“I kind of feel bad . . . but that’s the rodeo and life goes on,” he said.

[Miss*Bijou]

Two horses killed at Calgary Stampede
http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/horses+killed+Calgary+Stampede/3268573/story.html


CALGARY — ...

Later in the afternoon, a horse named Sinder Mountain, one of the Calgary Stampede’s stock, had to be euthanized after apparently breaking its back during the novice saddle bronc event. The animal continued to buck after the ride, then collapsed.

Steed Cline competed on Sinder Mountain just before the incident, but didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.

“I kind of feel bad . . . but that’s the rodeo and life goes on,” he said. “You can’t have it perfect every day.”

It brings the number of animals killed at the 10-day event to three. Monday’s double tragedy comes less than 24 hours after rider Amy Carver suffered a broken shoulder blade and serious head injury during the Stampede’s team cattle penning event where a horse was also killed.

...

Four animals — one steer and three horses — died during last year’s Stampede.

That's the rodeo life, eh cowboy? So if you had died, is that what we'd say? Oh well, not everyday's perfect, ya know. Cowboy's dead..meh.. kinda feel bad but that's the rodeo. Now on with the festivities!

It may very well be the rodeo. But the difference cowboy, is that you choose to do this and you pocket the money and the ego. The horse, however, didn't choose to be part of your rodeo, never pocketed a penny and wasn't given a choice as to whether or not he wanted to break his back and die so you could have your little rodeo fun.

Evidently, you're not about to realize any of this because clearly, to you, the horses (and animals) are there for YOU - but would it kill you (ha!) to at least try not to sound like such a douchebag? Maybe?




Yay! Vancouver Humane Society:

Calgary Herald runs VHS's full-page ad against calf-roping

The Calgary Herald newspaper is today running a full-page advertisement critical of calf-roping, a key event at the Calgary Stampede rodeo. The ad was placed by the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS), which is campaigning for a ban on the event.

In 2009, the Herald refused to print an anti-rodeo ad submitted by VHS. It is believed that today’s full-page ad is the first ever published by the Herald that is openly anti-rodeo.

http://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/stampede.html


The myth of rodeo’s old west heritage

Rodeo promoters will say that calf-roping and other rodeo events are part of the culture of the old west. But when real cowboys roped calves on the range there was no pressure from a stopwatch or big prize money. It was done as gently as possible to ensure the animal was not injured. The myth of rodeo’s old west “heritage” has been used with other events. Real cowboys did not ride bulls (Why would they?) or wrestle steers (invented for rodeo in the 1930s) or have chuckwagon races (invented for rodeo in 1923). Rodeo has almost nothing to do with the culture of the old west. It is merely sensational entertainment – and it causes animals to suffer for the most trivial of purposes.


For more information on rodeos click here.





Seriously people, it's 2010 ffs.

Why the hell do we still still need to terrorize, torture or kill animals for entertainment?

 

[HB40]

Seriously people, it's 2010 ffs.

Why the hell do we still still need to terrorize, torture or kill animals for entertainment?

Because the damn do-gooders said it was too barbaric to use humans.

 

[icemanmp1]

and they say were the smartest mammel on the face of the earth......yaaa right......lets get back to basics people....

 

[uncleg]

I grew up on small farms and ranches. We branded, ear tagged, castrated and ATE many animals. We also fed, housed, doctored and generally loved them. We did most of our own vet and farrier work to save time and money. When an animal had to be put down my dad would shoot it and often he had tears in his eyes. One of our sideline businesses was renting stock to rodeos. At the beginning of the season we lease them out and get them back in the fall. They always came back in good condition and were well treated. Losing an animal is heart breaking and costly. However, people in cities have lost all touch with reality and anthropomorphise animals when our thoughts and feelings mean nothing to that animal. Until you have raised an animal and then butchered it and eaten it you have no real idea of the food chain. Animals are property in our care and they deserve our respect but are NOT human.

Maybe everybody should be vegan, then it won't be an issue. People are happy to pay big money to watch a couple of guys get into a ring and beat the crap out of each other, or slam each other into the boards at a hockey game, yet complain about mistreatment of an animal that they are prepared to kill and eat ?????? Not everybody is entertained by the same thing. I grew up in the interior and spent some time working on ranches, and experienced much of what CadMan did. Eating a calf in the fall you helped a cow drop in the spring was not a big deal.

 

[HB40]

Give your head a shake uncleg, that's a weak arguement.

