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Rodeo: busting up the animals in Nativity scenes in the name of Jesus Christ

By

Eric Mills Action for Animals

(Beth Clifton collage)

by Eric Mills,  coordinator,  Action for Animals,  Oakland,  California

“Cowboys,  sensing—like gorillas—that their time has passed,  cling ever more desperately to anachronistic styles, not willing to admit that the myth has degenerated,  the traditions eroded to a point where attempting to sustain them falls somewhere between silliness and the outright ridiculous.”

––Larry McMurtry in the book Rodeo, with commentary and photos by Louise Serpa (Aperture Books, NYC, 1994)

Eric Mills (right)

“Women should not rodeo any more than men can have babies.  Women were put on earth to reproduce,  and are close to animals.  Women’s liberation is on an equal to gay liberation—they are both ridiculous.”

––A Wyoming steer wrestler,  in the book,  Rodeo:  An Anthropologist Looks at the Wild and
the Tame,  by Elizabeth Atwood Lawrence,  University of Tennessee Press, 1982)

“The eighteen-year-old rodeo queen and her princess told me that rodeo people,  including themselves,  ‘hated Democrats,  environmentalists,  and gays.’  I was astonished that their political and social outlook could be reduced to such simple platitudes of hate.  And why?”

––Joan Burbick,  Rodeo Queens and the American Dream,  Public Affairs,  NYC,  2002)

Cowboy roping cross

(Beth Clifton collage)

“Cowboys for Christ”

Now that all the Nativity Scenes have been dismantled–replete with all the adoring farm animals—horses, donkeys,  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  et al—we can get back to business-as-usual:  terrorizing and abusing these very same animals in rodeo arenas around the country.

There is even a group called Cowboys for Christ,  which meets most Sundays before the rodeo for a prayer session.  Can you spell “hypocrisy”?

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), based in Colorado Springs,  claims there are some 5,000 rodeos held throughout the U.S. every year.  The PRCA sanctions only about 600 of them.  A smaller rodeo organization, the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA),
sanctions a smaller number,  mostly in the Eastern U.S.

Hawaii paniolo cowboy with pineapple head and steer

(Beth Clifton collage)

“Bogus from the git-go”

The PRCA has required on-site veterinary care at its sanctioned events only since 1996, after five animals were killed at the 1995 California Rodeo in Salinas (I was there).  The IPRA—to its shame—has no such rule.

And why not,  pray?  Race tracks, horse shows, endurance rides all require on-site vets.  So should all rodeos,  and legislation is in order in every state to rectify this.

Most of rodeo is bogus from the git-go,  having little to do with either agriculture or life on a working ranch.  Real cowboys/girls never routinely rode bulls,  or wrestled steers,  or rode bareback,  or barrel raced,  or practiced calf roping (terrified babies) as a timed event.

Nor did they put flank straps on the horses and bulls,  or work the animals over in the holding chutes with “hotshots,”  kicks,  slaps and  tail-twisting.  It’s all macho hype,  an exercise in domination.  And it needs to stop.

(Lest anyone imagine that rodeo did originate from actual ranch practices,  see these histories of three of the oldest  and most famous rodeos in Canada and the U.S.:   Three more chuckwagon horses killed as Calgary Stampede 2019 ends,  Did the Omak Suicide Race start with a horse massacre & the KKK?,  and SHARK video shows dogs baiting bulls at Calif. Salinas Rodeo 2019.  Ranch work had little to do with the beginnings of any of them.)

Frontier Days rodeo

Injured calf at 2015 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.  (From SHARK video)

“I plain roped their heads off”

The United Kingdom (England,  Scotland,  Wales) outlawed rodeos back in 1934,  followed by Germany and the Netherlands.  How far behind can the U.S. be?

Rodeo injuries and deaths in the arena are commonplace,  yet that is only the tip of the iceberg.  One can only imagine the abuse taking place during the countless hours of unmonitored practice sessions,  often on the same animals used repeatedly.

Wrote former PRCA publicist rodeo Gavin Ehringer,  “As a calf roper once confided to me, ‘Yeah, I accidentally killed and injured lots of calves when I was learning.  I mean, I plain roped their heads off till I really learned how to handle them and not hurt them.’”  (“The Mud,  the Blood and the Poop:  A Rodeo Insider Takes You Behind the Chutes of America’s Cowboy Sport,”  Colorado Springs Independent, 8/19/2004.)

