Rodeo History

Rodeos have been around since the 1500’s. They began as small competitions cow hands held during their roundups. Small groups of cow camps and ranches would hold local contest to show off their skills at roping and horse handling. Rodeo is the only “sport” that grew out of an occupation and a way of life. Modern rodeos, however, have taken on a life of their own. Farming and ranch life has changed considerably since the 1500’s and today’s rodeos are purely an entertainment circuit. Horses and Bulls are bred to buck and a professional cowboy contestant competes for money and fame. A successful year for a professional cowboy can earn him upwards of $200,000.

Today’s largest organization of cowboys is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The PRCA has over 11,000 members in the U.S and Canada. There are many other rodeo organizations but the PRCA rules and regulations are pretty much standard. Through a partnership with the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) they allow Canadian competitors to qualify for championship events in the United States.


The Events

There are two categories of events at rodeos, and within these two categories are seven standard events. These events are sanctioned by the PRCA.

1. The Roughstock events:

These are bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding. Each is a judged event and each requires the riders to stay on a bucking horse or bull for eight seconds. In these events the rider and the animal are both being judged. It is definitely in the best interest of the cowboy to ride a horse or a bull that bucks as wildly as possible, by increasing the difficulty of the ride he increases his overall points and a chance at a good sized paycheck.

Flank straps are used to “encourage” the animals to buck. These straps are cinched around the flanks of the animal. These animals are “bred” to buck but most rodeos will also use the flank strap as well. All flank straps have a quick release that a cowboy can pull to release the strap. Flank straps used on broncs are lined with sheepskin.

The main issue with roughstock events is the need to madden or rile up these animals. The Cowboys will say that these animals have been specially picked because they are more inclined to buck and that this is just their natural temperament. The truth is that sometimes these animals get added encouragement from their rodeo handlers. There are many people crowded around the chutes. The cowboy himself usually has a helper or two, but there is also the Stock Contractor and/or the Chute boss. The stock contractor is the provider of all roughstock at the rodeo. He and his personnel know exactly what to do if an animal is too docile. Although not all stock contractors will resort to abuse, there have been documented cases of abuse that occurs right in the chute. Before an animal is about to perform, he or she could be subjected to tail-twisting, tail pulling, punching and even shocking. With all of the people and activity surrounding the chute it is easy to hide a hand held Hot-Shot and quickly deliver a jolt of 5000 volts to the face, neck, and body of an animal, and no one would notice it being slipped back into a pocket.

All stock contractors will say that their animals are quite used to the crowd, noise and travel that they endure when competing in rodeos. They will say that they do everything they can to minimize the stress when leading them through chutes or loading and unloading for transport. Yet when cowboys talk of the rodeo circuit they speak of the hardship, the constant travel, the injuries and length of time spent away from home.

2. Timed events:

Calf-roping, steer wrestling, team roping, and ladies barrel racing. These are races for the best time.

The calf-roping event is now called tie-down roping. A three to four month old calf runs terrified across the arena, only to get chased by a cowboy on horseback, clostheslined, wrestled and tied up. In the rules the calf is supposed to be standing when the roper reaches it, but since they are generally flung in the air sometimes they don’t end up on their feet. The cowboy then has to pick up the calf high enough so that a judge can see daylight between its hooves and the ground. This is called "daylighting". This is why you will usually see a cowboy hoist a calf up and slam him back down on the ground. Three of the legs must be tied to keep him from standing and running away. This event is just plain cruel for obvious reasons.

Steer busting is the same thing as calf-roping but using a steer is used instead. Even though a steer has horns and weighs around 500 – 600 pounds, he is still easily tossed around in the arena by the Cowboy on horseback. Keep in mind these animals are running at top speed and then cruelly roped and jerked off their feet in one quick and violent strike.

Steer wrestling involves a hazer (to help force the steer to run a straight line down the arena) and a steer wrestler, also known as the bulldogger. Together they chase a steer and the bulldogger will jump off his horse and wrestle the steer to the ground. The steer has to be in a "Dog-Fall" position.

Team roping involves two riders (The Header and The Heeler) on horseback chasing a steer. The aim of the header is to lasso the head of the animal, and the heeler to lasso the rear feet. In this event the steer actually gets to wear horn wraps to protect his horns.

A History of Protest

Voice for Animals Humane Society is committed to bringing the cruel Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) to an end. In November of each year, V4A stands as a reminder to those participating in the rodeo that the event is cruel and absolutely unnecessary in every way. Currently, our campaign consists of protest and public education. We invite to stand with us all those who believe that the CFR must fade away into history.

For more information on the rodeo, please visit the group Show Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK).