Complaints Filed Against Veterinarian for the California Rodeo Salinas

August 22, 2013 Conflict of interest cited as motivating factor for false reporting/non-treatment of injured animals.

Watch the video showing the injured animals at the 2013 rodeo HERE

SHARK has filed two complaints with the Veterinary Medical Board of California against Tim Eastman, the veterinarian of record for the California Rodeo Salinas. The first complaint deals with his apparent underreporting of the number of injured animals, while the second deals with his lack of care for those same injured animals.

A steer that was trampled to death at the California Rodeo Salinas

In his report of injuries that is mandated by state law, Eastman stated that only three animals were injured. SHARK, however, video-documented twenty-three animals that had been injured during the rodeo. A video showing each of these injured animals has been published on YouTube.

California law (4830.8 of the Business and Professions Code) states that,“attending or on-call veterinarians at a rodeo event are required to report to the Veterinary Medical Board any animal injury at the event requiring veterinary treatment within 48 hours of the conclusion of the rodeo.”

On the California Veterinary Medical Board website it states that “Anyone who witnesses or believes that a licensed veterinarian or unlicensed person’s behaviour or activities may cause harm (or the potential for harm) to animal patients or may be illegal, can file a complaint.” 

Another animal injured at the rodeo

If Eastman allowed up to twenty animals who suffered visible injuries to go untreated, then his behavior caused them harm. If he did treat the animals, then his filing with the California Veterinary Medical Board was false. Either way, we believe he violated the law.

SHARK has also discovered that Eastman’s ties to the rodeo may have played a significant role in him wanting to protect the public image of the rodeo by downplaying the cruelty present at the rodeo. According to the California Rodeo, Inc.’s 2011 IRS  form 990, Eastman was not only listed as being on the Board of Directors, but that he had family members on the Board as well. The document can be downloaded HERE.

Tim Eastman, Board Director and Veterinarian for the California Rodeo Salinas, seems to have cared more about the well-being of the rodeo’s public image than about the suffering of nearly two-dozen animals. That’s the brutal nature of rodeo. It is long past time that the veterinarians who whitewash rodeo cruelty are held accountable for their actions.

The two complaints can be viewed on the following links:

http://www.sharkonline.org/images/handouts/vetcomplaint.pdf

Click to access vetcomplaint2.pdf

News Link:-http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=fe819b23916cc9824726717ab&id=b268b5e13f&e=3c7db98f6d

Salinas Rodeo Vet Mis-Represents Injuries

Published on 16 Aug 2013

California law requires that rodeo injuries must be reported to the California Veterinary Medical Board within 48 hours of the rodeo. Rodeo Veterinarian Tim Eastman reported THREE injuries.

So why did SHARK cameras document TWENTY-THREE apparent injuries?

The following are also at the same link:–http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=fe819b23916cc9824726717ab&id=b268b5e13f&e=3c7db98f6d

• Multiple Violations of Illinois Humane Law at Barnyard Scramble
• Oregon Rodeo so Violent, YouTube Bans Children from Watching it

SHARK Calls on County Commissioners to Age-Restrict Future Rodeo Events

On July 13, 2013, SHARK videotaped a horse tripping event held at the Harney County Fairgrounds in Burns, Oregon. On August 3, 2013, SHARK published a video exposing multiple acts of horses having their legs roped and then crashing to the ground. The horses often struggled terribly to get back up.

Horse Tripping Abuse in Harney County, Oregon

Published on 3 Aug 2013

Again, and in spite of rodeo thugs’ attempts to stop us (that will be another video), SHARK filmed brutal horse tripping in Oregon.

The only thing this video shows are horses being hurt at a public event. That the largest video sharing website in the world has declared that that footage is so disturbing that children shouldn’t see it fully exposes how violent and inappropriate rodeos are. They are not family entertainment. They are modern gladiatorial events where rodeo thugs brutalize innocent animals for the crowd’s pleasure.

• Local Activist Gets Home Depot to Withdraw Support for Rodeo
• Bull Shot After Escaping Rodeo

Kindest Regards,
Steve Hindi and Your SHARK Team

“Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society.  Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves.” – Cesar Chavez, civil rights and labor leader, founder of the United Farm Workers

Link Including other violations:-http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=fe819b23916cc9824726717ab&id=b268b5e13f&e=3c7db98f6d

Reno Rodeo And Cowtown Rodeo: Caught Shocking Horses for Third Straight Year!

“I received this via email from SHARK:-“

It was a truly horrific death,” states SHARK investigator Stuart Chaifetz. “That horse was cruelly and illegally shocked. People think rodeos are entertainment, but they are not. Rodeos are brutal, vicious events where animals are tortured, and sometimes, as in this case, they are killed.”The type of shocking device used on the horse can deliver about 10,000 volts of electricity.

Miller Manufacturing, makers of the prod have clearly stated previously that the devices are not to be used in a rodeo environment, and are never supposed to be used on horses under any circumstance. Rodeos, such as Cowtown, regularly use the electric prods to make tame, domesticated horses appear wild from pain.“The shocking of horses destroys the myth that the horses are athletes who want to buck,” states Chaifetz. “These animals literally have to be tortured to get them to perform, and that is absolutely animal abuse.”

