Animal Welfare in Rodeos
Rodeos date all the way back to the 16th century cattle-wrangling culture, and are an iconic symbol of western heritage. However, in the past few decades, as the majority of the population in the developed world has become increasingly distanced from agricultural lifestyles, many have pointed fingers at rodeos, calling them cruel:
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“Buck straps”?! Or how about the fact that they’re dressed up as dairy cattle? As you can tell, these people are incredibly out of touch with the livestock industry. But, unfortunately, these people, with all of their donations for lobbying and advertising, are the ones speaking the loudest on mainstream media about “animal agriculture.” For this reason, I am dedicating this blog post to explaining what the rodeo industry is really about.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that rodeo is a sport. Just as ropers, bull riders, and steer wrestlers have to stay in good health, practice their technique on a regular basis, and build up strength, the animals are treated like athletes, as well. Any people who work out or do any kind of sport know that, to be a successful athlete, you have to eat right, build muscle, and put your body in the kind of environment where it can thrive… this includes learning how to handle stress.
Athletes know that stress, which can come from personal or family issues, not getting enough sleep, or suffering constant adversity, has direct negative impacts on physical performance. Why do bring this up? If the livestock involved in rodeos really suffered from cruel treatment like animal rights activists claimed they do, the animals would not be able to perform at the levels they are:
What a lot of people don’t realize is that rodeo is a sport. Just as ropers, bull riders, and steer wrestlers have to stay in good health, practice their technique on a regular basis, and build up strength, the animals are treated like athletes, as well. Any people who work out or do any kind of sport know that, to be a successful athlete, you have to eat right, build muscle, and put your body in the kind of environment where it can thrive… this includes learning how to handle stress.
Athletes know that stress, which can come from personal or family issues, not getting enough sleep, or suffering constant adversity, has direct negative impacts on physical performance. Why do bring this up? If the livestock involved in rodeos really suffered from cruel treatment like animal rights activists claimed they do, the animals would not be able to perform at the levels they are:
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In video one, look at how high those bulls can jump. Look at the size of their necks, shoulders, and hind-quarters. That’s all muscle. In videos two and three, notice how fast the horses are going and how the horse turns as tightly around every barrel as possible, or goes from zero to surpassing the calf in the same path every time. That’s speed training and muscle memory.
When we think of a bucking bull or bronc, we think of a masculine, highly energetic animal with lightning fast reflexes. When we think of a horse used for barrel racing or roping, we think of fast speed and precision. These animals are bred and trained to be vigorous performers, and chronic stress would only inhibit that. If these animals were being forced into action against their will, they would not maintain that muscle, they would be more susceptible to disease, and their abilities would decline.
Also… I am truly curious what method PETA believes we use to force animals to perform against their will. How do you make an animal that weighs over a ton and stands taller than an average man do anything it doesn’t want to? I’m eagerly awaiting this answer.
Another thing that the general public might not know is that, just like at the Olympics or in major leagues, these animals are often ranked, specifically the rough stock. Only half of the points that a bull or bronc rider gets have to do with that rider’s skill. The other 50% comes from the actual animal’s performance, meaning that level of difficulty (or how athletic/difficult to ride that animal is) plays a big role in scoring. Because of this, rough stock riders have random draws of which bull or horse they will ride, and they hope for the most competitive animal.
The performance of horses for ropers, steer wrestlers, and barrel racers is equally important. At the professional level, people make careers out of participating in rodeos, and their horses are the key to success. They can only go as fast as their horse can. They can only dismount where their horse takes them.
Logically, with so much riding on these animals (pun intended), a great deal of money follows suit. A high-performing bucking bull can be worth hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars. Injuries or diseases would flush all of that money right down the drain. There are veterinarians all around the world that specialize only in rodeo stock. Supplements (just like a runner’s endurance pill or a body-builder’s protein shake… but for animals) for rodeo stock is a multi-million dollar industry. Every day, the owners of these animals are evaluating their health, exercising them, and making choices that will maximize their well-being.
There’s a lot of parallels here between rodeo stock and animals being raised for food. If animals being reared for meat were truly abused, or lived in the crowded, unnatural conditions that animal welfare activists say they do, those animals would not eat, would get diseases, would go infertile, or would suffer a large number of other conditions that would directly decrease profits. Farmers and rodeo stock handlers uphold animal welfare standards, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because that’s how you increase productivity and performance.
When we think of a bucking bull or bronc, we think of a masculine, highly energetic animal with lightning fast reflexes. When we think of a horse used for barrel racing or roping, we think of fast speed and precision. These animals are bred and trained to be vigorous performers, and chronic stress would only inhibit that. If these animals were being forced into action against their will, they would not maintain that muscle, they would be more susceptible to disease, and their abilities would decline.
Also… I am truly curious what method PETA believes we use to force animals to perform against their will. How do you make an animal that weighs over a ton and stands taller than an average man do anything it doesn’t want to? I’m eagerly awaiting this answer.
Another thing that the general public might not know is that, just like at the Olympics or in major leagues, these animals are often ranked, specifically the rough stock. Only half of the points that a bull or bronc rider gets have to do with that rider’s skill. The other 50% comes from the actual animal’s performance, meaning that level of difficulty (or how athletic/difficult to ride that animal is) plays a big role in scoring. Because of this, rough stock riders have random draws of which bull or horse they will ride, and they hope for the most competitive animal.
The performance of horses for ropers, steer wrestlers, and barrel racers is equally important. At the professional level, people make careers out of participating in rodeos, and their horses are the key to success. They can only go as fast as their horse can. They can only dismount where their horse takes them.
Logically, with so much riding on these animals (pun intended), a great deal of money follows suit. A high-performing bucking bull can be worth hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of dollars. Injuries or diseases would flush all of that money right down the drain. There are veterinarians all around the world that specialize only in rodeo stock. Supplements (just like a runner’s endurance pill or a body-builder’s protein shake… but for animals) for rodeo stock is a multi-million dollar industry. Every day, the owners of these animals are evaluating their health, exercising them, and making choices that will maximize their well-being.
There’s a lot of parallels here between rodeo stock and animals being raised for food. If animals being reared for meat were truly abused, or lived in the crowded, unnatural conditions that animal welfare activists say they do, those animals would not eat, would get diseases, would go infertile, or would suffer a large number of other conditions that would directly decrease profits. Farmers and rodeo stock handlers uphold animal welfare standards, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because that’s how you increase productivity and performance.