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Many
animal activists
believe that the use of animals for
entertainment is wrong, they also believe
that the animals used in rodeo are
mistreated. I would like to tell you of my
personal experiences, and I would also like
to give some examples that show you that the
animal athletes are treated with great
respect and great care.
A 2001 survey at 67 PRCA rodeos
showed that the animal injury rate is
approximately .00029 at every rodeo. Of the
85,638 animals exposed at the surveyed
rodeos, only 25 were injured. It has also
been proven that the average bucking
horse/bull spends no more than 5 minutes per
year working in the arena.
Scottsdale, Arizona equine
veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Schleining has
this to say about the PRCA “The PRCA
upholds the standard of humane care of rodeo
animal athletes, and in my professional
opinion rodeo remains a healthy, humane,
family oriented sport.”
The PRCA has 60 rules and regulations
that all members are required to follow; I
have listed a few that protect the animal
athletes.
● No locked rowels, or rowels that
will lock on spurs may be used on bareback
horses or
saddle broncs. Spurs must be dulled.
● A rodeo committee shall insure that
a veterinarian is present for every
performance and
section of slack.
● No stock shall be confined or
transported in vehicles for a period beyond
24 hours without
being properly fed, watered and
unloaded.
● All team roping cattle shall be
protected by horn wraps.
● Bull riders may wear dull, loosely
locked rowels.
What is a rowel? A rowel is the
“star-shaped” part of the spur that
comes in contact with the animal. The spurs
do not scratch or cut the animals hide,
which is 7 times thicker than human skin.
PETA argues that the flank strap is
used to force the animal to buck. This is
not true; the flank strap is a fleece-lined
strip of leather that is placed behind the
ribcage of the horse/bull. All flank straps
are required to have a quick release buckle,
so it can easily be removed. No sharp or
cutting objects are placed in the flank
strap to irritate the animal’s hide (or as
PETA argues; the animal’s sexual organs).
The flank strap is tied loosely, if it were
tied too tight it would make the animal
uncomfortable and the animal would not buck,
resulting in the rider being awarded a
re-ride. Veterinarians have testified that
the flank strap causes no harm to any of the
animals.
So, if not for the flank strap, what
makes the animal buck? The answer is quite
simple; it is in a horses/bulls nature to
buck. Have you ever seen a horse before it
has been trained? It kicks and bucks, trying
to get the rider or any object placed on its
back off. It is a natural instinct that most
animals are born with.
Rodeo Attitude President, Cindy
Meyers had this to say “Animal right
activists continually say ‘Animals have
rights.’ You bet they do! They have the
right to life and to live in this world you
have to have a purpose or a job! If you
don’t no one is going to take care of you.
It is the same with animals. No one is
offering to give a home to every horse or
bull they are trying to ‘protect’! When
anything on Earth has no purpose it will
ultimately become extinct. That has been the
way of life from the beginning of time.
Animals have the right to ‘work’ to earn
their place on Earth. The animal activist is
the animals worst predicator because if they
get their way, the animals will become
useless and no one will feed and care for
something if they do not receive something
back. Even a cat and dog give back to their
owners something they need. Love, loyalty
and companionship.”
Cindy is right; the animal activists
protest the use of animals for
entertainment….but if they put a stop to
this, what will happen to these animals?
They will most likely be sent to the
slaughter house and put into a can of dog
food. Or maybe they will be kept alive, but
left to fend for themselves. These animals
have been cared for all their lives, if they
are released into the wild and no one is
there to care for them, then how will they
survive? Animal rights activists say that
using animals in this way is cruel, but they
do not give an alternative. If these animals
were to be set free, who would care for
them?
2004
PBR World Champion, Mike Lee had this to say
about the great care the bulls of the PBR
receive from their owners “The stock
contractors take very good care of the bulls
with vet check-ups, chiropractors,
injections in their hocks, and air
conditioning and shavings in their stalls!”
I want to tell you about bull named
Hotel California; his story tells you how
much the stock contractors are willing to go
through to make sure their animals stay
healthy and safe. Hotel California was owned
by Dillon Page, H.D. Page, and Tom Teague. A
few years ago, he was diagnosed with
Johne’s disease. Johne’s disease is a
contagious, chronic and usually fatal
infection that targets the small intestine;
it is like tuberculosis of the digestive
tract. If left untreated the animal will
eventually waste away, no matter how much
food is consumed. Hotel California’s
owners were concerned for the health of
their beloved animal, they immediately began
treating him, in hopes that he could be
saved. After time, their hard work paid off.
Hotel California had become one of the best
bucking bulls in the PBR; his buck-off
percentage at the date of his death was
89.5%.