Yeah, but this guy makes a pretty good point...

you no nuttin xcept stoopid fighting ufc and you no fuck a women not know

 

[uncleg]

Give your head a shake uncleg, that's a weak arguement. The animals have no say in the matter and are there for YOUR pleasure not there's....athletes fight or play a sport for their own enjoyment and to compete.

Is it ? Somebody, somewhere is raising a cow that will end up on your BBQ for your enjoyment. That cow has no say in the matter, it does not do that for its' enjoyment or benefit. Chances are somebody will rope that cow to brand it. Somebody will rope it to castrate it, all for your enjoyment, not the cows. I've never seen cowboys punch each other out for enjoyment, nor is it a popular "sport" in cow country. I'll go hunting, but mostly with a camera. As long as I can buy meat I see no reason to shoot an animal that means me no harm, but I am realistic enough to know that the meat I eat does not come from a volunteer.

 

[mimi]

Some random thoughts on this:

A fellow in Deroche had put some cattle stock out on his vast acreage to live and breed for a few years. At the end of the Cloverdale Rodeo he invited some cowboys to come help him round up the stock...these cattle were wild now....the ambulances were flying down Lougheed Hwy to rescue those who were gored and the vets had to be called in for the horses...that is how the story went...I personally saw the ambulances and wondered what it was all about.

Wild cattle are cunning and deadly. They will circle around and creep up on the very ones who are hunting them. Those long horns they grow are deadly....the real cowboys in the Wild West were a much different breed than the 'show ponies' we see now.

Another thought: I bought a six year old Quarter Horse, about 16 hh, that had been used for cattle penning. Three of her legs were in very bad shape. Cattle penning is for small horses with a shorter turning radius. A big horse like that, a running Quarter Horse (Bred with a Thoroughbred to increase leg length, which, also, increased chest mass while decreasing rump mass, which increased the weight the horse bears on it's front legs) puts a lot of strain on joints in an attempt to make those tight turns at short bursts of speed...just a stupid thing to do to a horse, not to mention stalling her on a tie rope on a concrete floor which sucked the moisture out of her hooves.

The entire Horse Industry is dedicated to ignoring the needs of the animal in favour of the wants of the owner.

One more thought: I live in an area where there are many 'concentration camps' for animals....these critters live in an artificial environment, never feeling grass underfoot. When they are loaded and sent to slaughter they are cramped into trucks and banged and bruised. That is pretty crappy meat, by the time it gets to your table.

We slaughtered our own right on the farm. They had good natural lives, and, yes, it is difficult to eat something you named..until they have bred to the point where population control is essential or outbreaks or disease will happen. Anyway, the meat of home raised, and humanely slaughtered animals is far superior to what Save-on sells.

Oh, one more thought: Most of the meat raised in abysmal conditions will just end up in the garbage anyway. People who walk down supermarket aisles throwing dead body parts into their cart have no concept of the sacrifice that took place to get the meat there in the first place....when you get too full you just scrape it all into the garbage can.

 

[little Cowboy]

Nobody like to see animals hurt. And for the most part rodeo stock is well treated. Consider how many events are held every year and see how many animals get hurt. There are some event I don't like because of the 'risk' like calf roping. But they are using larger stock now.

What i do shake my head over is how the animal rights people act. And how they really don't see the larger issues. For example...How many deer get killed on our highways? Are we gonna ban driving? Would lower speed limits help? Sure..but are we willing to pay for the extra enforcement??

How about the mistreatment of animals in private homes?? There is much abuse that goes unnoticed. Personally as a animal lover and owner there is much I see that I wish we could do something about. But going after a single issue like a rodeo isn't going to solve the larger issues. Look at chicken farms for example...20,000 birds in one room..never seeing daylight..is that natural? As a whole man does a poor job of feeding himself. How about feed lots??

To me its not about the 'killing' or death that we should get so concerned about, its the quality of life that we should be concerned about. Rodeo stock enjoy a nice life. Compared to a large dog in the city....or a horse in a box stall.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Maybe everybody should be vegan, then it won't be an issue. People are happy to pay big money to watch a couple of guys get into a ring and beat the crap out of each other, or slam each other into the boards at a hockey game, yet complain about mistreatment of an animal that they are prepared to kill and eat ?????? Not everybody is entertained by the same thing. I grew up in the interior and spent some time working on ranches, and experienced much of what CadMan did. Eating a calf in the fall you helped a cow drop in the spring was not a big deal.

Please, please, please at least read the entire post if you're going to comment. The debate could have been about oh-so-much more, especially with some of the responses so far...but I was hoping to keep it about the specific issue of rodeos - so that is what I wrote about.