“Fear is worse than pain”

World-renowned animal behaviorist Temple Grandin has written that,  “The single worst thing you can do to an animal emotionally is to make it feel afraid.  Fear is so bad for animals I think it’s worse than pain.”

Explained Royal SPCA of Australia senior scientific officer Di Evans earlier in January 2022 to David Claughton of ABC Rural,  speaking from her 20 years of experience as a veterinarian,  “Those calves,  when they come out of that chute,  are literally running for their lives.”

Evans mentioned that when calves were roped and forced to the ground,  the whites of their eyes are visible as they bellow in fear.

“That is a very significant indicator that animals are suffering,”  Evans said.

Cowboy roping beagle dog

(Beth Clifton collage)

“Imagine if pet dogs were mistreated thusly.”

Be aware that rodeo animals are “prey” animals.  As such,  they fear for their very lives when roped,  ridden,  wrestled,  chased,  jumped on,  dragged or otherwise handled roughly.  They think/feel they’re about to die.  That alone should be enough reason to end this abuse.

There is evidence that roping calves are injured every time they are roped,  thrown and tied,  though the injuries may not be apparent to the untrained eye. Just imagine if pet dogs were mistreated thusly.   A few years back the PRCA—in a disingenuous attempt to deflect public criticism of the event, changed the name from “calf roping” to “tie-down roping.”

Only “breakaway calf roping” should be allowed.

“Steer roping” (aka “busting,”  “jerking,”  or “tripping”) remains the single most egregious event in all of rodeo.   Consider this statement from Dr. T.K. Hardy, a Texas veterinarian and sometime-steer roper:   “I keep 30 head of cattle around for practice…You can cripple three or four in an afternoon.”  (Newsweek, 10/2/72).

Eric Mills with cat

Eric Mills.

“AVMA condones all of rodeo”

Worth noting here that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) condones all of rodeo,  including steer roping.  They need to hear from the general public on this.

Currently, only two states have comprehensive rodeo policies,  California and Rhode Island.  Every state should have such a policy.  To its credit,  Rhode Island outlawed both steer roping and tie-down calf roping back in 2001.  Other states should follow suit.

Most state legislatures reconvene in January every year.  Contact your state reps and urge them to introduce legislation addressing rodeo’s inherent cruelty:

Pioneer Days rodeo shooting fireworks at cows

Oakley Pioneer Days rodeo “wild cow race,” July 16, 2021.  (Beth Clifton collage)

1.  Require on-site veterinary care at every rodeo and Mexican-style charreada.  A dozen states have outlawed “horse tripping,”   a focal event in charreada.  Others should do likewise;

2.  Ban blatantly brutal events such as  steer busting, tie-down calf roping,  steer wrestling,  and the “steer tailing” event in charreada,  in which contestants try to throw steers to the ground by their tails.

3.  Ban cruel and non-sanctioned events such as “wild cow milking,”  “mutton busting,”  in which children ride sheep,  “goat tying,” and all animal “scrambles.”

In recent decades,  inexplicably,  rodeo has pretty much gotten a free pass from the animal protection movement.  Here’s hoping for a serious change in 2022.

The last rodeo cowboy

(Beth Clifton collage)

“Rodeo has had its day”

Rodeo has had its day and now—like those Confederate statues—belongs in the dustbin of history.

Boycott all rodeos,  their corporate sponsors,  and their advertisers––and let the sponsors and advertisers know why.  Follow the money!

Recommended reading,  in addition to the books referenced above:  Rodeo:  An Animal History,  by Susan Nance,  University of Oklahoma Press,  2020.

Merritt & Beth

Merritt & Beth Clifton

And see the many YouTube videos on the subject.  Action for Animals has one here:  https://www.actionforanimals-oakland.com/. 

Showing Animals Respect & Kindness offers a selection including footage from most major rodeos held in the U.S. and Canada here:  https://sharkonline.org/index.php/animal-cruelty/rodeo-cruelty.

Please donate to support our work: 

www.animals24-7.org/donate/

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Comments

  1. Su Libby says

    Oh yes…found out firsthand that the whole rodeo scene had a very “Christian” element.