To add to the horse’s suffering, as he was lying on the ground, one of the “cowboys” grabbed him by the tail and pulled it to drag the horse’s body back. At the exact time that happened, the announcer said that they treated the animals the same as they do the cowboys and cowgirls.After the horse’s legs were tied, the horse was rolled over onto a dirty wood sled. The horse was then dragged across the arena as dirt piled up along his head.

Media coverage:

Tragedy struck at the famous Cowtown Rodeo in New Jersey this weekend when one of the horses died during a live performance … and animal rights activists say there’s evidence the horse was electrocuted.

The rodeo — which has been running since 1929 — came to a screeching halt when a 9-year-old horse named Duke came bucking out of the gate Saturday … only to collapse after experiencing what appeared to be a seizure.

After the horse went down, staffers raced to its side as Duke died in front of the live crowd.  Duke was eventually carted away.

After the incident, the animal rights group SHARK — Showing Animals Respect and Kindness — says one of its members was in attendance and witnessed Duke being secretly shocked by an electric device right before he was released from the gate in order to get Duke to buck more wildly.

The SHARK member shot footage of the incident — which shows someone holding a “Hot shot” electric prod in Duke’s holding gate.

Cowtown insists Duke’s death was as natural as it gets due to an “aneurysm of his aorta blood vessel.”

The rodeo explains, “Our vet has assured us that this had nothing to do with the rodeo event and it is a natural (although rare) occurrence to have a horse pass from this reason.”

However, when we called Cowtown owner Grant Harris — who also owned Duke — he told us the device in Duke’s pen DID appear to be a “hot shot” … but says everyone at the rodeo is under strict orders to NEVER use the prod on a horse.

Harris notes that in the video … the device does not appear to ever touch Duke.

TMZ has covered this and the running poll they have, asking if rodeos should be banned, has already received more than 42,000 votes!

Please use this & vote NO to horses being shocked: vote on the poll HERE.

Harris tells TMZ he raised Duke from birth and says he loved the animal … adding, “I am going to be talking to everybody who’s been in contact with the horse to find out if Duke was mistreated.”For its part, SHARK says it will be contacting the SPCA to demand animal cruelty charges be brought up against Cowtown.News Link with Poll:-http://www.tmz.com/2013/07/01/cowtown-rodeo-horse-dies-duke-grant-harris/

 

Exposed: Horse Killed at Cowtown Rodeo was Electro-Shocked

Published on 5 Jul 2013

On June 29, 2013, a horse began to die 25 seconds after being electro-shocked at the Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, NJ. This video exposes the electro-shocking and brutal treatment of the horse once he fell to the ground.

To watch the previous video of horses being shocked at the Cowtown Rodeo, go to this link:
Cowtown Rodeo Caught Shocking Horses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG9YYO…

 

 Reno Rodeo Again Violates its No-Shock Promise

For the third year in a row, the Reno Rodeo has been caught using electric shock prods. The images come this time, not from a SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) investigator, but instead from a former reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal who was sitting close enough to get clear images with her cell phone.

The images depict one individual holding a horse’s tail up, while a second individual applies a large electric prod to the genital area of the horse.

Sly, underhanded, cold hearted bastards!

Recently, Reno Rodeo president, John Tipton was quoted in rgj.com as saying,“Livestock prods will be banned in and around the rodeo arena, and anyone found using them will be removed.” Rodeo spokesperson Steve Schroeder was also quoted saying,“Regardless of SHARK attempting to gain further notoriety for asking these questions, the Reno Rodeo has a no-shocking policy.”

“Reno Rodeo Association President, John Tipton is responsible for allowing this abuse,”states SHARK president Steve Hindi. “Banning cameras gave rodeo personnel a green light to continue the abuse. Cruelty charges should be filed, but it seems that no one in any level of authority within law enforcement or the legislature cares about the animal abuse.”

Rodeos like to say that they are a “sport,” but if they were, there would be an oversight agency, as most sports have, to investigate violations and take action. Instead, what we have is the PRCA, more of a hack PR firm than regulatory body, and we know this because if the PRCA was really concerned about protecting animals, then they would have filed numerous penalties against the Reno Rodeo, as well as all the other rodeos SHARK has exposed, including Cowtown.

You can read the story about this HERE.
Please note that everything Ellie Lopez-Bowlan stated is true and SHARK has the evidence from her video to prove it.

In the latest article from the RGJ, the Reno rodeo is once again refusing to release the name of the man shocking the horses. Last year SHARK identified him as Donnie Castle and he is back again this year. Read the rest of the article HERE.

Horse is electrocuted 

 

Published on 8 Jul 2013

For the third year in a row, the Reno Rodeo has been caught shocking horses, in spite of repeated promises that this obvious abuse will not happen. Over and over the Reno Rodeo Association claims that those responsible will not be allowed back. “Those responsible” are from the Flying U Rodeo Company, although the rodeo association refuses to admit it.

The Reno Rodeo Association is sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Although the shocking of the horse in this video is a flagrant violation of PRCA humane rules, those rules exist for public relations purposes only – a marketing scam.

Unethical corporate sponsors of the Reno Rodeo include Coca-Cola, Dodge, Coors, Jack Daniels and Les Schwab Tires.

Video: Bad To Chase Bunnies At The Rodeo?

One bunny had a broken jaw and was missing its tail. Three more wound up at the home of a Cottage Grove employee after a co-worker said her kids couldn’t keep them. “Video at end of this post”!

Heather Crippen of Red Barn Rabbit Rescue says that those were a few of the results of a previous “animal scramble” at the Cottage Grove Rodeo.

Bunny at recent animal scramble. Photo Scott Becstead/HSUS

Crippen started Red Barn with her daughter and runs the small rescue out of her farm in Creswell. She says with 50 rabbits already and a waiting list of 20 more, she wants to avoid more hurt and homeless bunnies. She has been asking the rodeo, which will take place July 12-13, to sponsor a different event for children.

Rabbits are fragile and the event stresses, sickens and even kills them, she says. In the animal scramble last year, and at a recent one at Myrtle Creek in Douglas County, rabbits were tossed out of trailers or pickup trucks and into an arena where hordes of children were unleashed to chase and catch them.

Red Barn’s video of the 2012 scramble shows bunnies getting stepped on and, Crippen says, paralyzed with fear. If the kids catch a rabbit at the event, they keep it. An attendee at the Myrtle Creek scramble was reported to have said to his child, “You going to catch us a rabbit? Going to help dad butcher it?”

Crippen has offered to donate money to the Cottage Grove Riding Club (CGRC) for a different, animal-friendly event, such as one that hides money and prizes inside plastic eggs. The rodeo and scramble are a fundraiser for the riding club. At press time, the rescue’s offer has not been accepted.

CGRC president Kelli Fisher says the event benefits the community and it gives children “the opportunity to experience raising their own animal.”

Red Barn has discovered that the scramble is subject to USDA regulations. “They have to get licensed and inspected,” Crippen says. “Many of the regulations are for the protection and safety of the rabbits.” And she says she was told the rodeo only recently applied for the license, so she’s not sure how they will get approved in time.

Crippen emailed the club in May, asking that this year’s event be removed, saying she has heard from PETA and other groups that want to protest the scramble. Crippen wrote that Red Barn has tried to discourage protest and “we prefer a professional approach to this disagreement.”

The riding club responded with a letter from attorney Milton E. Gifford, who alleges that Crippen’s email “threatened that there would be protests and picketing.” He tells her that she does “not have the right to videotape any portion of the rodeo” and calls her email “veiled threats” and says she will “be held personally liable for intentional interference with business relations.” Fisher says, “I and our board consider Red Barn and its members to be cruel, hurtful and a threat to our families.”

Scott Beckstead, Oregon director for the Humane Society of the United States, has been supporting Crippen’s efforts to end the scramble. He says…

“It is our position that this event is inherently cruel to the rabbits, and promotes unhealthy attitudes about pet ownership by awarding live animals as ‘prizes.’ Rabbits are delicate, sensitive little creatures, and turning them loose in a rodeo arena to be chased by a throng of children subjects them to an unreasonable risk of terror, shock and injury.”

Beckstead says that rabbits are the third most common animal at shelters and humane societies, and events such as the scramble strain those resources. Crippen and Beckstead have met with Faye Stewart, the Lane County commissioner from Cottage Grove, and Crippen spoke to the County Commission on June 4 about her concerns over the animal scramble. Fisher says CGRC is working with the local Humane Society chapter to improve the event.

Rabbit Scramble Event – South Douglas Rodeo

Published on 9 Jun 2013

**Filmed by a volunteer

South Douglas Rodeo’s “traditional” rabbit scramble is a youth event for children under the age of six years old. The children as lined up on the fence while rabbits are dumped into the arena from the bed of a truck. On go, the children sprint and chase down their prey, a living “prize” that will come with a small baggy of food and a sticker with care instructions.

Share your thoughts about the “Rabbit Scramble” and send your opinion to the South Douglas Rodeo.

Send letters to:
South Douglas Rodeo 
1170 North Myrtle Road
Myrtle Creek, OR 97457

Please consider supporting Red Barn Rabbit Rescue and making a donation.
www.redbarnrabbitrescue.org

News Link:-http://www.eugeneweekly.com/20130613/news-briefs/bad-chase-bunnies-rodeo

Oregon Senate Votes To Ban Horse Tripping, Affirm Right To Rodeo

SALEM — The Oregon Senate on Tuesday voted to ban the practice of horse trippingwhile affirming the right to rodeo in the state.

Senate Bill 835 passed 22-6. The bill now heads to the House.

A horse goes end-over-end in May at the Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo after thrown lariats catch it by the neck and forelegs.

Horse tripping occurs at a small number of rodeos and involves the roping of a horse’s feet, forcing it to trip and fall. Bill co-sponsor Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, called the practice “shocking and cruel.”

“It’s indefensible and should be outlawed in Oregon,” Hass said.

The bill would create the Class B misdemeanor of equine tripping. Violators could face six months in jail, a $2,500 fine, or both.

Several lawmakers said they were concerned the bill’s language would also ban horse tripping on private farms and ranches, not just in rodeos.

Sen. Doug Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls, said the practice was common in equine husbandry and is a more humane way to restrain a horse than to rope it around its neck. Whitsett also said the ban would outlaw the primary attraction of the Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo.

“This bill is truly a solution in search of a problem,” said Whitsett, who is a veterinarian.

— Yuxing Zheng

News Link:-http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/04/oregon_senate_votes_to_ban_hor.html

Rodeo…What Does It Teach Young People?

