For many people across the United States rodeo is how they make a living. Weather its competing, selling, or just working behind the sense, they depend on rodeo for a job. Not only do humans depend on rodeo for a job, but so do all types of animals. Not all horses are cut out for the same job just as all humans are not. Many animal rights groups use words like animal cruelty and unsafe to describe a rodeo, but underneath the tough exterior strict rules combat the use of these words by cutting down on the unsafe and cruel events. Rodeo, despite being a dangerous sport, benefits a community in many ways and does not condone animal cruelty in any way. It is a place where a community of people can show their skills, sell their products, and find friendships with people just like them.
Rodeo was believed to have started as friendly competition between ranch hands to see who could complete daily tasks the fastest and most efficient. That eventually grew into the “American sport” we have today, though it’s not only practiced in America (About). It is seen by many as a way to celebrate America’s western roots. Prescott Arizona holds the title of world’s oldest formalized rodeo. On July 4th 1888 businessmen there organized a “Cowboy Tournament” that later grew to be “a multimillion dollar enterprise with more than 700 professional rodeos in 50 states” (Anderson). It may seem and look a little different than it did back then,” but it still involves just as much skill and horsemanship as before” (About).
The Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association, also known as the PRCA, prides itself on creating safe and entertaining rodeos across the country. It is also the oldest and largest rodeo-sanctioning body in the world (About). Governing over ...
... middle of paper ...
...IDING CRUEL? | National Animal Interest Alliance." National Animal Interest Alliance. National Animal Interest Alliance, 15 Jan. 2004. Web. Nov. 2013. .
"Livestock Show." San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, 2013. Web. Nov. 2013. .
Pro Rodeo Livestock. Colorado Springs, Co: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, 2010. PDF. http://www.prorodeo.com/community/pdfs/2011_ProRodeo_Livestock.pdf
"Rodeo Injuries Part 1-The Risk." Rodeo21. Rodeo21.com, 8 May 2013. Web. Nov. 2013. .
"Stock Contractors." PRORODEO. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2013. .
"Stop the Rodeo!" Stop the Rodeo! N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2013. .
Cheeseman, Bruce S. "KING, RICHARD." 2 March 2011. Handbook of Texas Online. Web. 04 May 2014. .
"Relocating the Cowboy: American Privilege in "All the Pretty Horses"" Pepperdine University: Global Tides Seaver Journal of Arts and Sciences. Maia Y. Rodriguez, 2014. Web. 2 May 2016. . The Western typically illustrates the journey of a man, usually a horse riding cowboy, into the Western frontier where he must conquer nature "in the name of civilization or [confiscate] the territorial rights of the original inhabitants... Native Americans" (Newman 150). What this brand of mythology promotes is precisely the values of American culture: rugged individualism, achievement and success, activtity and work, democracy and enterprise, and--most importantly--
The use of the cattle prod is one of the most widely believe myths of rodeo. “The cattle prod is a device developed by the cattle industry to move livestock. Use of the prod has become one of the most universally accepted and humane methods of herding animals on ranches, in veterinary clinics, and, on occasion, at professional rodeos. The PRCA also regulates the use of prods. PRCA rules require that the prod be used as little as possible and that the animal be touched only on the hip or shoulder area.” (PRCA Rodeo Equipment) “An electric prod provides a low current shock to induce the movement of the animals. This type of prod does not harm the animals, as it provides a mild electrical shock sensation that leaves no prolonged effects.” (PRCA Rodeo
The image of the cowboy as Jennifer Moskowitz notes in her article “The Cultural Myth of the Cowboy, or, How the West was Won” is “uniquely
For many Americans, the image of the cowboy evokes pleasant nostalgia of a time gone by, when cowboys roamed free. The Cowboy is, to many Americans, the ideal American, who was quick to the draw, well skilled in his profession, and yet minded his own business. Regardless of whether the mental picture that the word cowboy evokes is a correct or incorrect view of the vocation, one seldom views cowboys as being black. The first cowboy I met was from Texas and was black. After he told me that he was a cowboy, I told him that he had to be kidding. Unfortunately, I was not totally to blame for my inability to recognize that color has nothing to do with the cowboy profession; most if not all popular famous images of cowboys are white. In general, even today, blacks are excluded from the popular depiction of famous Westerners. Black cowboys were unheard of for almost a century after they made their mark on the cattle herding trade, not because they were insignificant, but because history fell victim to prejudice, and forgot peoples of color in popular depictions of the West and Western history.