Hotel California passed away on March
7, 2005 it is believed his death was due to
kidney failure, which could not have been
prevented. Hotel California will forever be
in the minds of those who love and support
rodeo. A bull like him only comes along once
in a lifetime. “I was recently
interviewed about PBR World Champion Bull
contenders and in each conversation Hotel
California came to the forefront of the
discussion. He was an extremely hard working
bull and one of the top five contenders for
the 2005 PBR World Champion Bull honor in my
opinion. The last time I watched him buck I
told H.D. that Hotel California works harder
than any bull out there. The odds were
stacked against him from day one, but he
overcame them. Considering had he been
completely healthy in his career, he was
still a small bull, and had his stature to
overcome. He had a disease that damaged his
muscle tone and although he probably should
have died about three years ago, he just
refused to lay down.” said Cody
Lambert, Vice President of the PBR.
PETA wants to ban all rodeo events in
all states because they believe the animals
are being abused, PETA does not have the
facts. As you have read in this essay, the
equipment used does not hurt the animal and
the animals receive the greatest care
available. This essay does not even come
close to telling you of the great care and
the great respect all the cowboys and stock
contractors have for these beautiful
animals. After all, how could you not
respect an animal that outweighs you by
2,000 pounds or more?
If you agree that rodeo is a safe,
family-oriented sport….then I ask that you
stand up to PETA. I ask that you support
rodeo, whether it be by watching it on
television or by sitting in the stands at a
rodeo and cheering on each and every cowboy.
Don’t let PETA take away a sport, a
passion that has been handed down from
generation to generation. It’s your turn
to cowboy up, will you support the only way
of life many of these cowboys know? Or will
you take away their way of life; will you
take away the one thing these men have
dreamed about since they were two years old?
Works Cited:
Cindy Meyers. Cindy’s Comments –
Animal Rights. Rodeo Attitude. March 7,
2005. < http://www.rodeoattitude.com/main/cindys_comments_animal_rights.htm
>
Bonnie Wheatley. Page and Teague Bucking
Bulls’ Hotel California Passes.
Professional Bull Riders Inc. March 7, 2005.
< http://pbrnow.com/media/press/release.cfm?ID=1219 |
| August
18, 2005
Adriano Moraes
wins the first, but we hope annual, Iowa State
Fair PBR Challenger Tour.
The fans at the
Iowa State Fair were treated to bull riding
action the likes have not been seen in front of
the grandstand before. Not only was the
reigning World Champion, Mike Lee, on hand, but
the two men who hold the distinction of winning
the title twice, Adriano Moraes and Chris
Shivers, thrilled the spectators.
The line up
of 45 bull riders included many of the top men
in the current BFTS standings along with our own
Wes Dinwitte, Fort Madison, Iowa who is
currently leading the Extreme Bullriding Tour
which is one of Rodeo Attitude's sponsors.
It was really exciting to watch the riders
wearing the Rodeo Attitude logo do such a great
job.
Adriano won the
event. He gained some ground in the
qualifying standings and was very graciaous in
his interview to the Iowa fans in his post event
interview. The fans love Adriano for his
great skill in the arena, I personally respect
and admire him for the man I have come to know
behind the chutes. When we spoke with him,
he was gracious, polite and caring. When
he speaks with young fans he makes them feel
important. Adriano doesn't have to tell
you of his beliefs, he just lives them for all
the world to see. He won the event and the
hearts of all who had the opportunity to meet
him.
Adriano is just
one of the men in the PBR that by their very
behavior make you privileged to know
them. Rodeo Attitude along with Long
Creek Outfitters of Leon, Iowa, hosted a
pre-event autograph session in their booth by
the horse barn. The men who came were not
paid for making an appearance. They came
to help promote the sport in Iowa and to meet
with the fans. For three hours I
watched these men treat each and every person
special as they answered their questions and
thanked them for their support of bull
riding. Their smiles and enthusiasm for
the younger fans was real. There was
nothing artifical in their enjoyment for meeting
their fans. Youngsters were given
encouragement not only to those who expressed a
desire to enter the sport but to those soon to
return to school. I want to thank the
following men for not only the three hours of
their time but for setting such great examples
for those who admire them: Willy Ropp,
Matt Pojenoski, Eric Hopp, Wes Dinwitte, Travis
Briscoe, and Rocky McDonald.
There was another
pre-event autograph session held in front of the
grandstand presented by the fair. A long
line of fans were given the opportunity to
receive an autograph, get a quick picture or
just shake the hand of five of the top men in
the PBR today. Present was Chris Shivers,
Greg Potter, Mike White, Cory McFadden and Paulo
Crimber. It was exciting day for many fans
who as one lady put it, "I got to meet
Chris Shivers! I love watching the PBR on
TV and meeting him was the highlight of the fair
for me." I spoke with many fans who
had driven from all parts of Iowa just to
finally get to see the PBR live. They got
their moneys worth! From beginning to end
this was a first class show. I conducted
several interviews so watch all this week for
special stories.
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The
following essay was written by Hannah Kindig
for her American Literature class.
Hannah lives in Orangeville,
Pennsylvania. She is a junior at
Pennsylvania Leadership Charter
School. Hannah has been a regular
contributor to our message board and attends
several events each year. She is an
avid fan of rodeo and describes it as
"my passion, I can't imagine life
without it." Hannah used Rodeo
Attitude as her resource for this project
and I felt others would appreciate her work
as much as we did.