Traddition or cruelty?

In terms of Rodeo people can be categorized into three groups.
1- People to whom rodeo holds no meaning in their life.
2- People who believe rodeo is a sadistic excuse to terrorize animals.
3- Lastly the people from rodeo-ing countries America, Canada, South America, Australia and New Zealand who consider themselves cowboys or cowgirls and feel passionately about the sport of rodeo.

I myself fall into the latter category and wish to clear up information regarding rodeo and its use of animals, offer reasoning and allow people an insight into rodeo through my eyes and judgment as a second generation competitor. It is my hope that this blog will change the views of some of the people I have categorized in group one and two and minimize the narrow-minded, misinformed conclusions people immediately draw.

Rodeo and the modern day cowboy was developed from the working cowboy from cattle ranches in Texas in the1880s. The seven main events that make up a typical rodeo include the bareback bronco ride, Calf roping, Steer Wrestling, Team roping, Saddle Bronco riding, the women’s Barrel Race and lastly the Bullride.

The events that are mostly often the cause for controversy and most often labeled as ‘cruel’ by animal rights activists are the Rough stock events (bucking events) which otherwise known as the Bronco riding and the Bull ride.

To understand the controversy I will explain how each event is conducted and how the animals are used within each.

Rough stock events use only animals that are bred and trained to buck or have otherwise shown a skill to buck their riders off. These animals are athletes in their own right and are treated by their owners as such, much the same as seen in any other equestrian sport and therefore their monetary value often reaches well into thousands of dollars for a top animal, both Horses and Bulls.

In the Saddle bronco ride (the event that is considered to be the event that started rodeo, (having been originated from the ranch job of breaking in horses.) the rider has a specialized western saddle to sit in and a thick lead rope/rein known as a ‘buck rein’ to hang on to, which is attached to the halter on the horses head. As in all rough stock events a flank rope is used. A flank rope is a sheepskin covered strap that fits around the flank area of the animal with the intention of encouraging the animal’s natural buck to make the ride harder on the rider.

This ride as with all the rough stock rides lasts for only eight seconds in which the rider also has the use of spurs for a better grasp on the animal. All spurs are free rolling rowels, meaning the piece on the end of the spur rolls up and down the animal’s body like a wheel instead of digging itself into the flesh. The spurs are not made to puncture the flesh or harm the animal, horse or bull in anyway.

The Bareback Bronco ride is much the same as the Saddle Bronco ride in terms of the horse’s involvement. The only slight difference is the change in equipment, the use of a handhold on a sur-cingle instead of a saddle. The Horses participation is the same, bucking with the encouragement of a flank rope.

The Bull ride is probably the most well known rough stock event. The rider must stay on top of a 2ooo pound bucking bull for eight seconds holding on with one hand, with the aid of his legs and upper body balance. Just the same as in the Bronco events a flank rope is used to encourage the natural buck of the bull.




Three time world champion bull rider Adriano Moraes points out in the 2006 movie documentary ‘Bull rider’ that one of the most common misconceptions regarding mistreatment of animals in rodeo and training them to buck and jump is the use of the flank rope. People often assume that the rope is “tied around the animal’s testicles to make it angry and rank” this is absolutely not true. The rope is tied around the flank area of the animal and in no way interferes with the testicles. It merely encourages the natural buck.

In New Zealand all rodeos must be affiliated with the New Zealand Rodeo cowboys association (NZRCA). The NZRCA rule book and constitution to which all rodeos throughout New Zealand must abide by, states every rodeo must have a Veterinarian in attendance to watch over the physical well-being of the animals for the duration of the rodeo. It can be easily concluded that the NZRCA regards animal welfare very highly. As former Secretary to the association Kaylam Lipsey points out the “rodeo animals are looked out for like part of the family”. Mr. Lipsey also claims “less than one percent of the animals suffer injuries”. It does not make sense to harm rodeo stock that is worth quite often thousands of dollars. It is important to understand that the animals involved in the rough stock events are trained to do their job- bucking riders off, they are just as valuable as any athlete in any other sport and are kept fit and in pristine condition, without the animals there is no rodeo. Therefore to harm them in any way would not only be detrimental to the animals but also to the sport.

To be bucked out a mere few times a year and otherwise grazing the hills in natural herd-like conditions seems an easy life in comparison to the harsh reality for cattle bred for meat, whom only enjoy the pleasures of life for a few short years before being slaughtered at the meat works.

In my view, the life of a rodeo horse would also seem a much better way of life than a domestic sport horse. Much the same as the rodeo bulls they work for a few short weeks a year and also otherwise remain on the hills grazing in herd-like conditions.

Any true Horseman would agree with Master CFP Farrier Wayne Yates that “ignorance is the worst form of cruelty with animals”. It is my view that rodeo animals are not terrorized or mistreated and anyone who claims they are I believe do not know enough about the sport to comment. On the other hand Ignorance from horse owners can be witnessed regularly in the horse community.

Eleven time world champion barrel racer Charmayne James concurs that horses learn through repetition. Ignorance and mishandlement of the average domestic horse sparks a vicious cycle from which the horses have no escape from. Without an experienced horseperson teaching a horse, a horse will quite often get confused and through ignorance on the rider/trainers part the horse is punished for confusion which is often misinterpreted as laziness or misbehavior. This vicious cycle along with the common issue of negligence I find more detrimental to horses than the bronco ride in which the horses have been bred and expertly trained to do.

So I do continue to wonder why people make a fuss over animals being trained to buck in a sport that has been developed for over one hundred years when domestic animals are more often being abused quite openly through ignorance.

So there begs the question why do people assume Rodeo is cruel? With all the reasoning I have offered I conclude that rodeo is a sport developed from traditional ranching methods that has spread over the world today. The bigger the sport has become the more valuable the animals have become. Anyone who claims mistreatment or negligence of rodeo animals I invite to go to the next rodeo in your town and take a look at the animals yourself.

So I say to you Mr. John Banks, Mayor of Auckland city, the man responsible of banning rodeos in Auckland city, without even experiencing a rodeo first hand in New Zealand….Your claims of “teasing and stressing animals for entertainment” are absolutely ridiculous!