I’ve been to a couple rodeos in my life. And by “couple” I mean two. I know there are some people that oppose 'em for animal rights and some that love 'em as it’s a fun sport. I’m kind of the opinion “do what you want, but, really…do you realllllly want to do that to animals?”.
What are your thoughts?
No. I’d rather watch someone else do it. I’ve been thrown from a horse a few times. It hurts. 
I’d really like to know more about this since I’ve heard conflcting information and none of it from particularly reliable sources.
On the one hand, I’ve heard that the bucking animals (horses and bulls) usually have pretty good lives, get treated well, and enjoy their jobs. Also, that the bulls and horse’s are bucking because of the bucking strap and not because the rider is hurting them. Finally, I’ve heard that bull riders will rub their spurs over the bull’s shoulder to get higher scores (something about showing you have the skill to do that with your legs and not get thrown) but that the bull’s hide is thick enough that it doesn’t hurt.
Then again, I’ve heard that’s complete hogwash.
I do know some barrell racers and those horses seem to be just fine. I’m sure, there are some who treat their horses cruelly, but it’s nothing inherent in the sport. There are just some who will treat animals cruelly regardless of what they do.
Likewise, the horses and cattle in the penning events don’t seem to have it too bad.
As for the calves that get thrown and roped, I have no idea whether that’s pretty benign or hurtful for the animals. Again, I’ve heard conflicting information.
The last rodeo I went to, in January, two cowboys were carried out of the ring on stretchers and one limped off, supported by his buddies. All the animals left on their own four legs, none limping and many triumphant. The bucking horses in particular seemed to be in high spirits as they exited.
Calf roping is painful for the calf since it is running full speed when it’s suddenly thrown back by the neck. They can sustain injuries as minor as scrapes and as severe as spinal damage.
As for rodeos, aren’t docile bulls eaten because they suck at rodeo?
And don’t the straps squish their private parts or something?
But those hog-dog rodeos are definately cruel.
Chalk me up as a neutral. I don’t care about rodeos in any direction.
I believe the post was about the popular cool sport of cowboy rodeo.
Flank straps aren’t across the genitals BTW on roughstock. You do realize that most bulls in the US are castrated and put into the food chain in the US. We aren’t a Hindu country. I have no idea the fate of Brahma and Brahma cross bulls that get to old or don’t perform well when put into the rodeo circuit. I imagine some get used for breedstock for bucking bulls or are sold for meat or domestic breeding as they should be since they are animal and private property.
I’ve never seen an injured calf BTW in about the rodeos that I’ve attended. I’m that animal rights activist such as yourself doesn’t know about steer roping. LOL.
I’ve never seen a hog-dog rodeo. Though I have seen good footage of training hog dogs and of them on the hunt. I have absolutely no problem with that. Not cruel in the least.
Now blowing up puppies with firecrackers, soaking cat in gas and setting them on fire, or keeping dogs in a crate all day in an aparment or house when someone goes to work. That stuff is cruel.
I’ve been to many rodeos in my lifetime. Got to love the 4th of July celebrations. I don’t know much about the treatment of animals on the circuit, but I do know I’ve never seen a single injured animal, or an animal that looked like it was in distress.
Besides, why would the cowboys or handlers do anything that would harm the animal? The beasts are their livelihood, and I’m sure well-bred stock are expensive, especially the horses and the bulls. It doesn’t make any sense from purely an economic standpoint to do anything that would cause a high turn-over in animals. And the barrel-racing participants probably have a particularly close relationship with their horse(s), and have even more incentive to take good care of them.
Especially since the horses and bulls have their own reputations on the circuits. Having a reputation has a real killer wouldn’t be very meaningful if there was the strong chance that said bull would be killed itself because of harmful practices or stupid injuries.
Bad.
If there’s a need for stock russlin’ in the real world then let’s see it in the real element by real stock men–not some glam-job who rides only bulls, or only grabs hogs by the horns. No need to bring it all into an arena, if it’s so damned glorious, lets follow some cowboys to work and forego the useless cruelty.
I don’t know…I think the relatively controlled enviroment of a rodeo is much safer all around. Not too many bystanders at a rodeo are going to get gored by a bull, but I doubt they’d be as safe watching “stock russlin’ in the real world”. 8 seconds is safer and more reasonable than an indefinite ride, and I wonder how many people would have the stomach and patience to watch a cowboy break a colt?
c’mon, when would any sober cowboy get on a bull if money weren’t on the line? If it’s not a contrivance for the glory of rodeo please help me lose some ignorance and tell me why anyone would tie a knot on a bull’s nuts & hop on?
And I could be wrong, but The White Man way of breaking a colt on dry land is hard on both parties whereas some folks choose to assist the horse in overcoming its aversion to a back mounted rider in the water, where horse & rider are less likely to sustain injury…It’s a weak response, and you deserve better, but I have trouble believing rodeo is anything other than over-stylized to mythical cowboy work.