    About 15 years ago I attended my first Rodeo event that came as part and parcel with the County Fair entrance fee in a fairly rural part of Banfield County, Wisconsin. At the appointed hour the crowd filed into the stadium seating area to watch bronco riding, bull riding, rodeo clowns and the usual offerings. However, before the event started, the announcer asked everyone to stand and recite the “cowboy prayer”. This consisted basically of praying that no one get hurt and to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his protection…Amen.

    Needless to say I had no idea that this is how it went.. so the show proceeded etc etc But about a week later I did make a point of finding the phone number of the circuit sponsor. First I had sent an email describing my surprise that in a multicultural society that such a prayer would be foisted on all attendees without consideration that maybe we live in America and some people may have different beliefs!

    Then I ended up speaking to a woman and I asked her flat out why they do it. She gave me some tepid response about how people “seemed to like it.’ In any case I never found out if my phone call made any difference or not because that rodeo didn’t return the following year.

  2. Eric Mills, coordinator, ACTION FOR ANIMALS, Oakland, California, USA says

    Heartfelt thanks, Merritt and Beth, for putting together this impressive rodeo piece. Kudos! Your readers should be aware that the rodeo’s brutal STEER ROPING event (aka steer “busting,” “jerking,” or “tripping”) remains, IMO, the single most egregious event in all of rodeo and/or charreada. Anyone in doubt need only view the SHARK video below:



    Steer roping (not to be confused with “team roping”) is presently seen in only 10 states, all in the West: Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas. Many stock contractors and rodeo fans alike decry the event’s inherent brutality.
    LEGISLATION IS IN ORDER IN ALL THESE STATES TO OUTLAW THIS CRUELTY. Most State Legislatures reconvene in January. Now’s the time. Let them hear from you!

  3. Steve Hindi says

    SHARK documented its first rodeo in 1993. Since then we’ve documented hundreds and hundreds of performances at events across the US and into Canada. Here is a comment from a YouTube viewer in just the last couple days to one of our videos which depicted horses being abused, injured and killed:

    “”We’re gonna show you how the west was.” This isn’t how the west was. 😬 I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and learned about the history over and over and this ain’t it. What it is however, is a lie, abuse, and a slap to the face to real Cowboys.”

    SHARK has a priceless YouTube playlist of hundreds of videos exposing rodeos generally, particular aspects of rodeo, particular rodeos, and particular people involved in rodeos:

    SHARK has a number of websites exposing various aspects of rodeo:

    RodeoCruelty.com exposes rodeo animal abuse generally.

    BustSteerBusting.com exposes steer roping, rodeo’s most violent and deadly event.

    ShameOnCheyenne.com exposes the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, which we find to be the most cruel and deadly rodeo in the world.

    BustSteerBusting.com exposes the rodeo industry’s connection to horse slaughter.

    CorporateThugs.com exposes some of rodeo’s corporate sponsors.

    CowboyCriminals.com exposes the disturbing criminal behavior of numerous rodeo participants. These phony cowboys don’t just abuse animals.

    RodeoWelfare.com exposes the parasitic nature of the rodeo industry. They like to take your money, whether you know about it, or agree with it, or not.

  5. Karen Davis says

    In his book AN UNNATURAL ORDER: UNCOVERING THE ROOTS OF OUR DOMINATION OF NATURE AND EACH OTHER, Jim Mason identifies two basic types of animal abuse entertainment: “rituals of spectacular violence” and “rituals of spectacular humiliation.” These rituals overlap, but in terms of emphasis, whereas rituals of spectacular violence “reinforce myths about vicious animals and evil nature,” rituals of spectacular humiliation “reinforce myths of animal stupidity, inferiority, and willingness to submit to human domination.”

    Viewed thus, cockfighting is a ritual of spectacular violence, the circus is a ritual of spectacular humiliation, and rodeos manifest the convergence of both types of ritual. Ironically, those who defend these rituals will insist that those who oppose them are anthropomorphizing animals.

    Karen Davis, PhD, President. United Poultry Concerns. http://www.upc-online.org

  6. Jamaka Petzak says

    Some years back, when we moved to the Mojave, I was appalled to see ads for a rodeo coming to town. It is held very close to the one supermarket where I saw two girls giving away kittens in a box to anyone. I stopped to talk to them about making sure they only adopted them out to caring, loving people. They looked at me like I was an alien from outer space. And the community we had moved from loved its charreadas. These events are generational and people accept them without a second thought because “it’s what we’ve always done. It’s our culture.”

    Sharing, with gratitude and sorrow.