“Another video just in, which I just had to share with you, for obvious reasons. This kid didn’t have the guts to speak to Steve Hindi (President of SHARK) directly, so he leaves a message! Watch the video & listen to him…how old do you reckon this kid is? I would have to say between 8-11 years old; judging by his voice! As a parent, I would be embarrassed if I  had a child of that age using such vulgar language!  Whatever happened to parental skills??”

“This kid is having a bit of a tiff about a horse in one of SHARKS video collections on Rodeo. He wants to make out that it’s the horses fault for bucking too much, hence the broken leg!

Excuse me, but if I were putting a bucking strap on my horse, knowing he is going to hate it & buck…any injuries that occur: I would have to say are my fault, not the horses. I put the strap on, knowing it would agitate him, which made him buck. It is the humans fault in cases like this; where animals suffer broken bones etc.

He is obviously from a rodeo family, so the question really is, what does rodeo teach young people? Well I can tell you what it doesn’t them; compassion, kindness, respect etc. etc. Watch, listen & make your own mind up!”

“Related: I’ve only added one link, as I’ve written too many posts to list here, so if you wish to read others, just do a search on the right of the page; type in rodeo!”

What Does Rodeo Teach Young People?

Published on 6 Apr 2013 – http://www.sharkonline.org/

A boy from Canada shows how he has learned “rodeo family values.”

Rodeos are promoted as rough-and-tough exercises of human skill and courage in conquering the fierce, untamed beasts of the Wild West. In reality, rodeos are nothing more than manipulative displays of human domination over animals, thinly disguised as entertainment.

What began in the 1800s as a skill contest among cowboys has become a show motivated by greed and big profits.(1)

The Stunts
Standard rodeo events include calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback horse and bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, steer roping, and barrel racing.(2) The animals used in rodeos are captive performers. Most are relatively tame but understandably distrustful of humans because of the harsh treatment that they have received. Many of these animals are not aggressive by nature; they are physically provoked into displaying “wild” behavior in order to make the cowboys look brave.

Tools of Torment
Electric prods, spurs, and bucking straps are used to irritate and enrage animals used in rodeos. The flank, or “bucking,” strap or rope—which is used to make horses and bulls buck—is tightly cinched around their abdomens, which causes the animals to “buck vigorously to try to rid themselves of the torment.”(3) The irritation causes the animals to buck violently, which is what the rodeo promoters want them to do in order to put on a good show for the crowds. The flank strap, when paired with spurring, causes the animals to buck even more violently, often resulting in serious injuries.(4) Former animal control officers have found burrs and other irritants placed under the flank strap.(5) In addition, the flank strap can cause open wounds and burns when the hair is rubbed off and the skin is chafed raw.(6)

Cows and horses are often prodded with an electrical “hotshot” while in the chute to rile them, causing intense pain to the animals. Peggy Larson, D.V.M.—a veterinarian who in her youth was a bareback bronc rider—said, “Bovines are more susceptible to electrical current than other animals. Perhaps because they have a huge ‘electrolyte’ vat, the rumen [one of their stomachs].”(7)

The End of the Trail
The late Dr. C.G. Haber, a veterinarian who spent 30 years as a federal meat inspector, worked in slaughterhouses and saw many animals discarded from rodeos and sold for slaughter. He described the animals as being so extensively bruised that the only areas in which their skin was attached to their flesh were the head, neck, legs, and belly. He described seeing animals “with 6-8 ribs broken from the spine, and at times puncturing the lungs.” Haber saw animals with “as much as 2-3 gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin.”(8) These injuries are a result of animals’ being thrown in calf-roping events or being jumped on by people from the backs of horses during steer wrestling.

Injuries and Deaths
Although rodeo cowboys voluntarily risk injury by participating in events, the animals they use have no such choice. Because speed is a factor in many rodeo events, the risk of accidents is high.

A terrified, screaming young horse burst from the chutes at the Can-Am Rodeo and, within five seconds, slammed into a fence and broke her neck. Bystanders knew that she was dead when they heard her neck crack, yet the announcer told the crowd that everything would “be all right” because a vet would see her.(9)

Incidents such as this are not uncommon at rodeos. By the end of one of the annual, nine-day Calgary Stampedes in Alberta, Canada, six animals were dead, including a horse who died of an aneurism and another who suffered a broken leg and had to be euthanized.(10) The following year, at the same event, six more animals died: five horses in the chuckwagon competition and a calf in the roping event.(11) In 2005, fear caused a stampede as horses destined for the Stampede were being herded across a bridge; some jumped and others were pushed into the river. Nine horses died.(12)

The Omak Stampede is an annual event in Washington that features the Wild Horse Race, in which tethered wild horses are released into the arena while cowboys try to mount and ride them (one horse died in 2005). The event culminates with the Suicide Race, in which horses are ridden at furious speeds down a steep hill and into the grandstand. That event killed three horses in 2004; 19 horses have lost their lives to the race in the past 20 years.(13)

During the National Western Stock Show, a horse crashed into a wall and broke his neck, and another horse broke his back after being forced to buck.(14) Dr. Cordell Leif told the Denver Post, “Bucking horses often develop back problems from the repeated poundings they take from the cowboys. There’s also a real leg injury where a tendon breaks down. Horses don’t normally jump up and down.”(15)