I'm all for having the "animals for meat" discussion on another day or in a different thread but what I specifically wanted to bring up in this thread in no way relates to that at all. (Trust me, I've been resisting posting about the fucking POS in Manitoba last month, who let 500 pigs die and hundreds more near death, by not feeding them, not giving them water -both of which he HAD- and cutting off the ventilation.)



I am talking about using animals for our own entertainment (benefit) in ways that hurt, terrorize and KILL them.


Instead of jumping on with arguments about a different issues altogether, please explain why/how you feel about taking a month old calf and putting it through the following (below) for no other purpose than to entertain an audience and make a few bucks for the "cowboy". That's what this thread is about. Not farm life, not vegetarians, vegans or omnivores. It is about animal abuse for the sole purpose of entertaining the dumb, bald apes that we are:




The Calgary Stampede, like all rodeos, is a cruel spectacle of animal abuse. Fear, pain and stress are used to coerce animals into performing for the entertainment of human beings – a barbaric concept. Yet here in Canada, in the 21st century, we offer this as a tourist attraction and as a symbol of our culture.

Perhaps the most inhumane of all rodeo events, calf-roping remains a big part of the Stampede. The Vancouver Humane Society is calling for a ban on calf-roping at rodeos across Canada and is asking the Calgary Stampede (July 9 - 18, 2010) to show the way by dropping this event. In 2009, VHS’s campaign against calf-roping drew massive public and media attention. Now it’s time for the Stampede to listen to Canadians who oppose abusing animals for entertainment.



Stampede calf crueltyWhat is calf-roping?

Calf-roping, also known as tie-down roping (rodeo promoters changed the name to make it more palatable to the public), is probably the least popular rodeo event, even among avid rodeo fans. There is often a gasp from the crowds when the calf, just three to four months old, is brought to a sudden, jerking halt at the end of the rope.


The event starts with the calf contained in a steel-barred “chute” at the side of the arena. The calf is goaded, prodded and often has its tail twisted to ensure it will burst out of the chute at full speed (up to 27 miles per hour). The terrified calf is then chased by a mounted rider who must lasso the calf, jump of his horse, pick up the calf, slam it to the ground and tie three of its feet together. The event is timed and the rider who does it fastest wins.


Calves are sometimes injured or killed because of the sudden physical impact of the roping. The time pressure of the event and the prize money at stake can lead to poor roping, harsh handling and mistakes by riders – all of which put the calf at risk of injury. But it is not just the risk of injury that is the problem with calf-roping. It’s the fear.



Stampede calf roping crueltyThe cruelty of fear

All cattle are “prey” animals and research has shown they are particularly sensitive to fear. Dr. Temple Grandin, the distinguished animal behaviourist, has written that fear is “so bad” for animals it can be worse than pain. There can be little doubt that a three-month-old calf, goaded and chased into an arena with a shouting crowd is suffering even before the rope pulls him off his feet. How can tormenting an animal in this way be acceptable as entertainment? Treating a dog this way would result in cruelty charges. Sadly, farm animals in Canada have no such legal protection – apparently even when they are used for mere entertainment.

http://vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/stampede.html





People, I don't care how "well" they're treated. My point is why should they have to be put through it at all? So we can be "entertained"? Can we not find any other ways of "entertaining" ourselves that don't include harming, scaring or killing (otherwise well treated) living, feeling, breathing animals.


-------


As for anthropomorphising.. that's an interesting one.
Because there's another extreme to that, which is using it as an excuse to continue abusing animals because we're human and they're not.


The thing about this argument as well, is that what we believed or were told about animals even 15-20 years ago has changed immensely and continues to change. Why? Because no one ever bothered to study animals as anything but little machines until very recently, it just wasn't acceptable. But they do now and they know a lot more. If you ever make the effort to find out more about it, you might be in for quite a shock. Mark Bekoff* comes to mind but he certainly is not the only one.


If you want to use that argument, that's fine but you have to at least read up on it because what people believed 30-40 years ago is quite different from what people who have actually been studying in this field over the last 10-15 years. Like waaaayy different.


* just a few links: (info) (academic) (blog) (interview)

 

[Miss*Bijou]

The entire Horse Industry is dedicated to ignoring the needs of the animal in favour of the wants of the owner.

