events that are commonly done on ranches every day, past and present.

Even in ranch roping, speed is necessary. Not every cow is just going to stand there calmly and wait for you to drape the rope around it's horns/neck or patiently wait for you to set up a good heel loop and then obediently walk forward into it. Even old broke cattle will run when you start to swing your rope and half the cattle on ranches these days have been "farmerized" to the point where they will commonly run when they see a horse, let alone waiting for you to take your rope down. The last thing a ranch hand wants to do is chase a sick or injured cow for a half mile before they rope it just so it won't be running quite so hard when it hits the end of the rope.

Sometimes, the work on ranches is done by a single cowboy and he has to get...inventive with ways to get everything from a newborn calf to a 2000 pound bull roped and tied down for doctoring.

Depending on who you ask and where they're at, methods can range from wrapping the rope around a tree to choking them down to tripping them to wrapping their back feet in the same rope that's around their neck (a trick my brother, a lifetime ranch hand, taught me), then trying to hustle and get them tied down so that you can get your rope off before they choke to death. All the time, hoping that your horse (who you left out there ground tied at the end of the rope) will keep the rope tight so the momma cow or bull can't get up and demolish you before you get them secured or go back up the rope after your horse and injure him.


Ranch work isn't all butterflies and rainbows either. Sometimes things don't go exactly right and the cow or a horse pays the ultimate price, there are just no spectators or camera crews there to document it all.
 
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