I have an extreme soft spot for animals and I have never enjoyed rodeo or even trips to the zoo. Sad-eyed animals in cages are not a fun thing to see in my opinion. Others may not agree but I believe that animals are mistreated. Yes, I'm a carnivore, but if I had to kill an animal myself for food I couldn't do it. When I saw my grandma wring a chicken's neck it was months before I would eat chicken again. It makes me sad to see a dog chained up and I always cringed to see my father put a bit in a horse's mouth. So rodeos are not for me, ever.
There are those that think using a wooden cane to direct hogs during a County Fair 4-H or FFA Show is cruel. All of my high school classmates that showed hogs always had to use a wooden cane to direct hogs. There are those that will never understand the "why" of handling livestock, whether handling livestock at a sale yard/auction, stockyards or ranchers using their cattle dogss to work cattle.
Funny Beth, but I already knew this. Actually, there are those that would love to stop young kids from learning how to fish. As far as bits go, one time at a farm/ranch store, I saw a bit that looked like a bicycle chain and one that was called a Twisted Wire bit. I would never use either, but both were being sold at this store. Even though wearing spurs for riding isn't too popular with some, I've always used Roping Spurs when I done rodeo. And, there are those that would never/ever visit a ranch, because of doctoring and branding. Wife and I have no problem with either.
If anyone in this part of the forum really want to know about the history of rodeo, just watch the movie The Great American Cowboy. Rodeo, both ranch and pro, go way, way, WAY back in years.
The only thing that's required to see that rodeos are cruel is functioning eyesight. Extensive knowledge is not needed to see animals yanked by ropes, dragged along the ground & know that it's cruel. Not acknowledging that is called "being in denial."
People who have compassion & respect for living beings are not interested in history or tradition. And the history of rodeo is irrelevant to the issue.
I have always had a soft spot for animals and agree on zoos. i know they serve for educational purposes and the preservation of endangered species, but still I don't think wild animals belong in zoos or captivity. If they go extinct, so be it. I also have a very soft spot for horses, dogs, and cats and see them as animals that serve a purpose greater than recreation. I also won't ride a horse with a bit in its mouth. I don't see any use for spurs. I don't like rodeo for the most part these days because it is all about money and less about cowboys showing skills they honed in their employment on a ranch. I didn't like having to trap mice when my cats got old and retired from mousing. They kept the younger neighbor cats away so the mice had the upper hand. Since they died at 20 years old, I do things to treat the neighborhood cats because they patrol my place and no mouse has been seen alive around my house for years. That saves me from the "cruelity" of trapping mice and disposing of their cold dead bodies. I once slaughtered my own animals for food and hide. I stopped doing that at age 35 and also quit hunting because I didn't need either the meat or the hides. I eat very little meat but don't believe raising livestock for food and hide is being cruel. I believe in balance and common sense. Big cities are cruelty to wildlife since that was once their domain. I submit that big cities are the cruelest thing against animals. Introducing wolves were they were once extinct, is cruel to deer, elk, and other game. The natural order of things is cruel. One of my vegetarian neighbors that opposes ranching and anything associated with it, keeps a dog in their backyard and leves it there all day while they are working. It barks continually because it is lonely. It became mean forcing me into call the police after it brike through my fence and attack me. Luckily it was stopped by the remaining boards and only its head got through and the board it knocked loose, knocked me down and took the wind out of me. Since the police intervened, if they leave it home alone outside, it is chained and barks more angrily than ever. That is abuse in my opinion and needy dogs should not have owners that can't give them all the attention they need. Back to the topic of rodeo, if it was stopped tomorrow, that wouldn't bother me at all unless it was stopped based on a few instances where the human offenders are the ones to be punished. The idea that it is cruelty in general, doesn't have much merit. As Cody mentioned some think showing livestock is cruel because of the hogs being guided with sticks and the cattle show stick used to push a show steers feet back into a place where they have the best stance to show their attributes. Monks consider killing flies and spiders cruel. It is a cruel world if we want to take things to extremes.
"Rodeo bucking bulls get better medical care than I do and do less strenuous work." Quite amusing. First, cause serious injury to animals, then provide great medical care. Gotta laugh at that one!
What gives you the expertise to say that being caught by a rope is cruel? The point you are in denial about is that you are defining actions as cruel without actual knowledge of it being cruel rather than your eyesight deems it so. I use to play roping with the neighbor boys. One would jump up and down and then the roper would try to rope their legs and pull them down where they fell in grass. No one ever got hurt. I have been to numerous roundups where calves were roped and not a one ever was injured. Calves have very tough hides and roping them doesn't hurt them so not cruel in my book.
Yes, Tony, you definitely now sound like some "big city dude"! Ranching and farming has been going on for years. I can totally understand how Faye feels about you and folks like you. But, then again, that's you.
Laugh all you want but no one caused an injury to the bull. The bull made a mistake and hurt itself. It wasn't like the rider was beating it with a baseball bat. You don't seem to comprehend that working livestock and dogs love what they do but sometimes get hurt in doing what they love. Humans get hurt in rodeos and ranching at a much higher rate than livestock. It looks like a futile waste of time trying to discuss this based on personal experience and veterinarian reports. It is impossible to discuss based on what you think you saw being cruelty. Base on my eyesight, taking a dog to the groomers can result in cruelty.
There is nothing more powerful than a rush to judgement before one knows the facts and understands from testimony and others experience what really happened, and then puts out a narrative based on a video. Such narratives serve to deny any justice and bias others against any discussion. It is meant to put the opposing viewpoint on the defense and prove them as guilty without a fair hearing. To accuse me of being in denial because of my experience, observations, and my upbringings, is pure judgmental and certainly not based on intelligent reasoning. "You are in denial," is the classic liberal response when they want to promote false narratives.