  7. Eric Mills, coordinator, ACTION FOR ANIMALS, Oakland, California, USA says

    WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP ANIMALS:- GET POLITICAL!

    See the many links in this ANIMALS 24.7 article. Forward to your friends,
    family, politicos, et al.

    LEGISLATION
    Most state legislatures reconvene every year in January. Let them hear
    from you, urging the introduction of legislation to help protect rodeo animals.
    Local ordinances, too. Some possibilities:

    –Only two states have comprehensive rodeo laws: California & Rhode
    Island. Others should follow suit;

    –Thirteen states have now outlawed “horse tripping” (standard event at
    Mexican rodeos called “charreadas,” common throughout the Southwest);

    –Should be an ON-SITE veterinarian at every rodeo and charreada. “On
    call” doesn’t suffice. Race tracks, horse shows and endurance rides all
    require vets. So should all rodeos.

    –Rhode Island has outlawed both “steer busting” and tie-down calf roping;

    –Nebraska has outlawed both “horse tripping” and “steer tailing,” two of
    the charreada’s nine standard events. EVERY state should have such a law.
    In California, both these events were outlawed in Alameda and Contra
    Costa Counties in 1993. Past time for a state-wide ban on “steer tailing”
    (aka “colas,” or “coleadero”).. A charro friend tells me there are some 800 (!)
    charreadas held throughout California annually.

    OTHER
    Submit letters to the editor on a regular basis; ask your friends to do likewise.
    There are dozens of animal-related stories on the web almost daily. Respond
    in the “Comments,” adding links to appropriate videos, relevant articles, etc.
    Let your local and state reps hear from you on a regular basis; meet with
    them in the district office or in the Capitol. Help put pro-animal people in office.

  8. Hugh Tebault says

    I noted Eric Mills’ commentary on rodeo and wanted to share a bit of Latham Foundation history.

    I believe the much more dangerous event is the “Mexican Rodeo,” chareada, which does not have any animal safety standards – I ran into that several years ago in Colorado – where animals were being grossly abused – but at the time, the state excused it saying it was an acceptable :”culural example”.

    We do wish any improvements, but continue to believe that people and animals can work together via rodeo events following standards.

    This clip is from a film done by Steve Worsta – this is just a Latham segment.

    http://www.latham.org/clip/RodeoCowgirlLatham.mp4

    • Eric Mills, coordinator, ACTION FOR ANIMALS, Oakland, California, USA says

      Thanks for your comments, Mr. Tebault, and for the good works of the Latham Foundation. And for the inclusion of the short film re; the 1920’s attempt to ban rodeo throughout California. Time to try again! Some of that footage came from the California Rodeo in Salinas. It’s noteworthy that the PRCA began requiring on-site veterinary care at all its rodeos only in 1996, after FIVE animals were killed at the 1995 California Rodeo. As noted, rodeo is not a “sport”–it’s a macho exercise in DOMINATION. And it needs to cease.

      I share your concerns about the Mexican-style rodeo called “charreada.” It features nine standard events, three of which involve the roping of the legs of running horses, either front or rear. “Horse tripping” has been banned in 13 states–California was the first, in 1994. An even-more problematic charreada event, “steer tailing” (aka “colas” or “coleadero”) was outlawed in 1993 in two California Counties: Alameda and Contra Costa. A state-wide ban is long overdue. A charro friend tells me there are some 800 (!) charreadas throughout California annually, mostly on weekends, April-October. I worked on a case outside Denver, CO back ini 2007, in which seven steers had their tails stripped to the bone; two others suffered a broken back and leg, requiring euthanasia. Clearly, a NATIONAL ban is in order. Even Cesar Chavez was an outspoken critic of the abuse. Simple “tradition” justifies nothing.

    • Merritt Clifton says

      The Latham Foundation for the Advancement of Humane Education, formally founded in memory of early animal advocate Edith Latham in 1918, is among the oldest animal charities focused on humane education still in existence. See details at https://www.latham.org/about/history/early-history/. Even before it was formally incorporated, the heirs of Edith Latham were active on behalf of animals in the San Francisco Bay area, erecting a horse trough and educational statue in downtown Oakland which remains among the most treasured community monuments. See http://www.latham.org/Issues/LL_13_FA.pdf#page=12.

  9. Peter Hamilton says

    I tried to expose the rodeo child abuses over the years. Scared kids crying from the rodeo moms and dads exploiting them!

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