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Since the 1870s, when the first protests took place, rodeo due to its rough nature has received condemnation for its cruelty to animals. Different states passed various laws eliminating some events of competition, such as mutton busting, calf dressing or riding, wild cow milking and the very dangerous chuck wagon races, as the clamor of concern for the animals begin to rise.

Frequently the rodeo industry will deny cruelty, but every year hundreds of animals used in events suffer injury or even death because of their use in these events. Poked and prodded, with high voltage cattle prods, rodeo animals are also struck by whips, and then are cruelly spurred, by the cowboy riding them, encouraging the mount to buck higher and longer, thereby scoring more points for the cowboy.

Cows, bulls and calves receive the worst abuse. In roping events calves are ran and roped repeatedly, when roped the calf is jerked back by the legs or worst of all the neck. The roping cowboy will reign in his horse suddenly stopping his mount, cruelly jerking the calf to the ground causing many deaths and injuries, the most common being broken bones, bruised trachea and internal injuries to their organs.

The cows, handled roughly so they will remain tense and afraid of people, added to the action of the Wild Cow Milking event, or the actions of the cowboys themselves who twist their tails to bring down a wild cow. Bulls handled roughly and shocked out of the shoot sometimes with cattle prods, a bell hung about the bull's neck frightens the bull into harder bucking.

The worst offenders are the non-PRCA sanctioned rodeos; these are usually amateur events and less likely to obey regulations and geared totally for entertainment. Rough handling, keeping them in crowed stalls with other stock before a rodeo making the bucking bronc horses look wild, and then the horrible treatment they receive in the arena are all very cruel.

In the stall a flank strap, or Bucking Strap causing the broncs to buck higher, placed loosely about the tender area just before a broncs hind legs is then, as the horse leaves the stall, jerked tight by a cowboy on the ground, with just a little imagination one can understand why the bronc would buck higher. While not causing lasting harm, as the Rodeo industry claims, you can well imagine how much it must hurt the horse.

Then the horse, spurred on the shoulders as the strap cuts into their flanks, is tormented mercilessly during the full eight-second ride. Sometimes horses become hurt upon leaving the shoot or killed by the strain of bucking, all in order to rid themselves of the torment inflicted on them by the cowboys. The only stance that makes sense is the fact that rodeos by their very nature are cruel to animals, in these rodeos - the cowboy has a choice to participate, or not, the animals do not.

Learn more about this author, Alfred E. Newman.
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