Calves roped while running routinely have their necks snapped back by the lasso, often resulting in neck injuries.(16) Even Bud Kerby, owner and operator of Bar T Rodeos Inc., agrees that calf roping is inhumane. He told the St. George Spectrum that he “ wouldn’t mind seeing calf roping phased out.”(17) During Rodeo Houston, a bull suffered from a broken neck for a full 15 minutes before he was euthanized following a steer-wrestling competition, which was described by a local newspaper as an event in which “cowboys violently twist the heads of steers weighing about 500 pounds to bring them to the ground.”(18)

Rodeo association rules are not effective in preventing injuries and are not strictly enforced, and penalties are not severe enough to deter abusive treatment. For example, one rule states that “if a member abuses an animal by any unnecessary, non-competitive or competitive action, he may be disqualified for the remainder of the rodeo and fined $250 for the first offense, with that fine progressively doubling with each offense thereafter.” These are small fines in comparison to the large purses that are at stake. Rules allow the animals to be confined or transported in vehicles for up to 24 hours without being properly fed, watered, or unloaded.(19)

Spurn the Spurs
If a rodeo comes to your town, protest to local authorities, write letters to sponsors, leaflet at the gate, or hold a demonstration. Contact PETA for posters and fliers.

Check state and local laws to find out what types of activities involving animals are and are not legal in your area. For example, after a spectator videotaped a bull breaking his leg during a rodeo event, a Pittsburgh law prohibiting bucking straps, electric prods, and sharpened or fixed spurs in effect banned rodeos altogether, since most rodeos currently touring the country use the flank straps that are prohibited by the law.(20)

Another successful means of banning rodeos is to institute a state or local ban on calf roping, the event in which cruelty is most easily documented. Since many rodeo circuits require calf roping, eliminating it can result in the overall elimination of rodeo shows.

Peta site & References:-http://www.peta2.com/issue/rodeo-cruelty-for-a-buck/

http://www.peta2.com/issue/rodeo-cruelty-for-a-buck/#ixzz2RRBvPXga

Just a few of the many petitions to ban rodeo:–

• http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-rodeo-shows-in-all-american-states.html
• http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-government-ban-all-rodeos-in-the-u-s
• http://www.change.org/petitions/ban-the-santa-barbara-rodeo
• http://www.change.org/petitions/outlaw-cruel-animal-abuse-in-rodeos
• http://www.care2.com/news/member/732469648/3540976
• http://www.change.org/suggested?petition_id=23086
• http://www.causes.com/actions/1680441-against-rodeos-at-el-rancho
• http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-rodeo-shows-in-all-american-states.html
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/728/032/379/tell-america-to-stop-abusing-animals-at-rodeos/
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-the-rodeo-in-santa-barbara-ca/Related site:-https://preciousjules1985.wordpress.com/category/rodeo/

Kids Endangered at 2013 Tucson Rodeo : Rodeos Abuse, Kills Maims Animals

“I was on the SHARK website looking for a certain video when I found this…the ultimate video of heinous abuse that goes on in Rodeos; compiled by SHARK.online.org  For those who know little about Rodeo, it isn’t until you see a bunch of animals injured that you start to think; “hang on, this really isn’t good & is nothing more than animal abuse for the entertainment of the crowds”!

“In the following video, watch as a horse waiting in the chutes has its neck slammed against the steel bars, because it is not acting or not doing what they want it to do…which is acting like an aggressive horse, born & bred to buck!”

“These horses are not vicious or aggressive, they probably just haven’t been backed, i.e. had a saddle put on & broken in properly. Rodeo use a number of things to make the horses appear wilder & buck higher:-

• The flank strap, apparently used to enhance or encourage bucking. It’s fitted loosely while the animal stands in the chute, as it would cause serious injury to the horse if it was tightened whilst in the chute, so just before it leaves the chute, the strap is pulled upwards causing discomfort or at the least a very odd feeling; making the horse want to buck to be rid of it. The flank strap can cause open wounds and burns when the hair is rubbed off and the skin is chafed raw. Former animal control officers have found burrs and other irritants placed under the flank strap.
• Spurs are used to assist the rider to maintain grip and balance. In saddle bronc and bareback events the rider’s feet, at the beginning of the ride, must be positioned either side of the horse’s neck in order to score. During the ride the spurring action assists the rider to maintain balance. Now it depends on the spurs used as to how much discomfort they cause.
• Then of course there are the electric tasers used to shock the horses, which the manufacturers say, should NOT to be used on horses; but that doesn’t stop the rodeo gang. It’s not until you look closely at the guys hanging around the chute, that you see a sneaky hand reach in & shock the horse on the rear or near the face & neck; a split second before the gate is opened! Then the device is either passed to someone else or is quickly hidden to avoid detection! If these horses were wild, or born to buck; why would they have to electrocute them?

“If these horses were wild or born & bred to buck…surely they wouldn’t need bucking straps on, or the use of electric shocks to make them buck; it’s all done to give the best show to the paying crowd!!” “Have you ever noticed that the horses usually stop bucking as soon as the flank strap is released??”

“I’ll share this info, for those not familiar with horses, which kind of proves that flank straps must be very uncomfortable or hurt. My horses are well broken in & accustomed to being touched all over; especially the geldings I have had. They often have to have their genital area cleaned out due to something called smegma! Smegma is a collection of dirt and excretions, which builds up inside the sheath & must be removed for the sake of the horse’s health! Those that don’t do it, or might not even know about it, might be wondering why their male horse looks uncomfortable way trying to pee!