Your entire post was great and super interesting. I won't comment on all of it here because I want to try to stay on topic but I wanted to give you this link - relevant to your comment above (she's awesome):

www.fuglyblog.com


I think a lot of the animal rights issues have to do with people unwilling to change the way things are done, have always been done. That, and complete brainwashing from the time we're born, to see animals as less, unthinking, unfeeling, unimportant, like our property, etc... Until someone decides to sit down and honestly see animals from a different perspective, the instinct will always be to reject any change or any suggestion that as we learn more and more, and as we supposedly become more evolved, many long held beliefs need re-evaluating. That is what (supposedly) makes us human, that is what our big complex brains are for. Unfortunately, resistance to and fear of change is very strong and most people will keep refusing to even consider any of it as an option.


Which is why animal rights get strong knee-jerk, defensive reactions anytime they are brought up. (Eg No offense but wth does veganism have to do with a post on rodeos?! To people like that, there is no open mind about an issue, their mind is made up and even if it has nothing to do with what's being discussed, they will refuse to even hear it out.) It's very unfortunate but the truth is that there is no real discussion possible in that kind of atmosphere. Just dogma.

 

[HB40]

People, I don't care how "well" they're treated. My point is why should they have to be put through it at all? So we can be "entertained"? Can we not find any other ways of "entertaining" ourselves that don't include harming, scaring or killing (otherwise well treated) living, feeling, breathing animals.

I think a lot of the animal rights issues have to do with people unwilling to change the way things are done, have always been done. That, and complete brainwashing from the time we're born, to see animals as less, unthinking, unfeeling, unimportant, like our property, etc... Until someone decides to sit down and honestly see animals from a different perspective, the instinct will always be to reject any change or any suggestion that as we learn more and more, and as we supposedly become more evolved, many long held beliefs need re-evaluating. That is what (supposedly) makes us human, that is what our big complex brains are for. Unfortunately, resistance to and fear of change is very strong and most people will keep refusing to even consider any of it as an option.

Tell that to my cats, I have been trying to tell them for years not to play with their food. Seriously, my cats will toss mice around and torment them for a long time, I can't explain this behaviour any other way except they are amusing themselves. I can't even count how many birds I have saved from their evil games, I had a 1 year old tabby climb way up into a magpie nest and I swear he was smiling and taunting them as he broke open each egg and ate them. The magpies sounded like they were screaming in anguish and my damn cat just revelled in it! And what about pack animals, the way they circle and corner their prey, it's almost like they're having fun too at the expense of an other animal.

I think we are no better than animals, we are animals! It's a good thing we are smarter, but we still share much of the same traits and instincts, I don't think we can evolve out of being animals. Humans still have pack mentalities, animal rights activists and the like are just trying to win the balance of power, numbers are your best weapons. You have to conquer the pack leaders to exact any change. The problem is that power brings out our savage instincts for survival and satisfaction and so starts the viscious circle of life again, or as some like to call it....the food chain.

 

[little Cowboy]

Your handle suggests you might not be able to discuss this issue without bias.

I'm definitely with Bijou on this. I have felt that way for a very long time.

Again you are wrong...and assuming...I happen to have horses..hence the handle. And I study natural horsemanship which works with the nature of the horse the mind rather then the bigger bit and spurs. And IF you read my post with an unbiased POV..you would have seen that i don't agree with all that rodeo offers.

My whole point is this many animal rights people do NOT have a clue as to what goes on. and by that i mean both ways..there is cruelity where you don't expect it and kindness where you wouldn't expect it. What upsets me the most is the 'single issue' mentality when there is much abuse going on. Temple Gradin..has pointed out the issues of cattle handling. NOT the animial rights people, they didn't have a CLUE about that. They thought it was fine. In fact its the cattle industry that is her biggest fan.

The other issue is the 'painting' of anyone who is in the business, or has a handle the resembles 'cowboy' is automatically an abuser and doesn't care about animal welfare...and I'll tell you nothing could be a more generialized thinking. And that kind of thinking only further divides people who would actually share the same views if the enviroment wasn't so hostile.

Have tyou heard of the abuses done by groups such as PETA??? Yep I am talking about animal abuses.

 

[aznboi9]

I think we are no better than animals, we are animals! It's a good thing we are smarter, but we still share much of the same traits and instincts, I don't think we can evolve out of being animals. Humans still have pack mentalities, animal rights activists and the like are just trying to win the balance of power, numbers are your best weapons. You have to conquer the pack leaders to exact any change. The problem is that power brings out our savage instincts for survival and satisfaction and so starts the viscious circle of life again, or as some like to call it....the food chain.

