Dear Editor,
This letter is in reference to the recent article regarding the abuse of rodeo livestock. I hold a firm belief that individuals are entitled to their own opinions. However, those opinions should be based on facts.
First of all, the livestock that are used in most professional rodeos are far from “cheap, easy to replace and expendable.” Professional bucking horses and bulls sell for an average between $15,000-$30,000. Stock contractors do not put their animals in situations that would jeopardize their investments.
The average age of a professional bucking horse is 20 and many of the bulls remain active buckers over the age of 15. Why?
One veterinarian says this can be “attributed to the good care they receive from stock contractors which includes quality feed and adequate exercise.” Also, professional cowboys like seven-time All-Around Champion Ty Murray have begun adopting and caring for retired professional livestock.
As for flank straps, spurs and cattle prods used in rodeo competition, they are not harmful to the animals. Flank straps are made of leather, lined with fleece, usually coated down with baby powder, equipped with a quick release buckle, and they’re not pulled extremely tight.
Dr. Susan McCartney, a veterinarian in Nevada, says, “I’ve never seen or heard of any damage caused by a flank strap, and as for the argument that it covers the genitals, that’s impossible.”
This is especially true in professional rodeo because a large portion of bucking horses are female horses.
If this still doesn’t make sense, study a little horse anatomy. The stock used in professional rodeo is bred to buck the way they do, it is their instinct. The flank strap is simply placed in the animals flank area (behind the animals rib cage which protects their internal organs) to signal them to do their job.
The argument that the professional animals continue to buck after the cowboy has dismounted must be re-examined. The majority of bucking horses cease bucking and run until herded into the pin.
As for spurs worn in professional rodeo’s three rough-stock events, they are not “sharpened.” Instead, they are angled spurs with dull, blunt, slightly tightened rowels that are less than 1/8 -inch thick and designed so that they do not cut the animals. If cowboys do cut or puncture an animal during a professional rodeo they can be disqualified or even fined.
Information can be found in Maximow and Bloom’s Textbook of Histology indicating the thickness, toughness and resistance to bruising qualities of horse and cattle skin tissue. The cattle prods used in professional rodeo are the same ones used on ranches and in vet clinics everyday. They are solely powered by flashlight batteries and produce 5,000 and 6,000 volts of electricity but no amperage. It is amperage that causes burns and injury, therefore the prod only delivers a mild shock.
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) hired a team of veterinarians to examine and survey animals at all their rodeos. The results of their 2000 survey showed 71,743 animal exposures for the season. Of those animals that entered the arena, 38 suffered injuries. That is .00052 percent. Therefore, if someone has a fear of animal abuse, his or her energy would be better spent on protesting something besides rodeo.
I hardly think it fair to blame all rodeo cowboys and cowgirls for the stupidity of a few. I challenge anyone who still has a negative opinion concerning the treatment of rodeo livestock to attend a professional sanctioned rodeo. Go behind the scenes, talk to cowboys, cowgirls and stock contractors, and take a look at the animals and equipment for yourself. You will find that the love for animals and the sport/profession of rodeo are strong and true! As for the “belt buckles the size of Montana” – Belt buckles worn by “real” cowboys and cowgirls are trophies that they have won through their participation in rodeo. It takes a true athlete to be a cowboy/girl, and if you don’t think so, TRY IT!
Wendy Nolley

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