“It is not the most pleasant of thing to do, but it is essential. A firm lump of smegma that has collected and hardened inside the horse’s penis, is often referred to as a nut or bean. This bean must be removed as often as possible or it can cause serious pain to your horse.  I’ve never been crazy about doing this task, but when done often, the more tolerant they become; some even like it & will drop their penis to be cleaned!” “However, if I was to put a bucking strap around their sensitive flank area, even after having their genitals cleaned out…they too, would buck like crazy, because it is a foreign feeling & not pleasant having a tightened strap around that sensitive area!!”

“As the video progresses, watch how grown men actually bite, yes bite the very sensitive part of the horse’s ear; in the so-called “Wild horse race”! But after the continued abuse, the horse goes down, it doesn’t get up, despite the ear biting &kicking.

” The horse is clearly traumatised, probably injured from its assault by several men, trying to grapple it to the ground. How can anyone call that entertainment??” 

 “Watch the faces of the calves or steers, as they are roped, then virtually strangled to death by the rope lassoed & tied to the horse’s saddle. Watch as their tongues hang out, desperate to breath; whilst dragged around by the horse!”

“Just watch, make your own mind up, is it right to do the things they do in rodeos to entertain the dwindling crowds? Ask any real cowboy, who works on a ranch, if they would do any of the things done in a rodeo & they will say “No”. Because real cowboy’s or wranglers have to value each & every calf or horse, so there is no way in hell they would rope them like in the rodeo; as it would cause too many fatalities! Rodeo associations as the PRCA claim very few animals are injured and killed in rodeos; they do not disclose the number of animal injuries and deaths. Furthermore, those who do commit humane violations are granted anonymity.”

“Rodeo is nothing more than fake cowboy’s looking for a thrill & the chance at the cash prize, with the event organisers looking for money.  So if you care about animals, please don’t go. Anyone that does go to a rodeo, (aside from getting undercover video) can not call themselves animal lovers. How could any animal lover sit & watch, the injuries animals forced into rodeos are often faced with. Broken ribs, backs, & legs not to mention punctured lungs, deep internal organ bruising, hemorrhaging,  ripped tendons, torn ligaments & muscles, snapped necks & ultimately those that will endure a long agonizing wait; for the vet to euthanize them… all for a so-called sport”.

“The late Dr. C.G. Haber, a veterinarian who spent 30 years as a federal meat inspector, saw many animals from rodeos sold to the slaughterhouses he inspected. He described seeing animals “with 6-8 ribs broken from the spine, and at times puncturing the lungs.” Haber saw animals with “as much as 2-3 gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin.”

This page exposes Cowboy Criminals:-http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000967

GRAPHIC — Rodeos Abuse, Maim and Kill Animals

“Seriously, are the following parents for real? At this age your supposed to be protecting your kids from getting hurt…not putting in them in harms place. One can see a bad accident just waiting to happen, as the kids helmets fall off; all it takes is one well-aimed kick form a sheep, to cause trauma to the face of those kids. The whole spectacle just makes me want to puke!! It’s about time the PRCM

Kids Endangered at 2013 Tucson Rodeo

Published on 20 Mar 2013

Rodeo thugs demonstrate that they will abuse either animals or kids for a show.

Just a few Petitions Against Rodeo, please sign:

• http://www.change.org/suggested?petition_id=23086
  
• http://www.causes.com/actions/1680441-against-rodeos-at-el-rancho
• http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/ban-rodeo-shows-in-all-american-states.html
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/728/032/379/tell-america-to-stop-abusing-animals-at-rodeos/
• http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-the-rodeo-in-santa-barbara-ca/
• http://www.change.org/petitions/ban-the-santa-barbara-rodeo

Chuckwagon race that killed three Calgary Stampede horses spurs fresh calls to ban event

“Please click the link below to watch the video, viewer discretion is advised! 

The deaths of three horses in a chuckwagon-racing accident at the Calgary Stampede has ignited renewed demands by animal-welfare advocates to ban the exciting but dangerous event.

“We think that all the changes that the Calgary Stampede has been publicizing over the past few months that were supposed to make this race safe obviously haven’t worked,” Peter Fricker, a spokesman for the Vancouver Humane Society, told the Globe and Mailon Friday.

Chad Harden races his wagon in the Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon event during the 100th anniversary of the Calgary

[ Related: Research aims to reduce horse deaths at chuckwagon races ]

Going into this year’s centennial edition of the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” some 50 horses have died since 1986 in chuckwagon racing, four in 2010 and two last year.

The GMC Rangeland Derby is the highlight of the Stampede’s daily rodeo events.

The fourth heat of Thursday night’s racing card was underway when the lead horse in Chad Harden’s wagon collapsed in the back stretch, CBC News reported. That caused a chain-reaction that brought down three other horses on the team and sent one of the team’s two outriders and his horse toppling over the wagon. The outrider was not hurt, nor was Harden despite being flung from his wagon seat, the Globe reported.

The outrider’s horse and the other lead horse on the wagon rig were badly injured and were euthanized.

“It’s just devastating for our whole family,” a sobbing Harden said after the crash, which he called “just one of those bad accidents.

“We try our best to make sure they’re all healthy. The outriding horse was 18 years old, and I’ve had him for 13 years. He’s part of our family.”

Veterinarians were to perform a necropsy on the horse that collapsed to try and determine why it went down.