Everything about going to this rodeo was fantastic: the food, the fun, most of all, the rodeo grounds. The place that I fit in was in the stands of the arena. Sitting there for four days got a little old, and, going on the fifth day, I was a little tired. Nevertheless, tired or not, this was what I had been looking forward to--the Short Go. This is the round in a rodeo when the top 15 from each event compete for the title of State Champion.
Many people may ask, “What the heck is the Cattleman’s Association?” Normally, the first thoughts that fill people’s minds when they hear “Cattleman’s Association” are: farmers, cows, farms, rednecks, dairy, beef, steaks, hamburger, milk, and so on. Many of these “stereotypes” prove true and many not so much. My experience with the KCA (Kentucky Cattleman’s Association) may be limited, but its roots run deep in my hometown and my family. Although a great number of my family members are in the KCA, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about them, which inspired me to “get to know” them.
Few Hollywood film makers have captured America’s Wild West history as depicted in the movies, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Most Western movies had fairly simple but very similar plots, including personal conflicts, land rights, crimes and of course, failed romances that typically led to drinking more alcoholic beverages than could respectfully be consumed by any one person, as they attempted to drown their sorrows away. The 1958 Rio Bravo and 1967 El Dorado Western movies directed by Howard Hawks, and starring John Wayne have a similar theme and plot. They tell the story of a sheriff and three of his deputies, as they stand alone against adversity in the name of the law. Western movies like these two have forever left a memorable and lasting impressions in the memory of every viewer, with its gunfighters, action filled saloons and sardonic showdowns all in the name of masculinity, revenge and unlawful aggressive behavior. Featuring some of the most famous backdrops in the world ranging from the rustic Red Rock Mountains of Monument Valley in Utah, to the jagged snow capped Mountain tops of the Teton Range in Wyoming, gun-slinging cowboys out in search of mischief and most often at their own misfortune traveled far and wide, seeking one dangerous encounter after another, and unfortunately, ending in their own demise.
One sport of rodeo that raises the eyebrows of many anti-rodeo activists is Team Roping. Team roping was used for the purpose of catching live cattle on the range to perform vaccinations and to treat injuries. Team Roping is defined as on cowboy ropes the steer around the horns and turn left, so that the next cowboy can come behi...
Effective Long-Term Options Needed to Manage Unadoptable Wild Horses, (GAO-08-989) October 9, 2008.
... rodeo as cruel and abusive. But the rodeo today is changing with the hope of getting better. The bucking and roping stock are treated as prized animals. They even have their own bucking champions. The solution to any kind of animal abuse is in the continued scrutiny of the sport by the PRCA. As the sport evolves and the animals become more valuable it should cause better care for the animals.
Americans are not the only people to participate in rodeo. The PRCA, Professional Rodeo Cowboys
Executive Summary Every 60 seconds, an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.
Currently there are three main legislations affecting and protecting the welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses, The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the performing Animals (regulation) Act 1925, (DEFRA,2013; Rees,2013). The legislations in place recognise that both wild a...
The article “Animals Used as Entertainment” lists rodeos, circuses, bullfighting, horse racing, cockfighting, dog fighting, and zoos as examples of the many ways animals are used in entertainment. Circuses and zoos are the two most relevant forms of animal mistreatment. Both of these are sources of entertainment for children and adults. Zoos declare that the...