Rodeo Cruelty, What do you think?
Animal abuse can be looked at in many different forms but it’s mostly up to you to determine if you agree or disagree with it. Many people believe rodeos should be outlawed because of the visible abuse. It could be from a steer getting drug behind a horse or from probes that make bucking horses and bulls buck. Others believe that all actions are taken to insure the safety of the animals and the contestants. The real question is what do you believe?
Rodeo is more common in the western part of The United States. It is also an official sport in the states of Texas, Wyoming, Montana, and Texas. Rodeo originated from working cowboys out west who roped calves for doctoring purposes and rode bucking horses to train them to help work the farms of the west. There are a wide variety of rules and regulations that rodeo contractors have to abide by. Most of them make sure the animals are treated properly and the riders or ropers are kept safe. The rules and regulations vary from state to state. Some states may have more strict rules than another. Some states like California protects the timed event livestock more and they will not allow you to use probes with electricity when an animal is in the chutes. Other states like Ohio will focus more on the rough stock and will not allow any probes in bucking straps and unpadded bucking straps that go on the flank of bucking stock.
One sport of rodeo that raises the eyebrows of many anti-rodeo activists is Team Roping. Team roping was used for the purpose of catching live cattle on the range to perform vaccinations and to treat injuries. Team Roping is defined as on cowboy ropes the steer around the horns and turn left, so that the next cowboy can come behi...
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2.)"Calf Jerk-Downs." SHowing Animals Respect & Kindness. N.p., n.d. Web. . .
3.)Cooper, Roy. Calf Roping. Colorado Springs, Co: Western Horseman INC., 1984. Print.
4.)"Rodeo Facts: The Case Against Rodeos." Winning the Case Against Cruelty. Animal Legal Defense Fund, 1979. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. .
5.)Murray, Ty, and Kendra Santos. Roughstock: The Mud, the Blood, and the Beer. Austin, TX: Equimedia, 2001. Print.
6.) "PRCA Rodeo Equiptment." ProRodeo. PRCA, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
7.) "What's Wrong With Rodeo." PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .
The U.S. Department of Interior’s, Bureau of Land Management, (BLM) was appointed to carry out the Act and given the task of managing the herds of wild horses and burros. Consequently, BLM’s management of wild horse herds has been highly criticized by animal rights activists, horse advocates, news media, as well as members of Congress. There have been numerous lawsuits filed against BLM regarding their management practices and their appalling wild horse round-ups. However, unimpeded BLM continues with the controversial issue of wild horse round-ups, resulting in the death and injury of many wild horses and burros. The vast majority of these round...
Lane Frost was born in La Junta, Colorado on October 12, 1963, while his dad was still competing in the rodeo circuit. Lane grew up with a desire to ride bulls. He was showing an interest in the sport as young as 5 months. His mom, Elsie Frost, said that whenever they went to rodeos Lane would always fight to stay awake to watch the bull riding. If they tried to leave before it was over, he would scream and cry and throw a huge fit (Frost 1). At the age of five Lane started riding dairy calves on the family dairy farm in Vernal, Utah. He rode calves and steers when he was younger, entering and competing in any rodeo he could. In 1978, when Lane was 15 years old, his family moved to Lane, Oklahoma. There he began to compete regularly in bull riding, and in 1981 he won the National High School Rodeo bull riding championship. Lane graduated from Atoka High school in 1982. He was offered rodeo scholarships from many different colleges, but he turned them down and decided to pursue a professional bull riding career instead...
Rodeos go out of their way to protect the animals during their performances. For example, the flank strap is said to be sharp and painful. However, in reality it is made up of sheepskin which protects the animal from cuts, and sores. There are actually rules against flank straps causing pain to any animal. It has also been said that animals are shocked with hot shots when they are to slow to start performing. This is false due to the fact that there is now a law banning any hot shots or electric prods on livestock during a rodeo. Not only are there rules during before the events begin there are rules also during the events. During the events if a cowboy is seen being to rough with the cattle they will receive a no time. This is another reason why they are so careful with the cattle. Having one no time can result in last place at a rodeo, so cowboys will go out of their way to insure no animal is injured. It is also said the care of livestock is horrible. This is false because stock contractors can get fined up to $20,000 for not treating the animals with good care. Not only do the cowboys, and stock contractors care about the animals the whole rodeo community does. Profits from most rodeos are sent to organizations to help injured bulls, and also provide then with everything they could ever
Pit bulls are believed to have originated in the late 1700’s, when the terriers, typically small dogs bred to catch vermin, were crossbred with bulldogs, a stockier dog whose duty was to catch stray cattle. This produced a dog with a high prey drive with a medium-sized, stocky build and powerful jaws. Contrary to popular belief, the dogs were originally used in the sport of bull-baiting, where dogs would attack the cattle - not other dogs. Since the sport was executed in a pit, the dogs were dubbed ‘pit bulls’ and that name has stuck since. When the sport was banned in 1835, the people who relied on these dogs for an income turned the dogs against each other.