While I would agree with the thinking that we are basically animals, I think that we have the ability to rise above our base intincts. So my personal argument would be that just because animals act in a particular way doesn't necessarily justify the same behaviour in ourselves.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

While I would agree with the thinking that we are basically animals, I think that we have the ability to rise above our base intincts. So my personal argument would be that just because animals act in a particular way doesn't necessarily justify the same behaviour in ourselves.

I agree. Again, what those big complex brains of ours should be capable of doing.

It's a good thing we are smarter

Yes, we are smarter by our own "standards" of what it means to be intelligent. However on many other levels, there are some animals who actually come very close to humans in terms of using parts of the brain far more efficiently than we humans do. Whales & dolphins come to mind. So do elephant. It really is unbelievable that we are unable to value these animals, especially now that we know they are highly intelligent, lead incredibly complex social lives, have their own "cultures", do communicate between one another, recognize up to 100 individual (elephants) and so much more I can't even begin to get into here. Whales have been around on this planet for far longer than we have...how arrogant can we be to think we're better. They're not destroying the planet, we are. They're going extinct because of our greed and stupidity. And stubbornness in refusing to accept that change is needed.


I'm not sure why we still feel justified for the way we mistreat animals, simply because we're humans, because we can and because we're better...? That's up for debate because I really don't see all that much pointing to us being any better. The food chain? Not really. The food chain serves a purpose on a very basic need for survival. Rodeos, poaching, shark fining etc are not in any way necessary to anyone's survival. They are purely ego centric things to do. They aren't part of the food chain one bit. The food chain is a sustainable cycle. These kinds of things are not.

Animals are property. They don't think, feel or act like us. I love watching nature shows where idiots like Steve Irwin pretend to "bond" with wild animals and then get killed or eaten by them. There would be many fewer horses around today unless man domesticated them. They would be in the wild starving and hunted by predators. They live the life of rock stars as rodeo stock and occasionally one gets hurt just like a race horse. Get over it.

wow Cadman - That's really cold.

I guess no one told you the earth isn't flat either, huh.

I hate to break it to you but the earth is indeed round and not flat. And animals are indeed not machines. It's not a romantic notion or a vague idea, it's actual science and facts.

3 year olds don't act or think like us. People with down syndrome don't act like us. Does that mean they belong on the rodeo circuit?

There would never even be this many horses if we didn't "breed" them irresponsibly. Just like any other animals in the wild, some (the weak, the old) would fall prey to predators, others would live on.. that's a really lame excuse for doing whatever we want we them! I think they'd do just fine without us. They did fine without us before there were "us" around...they'd do just as fine with us gone.


Sorry, but I'm not planning on getting over it. I think what needs getting over is our human ego and arrogance. An most of all, old ideas that do not work with the knowledge we now have is what needs getting over. Forward, not backwards is the way to go.

 

[JustAGuy]

Animals are property. They don't think, feel or act like us. I love watching nature shows where idiots like Steve Irwin pretend to "bond" with wild animals and then get killed or eaten by them. There would be many fewer horses around today unless man domesticated them. They would be in the wild starving and hunted by predators. They live the life of rock stars as rodeo stock and occasionally one gets hurt just like a race horse. Get over it.

You forgot to say that some mythical god gave us dominion over all living things on earth, to do with as we please. It's pretty rich to see someone who'd use the line "animals are property" calling someone else an idiot.

 

[classycarly]

If people wouls stop buying tickets to these events, then it would stop because there would be no money to be made. Until that happens, I'm afraid the practice of killing animals for human enjoyment and sport will carry on. It's unfortunate. I certainly derive no pleasure in that sort of wild and barbaric pastime. I won't call it a sport, because IMO I don't think it qualifies as a sport. IMO It's just gratuitous violence "on show" for blood thirsty, IQ challenged humans. MO only......

 

[Miss*Bijou]

The other issue is the 'painting' of anyone who is in the business, or has a handle the resembles 'cowboy' is automatically an abuser and doesn't care about animal welfare...and I'll tell you nothing could be a more generialized thinking. And that kind of thinking only further divides people who would actually share the same views if the enviroment wasn't so hostile.

I agree with you. About the generalizing and that it does more harm than good. For the record, it wasn't my intention to imply that my comments from the original post was meant to any and all cowboys, but rather more specifically to the one from the article and others who may view animals' lives as disposable and their purpose to entertain us/them and as means to make a buck. It really illustrates what a lot of non-cowboys think too; that animals have no value or purpose of their own, that we are entitled and justified to use them in any way we feel might benifit us. Even if it's purely for our own entertainment. And I think there's no excuse for it in 2010. But it wasn't my intention to imply that this applied to all cowboys.. It applies to anyone with that mentality, lack of compassion and sense of entitlement. Sorry if I wasn't clear about what I meant.


