MAY 2009 TOUGH QUESTIONS - SHOULD RODEOS BE BANNED?
Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal May 09 issue Online Feature
By Margaret Evans
Each month, the Tough Questions series will ask an open-ended question about the way we manage horses. Each article invites feedback from readers to engage new ideas and thoughts as we find ways to examine compassionate equine care in the 21st century.
Please tell us what you think by posting a comment, or use the contact information at the end of this article.
Should Rodeos be Banned?
The year 2007 was tough for rodeo followers. At the Cloverdale Rodeo in Surrey, BC a calf died in a calf-roping event. Then in July at the Calgary Stampede, three horses died in a horrific chuckwagon crash. These weren’t isolated events. They came on the heels of a series of tragic animal fatalities: in 2002, six horses died in a chuckwagon crash at the Calgary Stampede; in 2004, an 18-month-old steer died after a cowboy broke its neck at the Cloverdale event and a horse was euthanized at the Calgary Stampede after it broke its leg; in 2005, nine rodeo horses died and another disappeared when they spooked and fell ten metres from a bridge into the Bow River during the Trail Ride to the Stampede grounds.
Humane societies were in an uproar, vehemently renewing their opposition to dangerous rodeo events and activities that put animals at risk. Finally, as a result of the calf fatality in 2007, the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association announced that it would discontinue four key events: calf-roping, steer-wrestling, team-roping, and wild cow milking, a position it continues to maintain today.
A number of rodeo activities were banned from the City of Vancouver, BC in 2006 following several years of presentations from the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) and other animal welfare organizations. According to the VHS, the last rodeo event at the Pacific National Exhibition was in 1997 and there are concerns about their reoccurrence.
The rodeo might have begun with cowboys pitting their livestock handling skills against each other but it long ago became big entertainment business. The thrills and spills became part of the adrenaline thunder. For many, animal deaths were unintended consequences. But the events of 2007 were on a collision course with a change in perception by the turnstile-paying public and the wrath of humane organizations. There were demands for stepped-up animal welfare standards.
The arguments against certain Canadian rodeo events — those that involve the extremes of roping and wrestling — are based on the perceived pain, fear, and stress that some animals experience when being chased, wrestled to the ground, or roped and tied. Chuckwagon races are criticized for the sheer dangerous clutter of animals, wagons, drivers, and riders on the track ripping along at high speed and entering turns just inches from each other. A spill can’t help but end up in a larger crash with multiple injuries or deaths. The high intensity interaction between competitor and animal has led to an animal’s injury or death on many occasions as well as injuries to competitors.
People began asking fundamental questions: what does this say about our society? What message are we giving our children? Among our most cherished behavioural, moral, and ethical values are kindness to all life and compassion and protection for those that can’t speak for themselves.
But on the flip side, those involved with the sport and the business of rodeo are just as passionate about the protection of their animals. The trouble is, there’s a bitter and widening gulf between supporters and critics and it is easy for both sides to become entrenched.
In defending their sport, rodeo folk begin where it all began: the heritage of cowboy competitions. The origins of rodeo can be traced back to the ranches of the early 1700s when the Spanish occupied the West. Horse breaking, roping, riding, herding, and branding were the basic prerequisites of any vaquero and pride of ability was well rooted in pioneer men. In the 1800s the American cattle barons began to rival the Spanish ranch owners for market share and soon huge cattle ranches were feeding the exploding immigrant population back east. Those were the days of the legendary cattle drives when thousands of animals were driven from rangeland to stockyard and the cowboys honed their skills on the trail. With the herds delivered, there was some well-earned downtime to pay respects in the local saloons and then enjoy some informal competitions pitching their skills to reveal the best riders, ropers, and all-around drovers.
The era changed with the advent of barbed wire and the railroad and it might have disappeared altogether had it not been for a whole new entrepreneurial venture: the Wild West Show. Part theatre, part competition, and all about entertainment, Buffalo Bill Cody and others of his ilk honoured a heritage and launched a culture that is just as cherished today. Eventually the drama and showmanship gave way to riding skills and the whole experience became the time-honoured rodeo with 300 years of history.
The argument against rodeos being cruel and inhumane is driven by the economic logic that the financial investment in rodeo stock is huge not just in terms of purchase but in maintenance and care. These animals are the lifeblood of stock owners and it is not in their business interests to put their animals’ health and safety at risk.
Many in the rodeo business know it is a rough sport. Few would deny that accidents and injuries happen. But, they point out, they happen in other equestrian sports too. Three day eventing and endurance riding have both had their fatal accidents.
So over to you, our readers. Do you think that rodeos should be banned? Or do you think that there should be more stringent safety rules for animals? Send us your thoughts and we’ll share them in the next issue.
Send your thoughts to:
news@horsejournals.com, Subject: Tough Questions
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Horse Community Journals Inc.
Suite 201 — 2400 Bevan Ave.
Sidney, BC V8L 1W1
We hope you enjoyed the Pacific & Prairie Horse Journal May 09 issue Online Feature