The use of the cattle prod is one of the most widely believe myths of rodeo. “The cattle prod is a device developed by the cattle industry to move livestock. Use of the prod has become one of the most universally accepted and humane methods of herding animals on ranches, in veterinary clinics, and, on occasion, at professional rodeos. The PRCA also regulates the use of prods. PRCA rules require that the prod be used as little as possible and that the animal be touched only on the hip or shoulder area.” (PRCA Rodeo Equipment) “An electric prod provides a low current shock to induce the movement of the animals. This type of prod does not harm the animals, as it provides a mild electrical shock sensation that leaves no prolonged effects.” (PRCA Rodeo
It’s 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Jake and I are headed down the longest stretch of road in Texas. We have just pulled out of El Paso and are on the way to Fredericksburg to participate in the Frontier Days Rodeo. We were fortunate to have put together a decent run on our last draw and win enough day-money to keep us going for a while. Jake and I are rodeo-bums, to be specific, calf ropers. I am the one who tries to throw the loop of a rope around a calf’s neck and Jake is my partner, the best roping horse a cowboy ever mounted. By the way, how many understand the art of calf roping? I thought so. Let me walk through the steps of what it takes to put together that perfect run, not that I can do it that often.
Kirkpatrick, Jay F. "The Surprising History of America's Wild Horses." LiveScience.com. Live Science, 24 July 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. .
... rodeo as cruel and abusive. But the rodeo today is changing with the hope of getting better. The bucking and roping stock are treated as prized animals. They even have their own bucking champions. The solution to any kind of animal abuse is in the continued scrutiny of the sport by the PRCA. As the sport evolves and the animals become more valuable it should cause better care for the animals.
Every event in rodeo has a practical purpose; all but one that is. There is no practical reason to get on a bull; only the thrills, chills, and rush of excitement. It¡¦s more than a challenge between riders. It¡¦s a challenge between man and beast. Legendary cowboy Larry Mahan had an even different way of looking at it. He said, ¡§It¡¦s not a challenge with the animal but with the weakness in one¡¦s self¡¨. At any rate, it¡¦s all about the challenge.
For many people across the United States rodeo is how they make a living. Weather its competing, selling, or just working behind the sense, they depend on rodeo for a job. Not only do humans depend on rodeo for a job, but so do all types of animals. Not all horses are cut out for the same job just as all humans are not. Many animal rights groups use words like animal cruelty and unsafe to describe a rodeo, but underneath the tough exterior strict rules combat the use of these words by cutting down on the unsafe and cruel events. Rodeo, despite being a dangerous sport, benefits a community in many ways and does not condone animal cruelty in any way. It is a place where a community of people can show their skills, sell their products, and find friendships with people just like them.
A very popular media page that is against rodeo is SHARK, which stands for Showing Animals Respect and Kindness. This page has a ton of articles that encourage others to view rodeo as cruel. SHARK had written an entire article on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, and how cruel the rodeo was. After the article went viral, many Internet surfers began really discussing how cruel rodeo was and suddenly more protests began, and more and more people began boycotting rodeos. Once this happened Rodeo Spokesman began talking and firing back at the negative comments proving their statements were in fact false. Soon after this major upturn, an article was written in the Wyoming Tribute Eagle, titled CFD Rodeo: Safe or Cruel? The article discussed what SHARK had mentioned in their article and what the rodeo spokesman said in return. “SHARK said a different horse died Tuesday in the arena after its rider rode dangerously close to a fence. The group said the rider may have created the accident by riding too close to the fence. CFD responded that an autopsy by a board-certified veterinarian showed the horse died from aortic aneurism. "There was no trauma" from an injury, Budd said. The death could have happened anywhere. The horse "died of a medical condition, not an injury."” (Orr, 2013, para. 1)
Many people may ask, “What the heck is the Cattleman’s Association?” Normally, the first thoughts that fill people’s minds when they hear “Cattleman’s Association” are: farmers, cows, farms, rednecks, dairy, beef, steaks, hamburger, milk, and so on. Many of these “stereotypes” prove true and many not so much. My experience with the KCA (Kentucky Cattleman’s Association) may be limited, but its roots run deep in my hometown and my family. Although a great number of my family members are in the KCA, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about them, which inspired me to “get to know” them.
Preview: So today, I would like to attempt to persuade you that circuses should stop using animals, with a ...
Every 60 seconds an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.
The article “Animals Used as Entertainment” lists rodeos, circuses, bullfighting, horse racing, cockfighting, dog fighting, and zoos as examples of the many ways animals are used in entertainment. Circuses and zoos are the two most relevant forms of animal mistreatment. Both of these are sources of entertainment for children and adults. Zoos declare that the...