I’m neither for nor against rodeos, although I know a bit about them.
I’m not really for them because I don’t think that “saddle bronc” is a valid man -v- beast contest; it’s all about the style of the ride. I’m not really against them because cows are collectively the stupidest creatures on the face of the earth, next to domestic fowl, and seem oblivious to most pain. I mean, really - use a cane to tap the back right flank of a cow and a few seconds later she’ll move her back LEFT leg.
Four-legged animals, especially those the size of a cow, have pretty strong necks. The calves used in a rodeo aren’t new-born; they’re more like four or eight months. A lasso around the neck won’t hurt them at all.
The flank strap doesn’t bother me in the slightest. When I was a kid a neighbor had a particularly nasty Holstein bull used for breeding purposes. One day he got loose. The only reason he got put back into his pen is because one of the guys chasing him had a freakin’ baseball bat. If Ken hadn’t laid that bat into the bull’s nose not only would my father be dead (not necessarily a bad thing, but another story all together), but that bull would still be running around Benton County. As it was, all Ken did was stun him a little and get his attention so we could guide him where he needed to go. Those animals are TOUGH.
The trained horses used in, say, roping or steer wrestling or barrel racing are taken care of VERY well - those horses are a cowboy’s bread and butter.
Anyhow, that’s my two bits.
You are correct, to a point.
Original rodeos had a guy on a horse with a rope tied to the nose of an unbroken horse. The goal was to see who could hang on the longest, not to see who had the prettiest eight second ride.
Roping, heading and heeling, and steer wrestling were all originally honest-to-goodness ranch work. As was/is cutting, although that event has been sent off to stock horse shows.
Barrel racing is just to see the pretty girls.
Bull riding, OTOH, has been described as something no self-respecting cowboy would ever do. But it still rarely hurts the animal. 
LOL, you’re right. the only valid reason to get on a bull includes alcohol and money, but you know…I love to watch it anyway. These insane people choose to get on the backs of animals that want to kill him! Sounds like good entertainment to me!
You’re probably right about that–to a point. When I lived in Utah, my high school had a chapter of the national rodeo club. The boys and girls in that club all lived on ranches (or almost all. The majority anyway). They all did ranch work with the animals, including breaking colts and steer wrestling. In fact, the young men I went to school with did it all except get on a bull—well, ok, they did that too, but not because it was part of the job.
They kicked ass in the rodeos because those were skills they had long acquired and used and they were only in high school.
I was always quite proud when somebody local would participate in the 4th of July rodeo with the professionals and hold their own. Somebody my mom went to school with set the record for steer wrestling in high school that, to my knowlege, has never been beat. And holding their own against a group of men and women who would starve if they lost is something impressive, in my book.
There is no doubt that there is more than an element of “glam” and “contrivance”–and I don’t hold that against them–but many of the skills exhibited at your average rodeo are skills that are still used every day. Which goes back to my original point that it’s probably safer and better to show them off in the controlled enviroment of a rodeo, where spectators are kept at a safe distance and can “oooh” and “ahh” and whoop and holler without causing anybody damage…(for the most part.)
And why shouldn’t they show them off a bit? I’m impressed. There’s no way in fuck, for example, that I’d be chasing after a steer, lassoing it, jumping off my horse, and wrestling it to the ground. I don’t even like to be on a horse when it’s going faster than a sedate walk.
I went through a phase a few months back when I was addicted to watching professional bull riding on the Outdoor Network. It occurred to me that if the flank strap was really hurting the bulls, they wouldn’t stop bucking after the cowboy went flying.
Really, most of the bulls do this, especially the larger ones. The biggest bull I ever saw would throw his cowboy, then just stand around until the clowns shooed him out of the arena. There are a couple of bulls who would keep bucking, and one or two that would try to kill the cowboy after he was down, but most of them would simply trot through the gate that led out of the arena, and a few who would just sort of amble off to wherever the hay was. Most of them seemed to regard it as a game.
What I’d really like to have explained to me is why the smaller bulls seem to be the rankest ones. The big bulls seem to have more sedate personalities. They don’t seem to buck as hard (although this might be an illusion because they aren’t as agile as the little ones), and once the cowboy is off there like, “OK, I did my job. Where’s the alfalfa?” The smaller ones are more “Dammit, I"m gonna get that cowboy!”
Hog-dog rodeos are where they sick dogs on pigs in an arena. Yay. :rolleyes:
I’ve watched rodeo on TV before and when they rope the calves the calves fly up on the air and then fall violently. It’s hard for me to believe that this causes no internal injuries or fractures. Maybe not every time, but often enough.
And big bulls are tough but it’s still pretty mean to put bucking straps on them, and use spurs and electric prods and twist their tail.
Oh and horses are pretty fragile, I’ve heard a lot of reports about broken legs and spines.
Sounds like FUN!
Sounds like FUN if their caught wild hogs.