Rodeos may be popular, but more and more Americans are becoming aware of just how cruel these events are for the animals forced to participate. The horses, bulls, steer, and calves suffer broken ribs, backs, and legs, torn tails, punctured lungs, internal organ damage, ripped tendons, torn ligaments, snapped necks, and agonizing deaths.
The injuries are not confined to the rodeos themselves. For instance, during practice sessions, a calf may be roped repeatedly, until the calf suffers injuries that require her replacement.
Cruel tools like the “hotshot” are used to make the animals perform. This is an electric prod that scares an animal into displaying abnormally dramatic reactions through intense pain. Other tools include metal spurs and “bucking straps” that burn the animal’s abdomen and groin area and cause him to “buck” and can lead to back and leg injuries.
Travel between events is punishing, as well. Animals are often transported over long distances in hot and overcrowded trucks and trailers. The official rules of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association permit them to be confined during transport for as long as 24 hours without being fed or watered.
And the penalties for violating regulations are not severe enough to deter abuse and are minuscule in comparison with the large rodeo cash prizes at stake.
How To Help
There are few laws protecting animals forced to perform in rodeos. The federal Animal Welfare Act exempts rodeos from the protections it provides to animals. Some states exempt rodeos from their anti-cruelty statutes, while other states defer to clearly inadequate Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association regulations to judge whether animal cruelty has occurred in rodeos.
One promising development: A handful of states like California, Rhode Island, and Nevada, have passed laws that ban or tightly regulate rodeo events, and some cities are beginning to pass ordinances as well that ban or restrict the rodeo’s cruelest practices.
Let your state and local lawmakers know that you want to see similar legislation passed in your community.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is fighting for better protection of animals forced to participate in rodeos.
Sometimes that’s through lawsuits. For example, we sued California Rodeo Salinas, the state’s largest rodeo, on behalf of the nonprofit Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), after SHARK documented a pattern of consistent and repeated underreporting of animal injuries.
We are also pushing for stronger laws to protect rodeo animals, and better enforcement of existing laws. Together, we can end the rodeo’s abusive and cruel practices.
FAQs
William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) created the first major rodeo and the first Wild West show in North Platte, Nebraska, in 1882. Following this successful endeavor, Cody organized his touring Wild West show, leaving other entrepreneurs to create what became professional rodeo.
Why is rodeo called rodeo? ›
Spanish Roots
Rodeo as we know it did not exist until the late 1800's, but its roots in North America are traced back to the Spanish settling California and becoming cattle ranchers. The definition of “rodeo” is a Spanish word meaning roundup.
Why is there 8 seconds in rodeo? ›
It's the amount of time a bull rider must stay on the bull to receive a score. For eight frantic seconds, the bull riders can't touch their free hand to the bull or to themselves. In the course of a weekend event, a cowboy may have 3 to 4 opportunities to ride if they advanced to the final round.
Is rodeo a sport yes or no? ›
It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls.
Where is the world's oldest rodeo held? ›
World's Oldest Rodeo®
The first formalized "rodeo" was held in Prescott, Arizona Territory, during the 4th of July celebration in 1888, and has been a yearly event ever since. That first rodeo was called a "cowboy tournament", and was held in an area off Iron Springs Rd, near where Watter's Nursery stands today.
Do rodeos still exist? ›
Rodeo is a sport that stands out from others in today's world. So many sports today exist solely for entertainment purposes. Rodeo, however, is derived from an actual lifestyle, with skills one uses in their everyday ranching responsibilities.
Who was the first black rodeo? ›
Among the first black cowhands in rodeo, Bill Pickett was a featured performer with the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and Wild West Show for over a quarter century. He died in 1932 of injuries received from a rogue horse.
Is rodeo a bull or horse? ›
In Rough Stock events, athletes ride bucking horses or bulls in the bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding in efforts to receive the highest score. Scores come half from the animal (50 points possible) and half from the rider (50 points possible) for a total possible score of 100 points.
What are rodeo horses called? ›
A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. Cowboy riding a saddlebronc Bareback bronc at a rodeo. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rodeo events.
Has there ever been a 100 point bull ride? ›
Red Rock was the grandfather of a historic bull named Wolfman. Wolfman's father was the great ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull Oscar. Wolfman is known for being ridden by Wade Leslie for a perfect 100 point score, the only one in history in any rodeo circuit.
The physical abuse causes the bulls to respond aggressively. In addition to this, they have a flank strap tied tightly around their sensitive belly (not genitals) and a rider on their back. As the gate opens, the bull “bucks” in an attempt to dislodge the rider and remove the uncomfortable flank strap.
Why do horses kick in rodeo? ›
The flank, or “bucking,” strap or rope is tightly cinched around the animals' abdomens, which causes them to “buck vigorously to try to rid themselves of the torment.”3 “Bucking horses often develop back problems from the repeated poundings they take from the cowboys,” Dr. Cordell Leif told the Denver Post.
How long has rodeo been a sport? ›
Starting in the 1880s, various Wild West shows presented “cowboy tournaments” around the United States, associating the demonstration of western open-range practices with sporting performance. Prescott, Arizona Territory, held the first annual rodeo on July 4, 1888.
How many animals are injured in rodeo? ›
The American Veterinary Medical Association found in a survey of PRCA rodeos that only 0.00041% of animals involved in rodeo become injured. This is less than one in 2,500 animals.
How many people go to rodeos in a year? ›
Professional rodeo is seventh in overall attendance for major sporting events, ahead of golf and tennis, with about 30 million fans.
What state is most known for rodeos? ›
And Texas was the home of some of the earliest rodeos and the Miller Ranch which turned rodeos into a major business in the early 20th Century. Plus Texas also still has more beef cattle than any other state and more horses (around ten million) and more real cowboys than any other state.