[ Related: The Calgary Stampede at 100 ]

Animal researchers had equipped a number of chuckwagon horses with wireless electrocardiogram-monitoring gear to try and detect heart problems in horses before they run. The Vancouver Humane Society, which has led the fight to ban rodeo events such as chuckwagon racing and calf roping because they are seen as cruel, had been skeptical about the work to make the frenetic race safer.

Yet, Stampede spokesman Doug Fraser dismissed Fricker’s call for an end to chuckwagon racing. The Vancouver Humane Society is an “activist group with an activist agenda,” he told the Globe.

“We rely on the advice from heavy animal experts. We don’t rely on the advice from organizations like VHS.”

The Vancouver society’s Calgary counterpart said it’s against using animals for entertainment but concedes events like the chuckwagon races aren’t going away.

“We think that working with the Stampede is the best that we can do to help make these events as safe as possible,” Calgary Human Society’s Christy Thompson told the Globe.

But Fricker said the nature of the race makes it hard to improve safety. “Then it’s pretty darn obvious it should be stopped!”

Up to four teams, including two outriders each, start the race by careening around a figure-eight section before charging onto the main track. The crush of wagons and outriders often leads to pileups.

“There’s just not very much room,” said Fricker. “They’re making very tight turns and they’re going at high speed.”

Critics have also pointed to the selective breeding of chuckwagon horses, which are far removed from the cow ponies of yore. Fricker said research suggests some horses have legs too weak for their bodies. After four horses died in 2010, chuckwagon racing rules were changed, cutting the number of outriders to two from four and mandating pre-race vet checks and rest days between races. But Fricker told CBC News it’s clear they haven’t made the racing any safer.

“We think that there’s something more fundamentally wrong with the race, and we’re calling for a suspension of the chuckwagon races and a full and fundamental safety review to be conducted,” he said.

Video & News Link:–http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/chuckwagon-race-killed-three-calgary-stampede-horses-spurs-160319361.html

Animals rights group compares Calgary Stampede’s calf roping event to abusing a baby in new ad

A new ad by an animals right group compares calf roping at the Calgary Stampede to abusing a three-month old baby.

The Vancouver Humane Society ad was published Thursday in a Calgary weekly newspaper and shows a diaper-clad child next to young calf.

The caption says: “Just three months old – Would you abuse a baby to entertain a crowd?”

The Vancouver Human Society has called for an outright ban of calf-roping at all rodeo events in Canada and has specifically asked the Calgary Stampede — which starts Friday — to drop the event.

The group says calf roping — which features animals between three and four months old — is the “most inhumane” of all events at the Stampede.

Surrey, B.C. Mayor Dianne Watt has called upon her counterpart in Calgary, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, to push for an end to calf roping.

The Calgary Humane Society is opposed to calf roping but instead of calling for a ban is focusing its efforts on regulating rodeo events to minimize harm to animals.

News Link:-http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/05/animals-rights-group-compares-calgary-stampedes-calf-roping-event-to-abusing-a-baby-in-new-ad/

Related articles:- https://preciousjules1985.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/bob-barker-on-the-calgary-stampede-rodeo-close-it-down/

• Urge The Mayor Of Calgary To Stop The Stampede (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Animal rights activists say video shows horse abuse at Reno Rodeo more extensive than thought

RENO, Nev. — Animal rights activists say additional videotape shot at the Reno Rodeo shows the alleged abuse of bucking broncos was more extensive than originally thought. “If they can’t see it, they are blind, or don’t want to know it happens!”

Leaders of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, publicized videotape last week they say showed an unknown person secretly giving electric shocks to horses just before they left chutes for competition last month in violation of the rodeo’s policy.

Additional undercover footage released at a news conference Friday in Reno shows a total of four men were involved in the animal shocking, and some horses were shocked by two of them at once, said Steve Hindi, president of the Illinois-based group.

One man used a 10,000-volt electric prod that is banned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, he maintained, while the three others used a 5,000-volt prod that the PRCA only allows on horses that stall in chutes.

SHARK claims rodeo organizers, stock contractors, riders and judges were aware of the use of electric prods and covered it up. The prods were used to rig the competition and help certain cowboys, it further contends. “What you have to remember in rodeo, is, it’s all about the money…not just for the fake cowboys who hang on to a bucking horse (made to buck by a flank strap etc) or strangle baby calves…the contractors of the animals, suppliers etc. all have to make money too, regardless of pain the animals endure!”

“Anyone want to give it a shot?” Hindi asked as visible sparks emerged from two prods he displayed. “It hurts. It is painful. And they say horses are more sensitive to electricity than people … We’re against animals being put at risk for entertainment.” “I have a tens machine for my back pain, a device that transmit small charges that can help in pain management. I’m a bit of a prankster & always trying to get friends to try it, if  anyone will, even when at the lowest setting, you would think they had just sat on the electric chair! If I put it on my horse, she would go flipping bonkers..so I dread to think of the shock the rodeo horses get!”

The Reno Rodeo Association issued a statement Friday saying it was aware of SHARK’s video and may comment later “if and when there is a need to comment on allegations made.”

The association stressed that it makes the health and welfare of its animals a priority, and it works with the rodeo’s official veterinarian to monitor the conditions of livestock. “How can strangling & roping an animal to it’s knees be anything like health & welfare?”

