The issue of animal rights is an ongoing debate in our legal and political community. The argument over whether or not animals have rights and are to be accorded certain treatments has gone on for centuries. While it cannot be argued that animals are exploited for human benefit in almost everything, it can also be said that “Animals are the victims of a vast human-regulated system of slavery.” (Animal Rights 42) While some animal rights activists protest medical testing and use of animals for food an even greater injustice is being done to some animals. The proliferation of the sport known as the rodeo is a mark against the notion that mankind is “civilized.”
Rodeo began as a competition between cowboys in the Wild West. In the course of their jobs, a cowboy would have to perform many activities such as roping cattle, riding a bucking horse, and many other feats of strength and endurance. As a test of their skills, cowboys would often gather for a competition in which they would show off in front of their peers. It also served as invaluable practice for those whose very livelihood depended upon whether or not one could stay on a wild horse, or subdue an enraged bull.
As rodeo evolved into a more modern spectacle, those skills that were tested became more and more useless. Rodeo is now a show designed for the entertainment of an audience who, for the most part, has never even ridden a horse, much less tried to subdue a wild one. Children are encouraged to watch the “wild” animals, while cheering parents relish the chance to watch man tame the world around him. Rodeos have become obsolete, yet they still persist. The casual observer would wonder why.
Rodeo presents an outlet for violence. In a world where people are conscious about what children watch on television, acceptable means of releasing aggression are becoming more rare. People enjoy watching the calf being thrown down and tied up. People laugh as clowns are chased by rampaging bulls. It’s all a game, people think, one designed for the entertainment of the crowd by showing cowboys in their element. Animal rights activists would see it differently, however. They would view the practice akin to enslaving people and forcing them to perform against their will through use of force. Thus they have tried several means to stop this practice.
As civilization evolved, more and more groups of people achieved rights. In modern society, there is great concern over the ethical treatment of animals and whether or not they have rights much like we humans do. We have developed laws about how one can treat an animal- whether or not it is appropriate to physically discipline an unruly pet, or how a creature should be treated when being studied in a medical research lab. Many of these laws reach across the board, affecting all creatures. A future resolution stating the natural rights of animals would do even more to alleviate animal suffering. (Rollin 111) Some laws have been enacted, however, that deal specifically with the treatment of rodeo animals. These laws entail what means can and cannot be used to make an animal buck, how an animal should be encouraged to leave the chutes at the beginning of a rodeo competition. Finally, there are specific rodeo associations that sponsor rodeo events. These associations have specific guidelines concerning how animals are to be treated in those events. Delinquency may result in disqualification, a serious thing when several thousand dollars are involved.
There are several traditional devices used in the modern rodeo, many of which are not very humane at all. The most controversial is the flank strap. It is a leather band that is tightened just behind an animal’s ribcage. Rodeo supporters equate it to a belt that a person wears. There are several inconsistencies with this explanation, however. If it is like a belt, then why is it used if not to cause an animal to buck? If used to incite an animal to buck, does that not mean that it causes harm to the animal? In fact, a flank strap is much more insidious than a human’s belt. A flank strap is often placed incorrectly over the groin area of a bull, constricting the penile sheath and causing severe discomfort. They are also often placed too tightly, causing internal bruising and even hemorrhaging. In studies, it has been proven that the animal often stops bucking as soon as the flank strap is removed, leading to the belief that an animal bucks to try to squirm out of the discomfort of having a “belt” tightened too tightly. Seeing that animals, when they experience suffering, try to take themselves somewhere else, it makes sense that rodeo animals are in pain from the rodeo strap and trying to get out of it. (Dawkins 85)
The cattle prod is another device used to “encourage” cooperation with in an animal. A cattle prod is a long device used to administer an electrical shock to an animal while staying out of kicking range. The shock is usually from 7,000 to 10,000 volts of electricity, and has been known to temporarily immobilize an animal. Video documentation shows many animals whose hindquarters collapse upon exiting the chute due to repeated shocks from this barbaric device. (Animal Emancipation Online)
The use of spurs is another highly contested component of the rodeo. Despite claims that spurs are dulled and thus do not harm the animal, cowboys continue to wear them in competition, alluding to their usefulness in causing an animal to buck. Rodeo proponents claim that a cow’s hide is thicker than human skin by about 2-3 millimeters. This may seem like a valid argument, but it ignores the question: Why are spurs necessary if not to influence the animal in some way. Even though a butter knife is not as sharp as a steak knife, it still hurts when it is dug into a sensitive, fatty area. Overzealous cowboys have even been known to break bones or cause severe bruises on animals by kicking with the spurs.
Many organizations try to help animals escape from such torturous abuse. Large national groups, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), struggle to help rodeo animals by lobbying for new legislation and organizing large boycotts of national rodeo sponsors. Organizations such as PETA have also started ad campaigns designed to make people think about the pain rodeo animals suffer. A new campaign features an attractive young woman and the caption “Nobody likes an eight second ride,” an attack against those that would try to subdue an enraged animal in but a few moments. (bucktherodeo.com) Smaller organizations, usually student organizations at the college level, can also help the animals. They hold rallies and protests against rodeos, and help the larger organizations by getting the word out about boycotts. After all, a boycott isn’t good without people who participate in it.
The practice of rodeo has been going on for decades, and it does not look likely that it will be ended soon. We can, though, push for more humane laws such as banning devices like the flank strap that, while causing the show to be more exciting, can cause serious harm to the animal. If we all work toward the goal of making animal suffering lessened, we can all play a small part in the cessation of pain for rodeo animals.