“We understand that there are groups and individuals who do not believe we have the right to interact with animals in sports such as rodeo, but we believe that we can with proper care and handling of those animals,” the statement says. “Have the right to interact with animals…well NO… nobody has the right to hurt an animal, & especially not when the rodeo aim is to force animals to their knees through brute force, or use electric prods on animals…NO they don’t have the bloody right to interact in such horrific ways…especially when they call it animal sport or tradition…who the hell do they think they are? “

After watching the earlier video, rodeo spokesman Steve Schroeder acknowledged that bucking horses were shocked by a person in violation of rodeo rules.

He also said cowboys were found to be “messing” with overhead cameras the rodeo installed after SHARK released similar video in 2011, and the man who administered the shocks worked “really hard to stay out of camera view.” “Mmmm, so why are they messing with cameras, & trying really hard to stay off camera?? because their doing wrong & they don’t want people to see their despicable ways of forcing animals to perform.”

Schroeder wouldn’t identify the man but said he longer would be allowed at the rodeo. He said he expects the man and the livestock subcontractor to face fines. “I will look out for proof of that, not that I will find any, because nobody will face fines etc!”

The PRCA is reviewing the earlier video and allegations, spokeswoman Cindy Schonholtz said Friday, but it has not received the latest video.

The association has 60 rules that govern the care of animals at rodeos, and violators are subject to penalties ranging from fines to suspension and expulsion. Judges at PRCA-sanctioned rodeos submit any rule violations to the association. “Obviously, shocking a frightened horse, shocking any animal, half strangling calves, tripping animals that cause them to break bones, etc. etc. None of these are in the rule book…wonder what the 60 rules could be…I bet its’ about how much bling one can have on a belt buckle!”

“At the Reno rodeo, the judges felt that the use of the prod they observed was within the rules outlined for chute stalling or known chute-stalling horses in order to facilitate safe exit from the chutes,” Schonholtz told The Associated Press. “Why didn’t they just move to another chute & let the horse come out of it’s own accord, which it would have done if not scared half to death!”

The allowed hand-held prods have a similar sensation to an electric livestock fence, she said, and do not make a horse buck or affect the competition once the horse and competitor have exited the chute. “Would anybody like to test that shock? I have been caught many a time when I have been trying to duck under an electric fence to get my horse…I can confirm, it bloody hurts!”

SHARK also released video showing two running calves that were roped around the neck and flipped over on their backs at the Reno Rodeo. One calf’s rear leg was seriously injured, while the other’s neck appeared to break as the cowboy tied its legs. “Not serious enough for their rule book, obviously!”

Hindi said the injuries resulted from “jerk downs,” a practice the PRCA has banned. A jerk down occurs “if a contestant jerks a calf over backward in tie-down roping,” according to the PRCA.

“(The rule) was in place at the Reno Rodeo and violations were reported to the PRCA office,” Schonholtz said. “Those who violated that rule will be receiving penalties as outlined in the policy.”

Hindi thinks the four men using the electric prods were employed by stock contractors, but he was unsure of their names or employers.

The use of the prods is difficult to see in the video because the cowboys wore gloves and long-sleeve shirts to hide them, Hindi said. “You can see it, if your looking in the right place, watch any so-called cowboy, that is leaning over the chute, you will see him pull his hand away very quickly & either tuck the shocker up his sleeve or place it in the back pocket…its bloody obvious to those looking for it!”

Rodeo Horses Roped, Tripped, Slammed, Severely Abused

“How in the hell are these people allowed to blatantly abuse animals, in front of an audience, & not be prosecuted???  It sickens me how they rope the horses, then, not intent on half strangling them to death, they rope their legs & flip them too!! Anyone who loves horses can see how easily it is to break their legs, spine, neck…I’m DISGUSTED with any & all that take part in, or sponsor (Like Coco-Cola) this heinous abuse of sentient beings!”

“No real cowboy would treat animals in this way…because the horses & livestock they work with are valued…not just objects to use, terrorize & abuse! How can anyone really watch this & say it’s a sport, it’s good wholesome family fun? are they deluded or what?? One things for sure, if they enjoy watching this type of abuse & get a kick out of it…they sure as hell shouldn’t own any animals! P.S. the horse with the leg hanging at the knee…wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t forced to stand, all the way to the slaughter-house! they gotta make some money out of it!!”

Rodeo Horses Roped, Tripped, Slammed, Severely Abused

 

Published on 15 Jun 2012 by SHARKonlineorg

They’re real proud of their rodeo in Jordan Valley, Oregon. Unfortunately, the men (and women) don’t feel like men unless they’re abusing animals.

In this video we focus on the horses roped, slammed to the ground, and sometimes dragged by the Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo’s signature event, Big Loop horse roping.

Shame on Les Schwab Tire Centers and the Idaho Power Company sponsor this outrageous abuse. Please contact each and tell them to stop their participation in such cowardly cruelty.

“Turn your volume up for this one, so you can hear the animals gasping for air…how can this be allowed to happen? Listen to the crowds ‘Ooo’s’ as an animal falls hard, why are they bothered, that’s what they went to see, isn’t it?? animals being abused for fun!”

Big Loop Rodeo Cruelty Wrap-Up

 

Published on 2 Jul 2012 by SHARKonlineorg

Beside the cruelty and injuries of the Big Loop Rodeo in Jordan Valley, Oregon, there was more abuse behind the scenes. Watch as phony cowboy wannabes hit, shock and otherwise torment their victims.