As far as dealing with a single issue... I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. There aren't many other options but to address all issues individually, if you want any change. Otherwise how could you effectively bring awareness to the whole problem without first doing this with each single issue?

 

[little Cowboy]

I agree with you. About the generalizing and that it does more harm than good. For the record, it wasn't my intention to imply that my comments from the original post was meant to any and all cowboys, but rather more specifically to the one from the article and others who may view animals' lives as disposable and their purpose to entertain us/them and as means to make a buck. It really illustrates what a lot of non-cowboys think too; that animals have no value or purpose of their own, that we are entitled and justified to use them in any way we feel might benifit us. Even if it's purely for our own entertainment. And I think there's no excuse for it in 2010. But it wasn't my intention to imply that this applied to all cowboys.. It applies to anyone with that mentality, lack of compassion and sense of entitlement. Sorry if I wasn't clear about what I meant.

M As far as dealing with a single issue... I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. There aren't many other options but to address all issues individually, if you want any change. Otherwise how could you effectively bring awareness to the whole problem without first doing this with each single issue?

My post wasn't directed at you but at garypayr (or whatever) for suggesting (assuming) that with my handle I was biased

You and I have chatted about horse, so you know where I stand.

I am just watching BC news about some dude who left a box of kittens out in the street..they lived but were soaked in sweat and were panting (its HOT when the pussy pants...LOL).

This is the dumb ass stuff that humans do. This is the stuff that Animal Right people should target. The Calgary Stampede is just a convenient target, a soap box. It will NOT change the views of people enough for them to stop going. It takes education of the average folk..there are more back yard abuses then in any professional rodeo, whether we are talking about dogs or horses. There is even the biggest of them all..killing with kindness...yes many horses suffer extreme pain due to over eating and being over weight (laminitis and founder).

It NOT a simply issue to deal with but to protest like PETA and others, doesn't solve anything. To many of these folks is the 'protest' against anything society does that gives them the thrill. You find the same people at every other kind of protest, like the Olympics, G20 etc...Professional shit disturbers.

There are events in a rodeo that i don't particularly like, calf roping and bull dogging have the potential to hurt animals. But the bucking sports bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, the chance for the horse to get hurt are much lower than the rider. And the animal isn't scared...its a job for them..8 second job..how do you tell? Well after the bucking is over the animal settles down and heads for the chute he knows where to go..a scared animal isn't going to do that.

Every where we go there are abuses..we ALL contribute to them in one form or another. examples...human abuses..how many here go to walmart, Canadian tire or other places that by from China. By buying we condone.

Even this business has the abuse risk..

So my point of 'single issue' 'single focus' also simply diverts our attention away from that 'closer to home'

I try and set the example with my horses and treatment there of. I study natural horsemanship which works with the horses instincts, and psychology instead of a bigger bit or bigger spur.

And my last beef? Much of the horse abuse is on reserves. By people who claim to be stewards of the environment. There was a letter in a 'horse mag' where a 'reserve person' spoke of the situation..and she asked to be anonymous for her safety. That concerns me that she can't even reach out to agencies like SPCA because of the 'laws' having no effect on reserves. But I am further disturbed by the fact that Animal rights, environmentalists etc. stand by as well ...simply because they are 'usually' on the same side on other issues..so hence the 'blind eye'

Yes there has to be changes on how we view 'life' in general. Whether its human life or animal life..we/they do have the 'god given right' to enjoy life on earth. But a bucking horse can enjoy himself as much as my horse who trail rides...

 

[Dionysus]

Hypocrisy and selective targeting

The Stampede gets this criticism every year, and some of it has merit. However, the number of animals annually injured or killed there is infinitesimal compared to the wild horses that end up as dog food or on the tables of France. I also find it interesting that the conditions animals endure on reserves rarely comes up. Talk to a humane society worker about it. Too politically incorrect to make the news? Likely.

My point is that we endlessly anthropomorphize, care about the cute ones and not the ugly ones, avoid the politically inflammatory, and attack the easy high profile targets - all the while eating meat (many of us any way) and ignoring how those animals are killed.

The Stampede is an easy and useless target. Go big or go home.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

Interesting.. I don't see it the same way at all. I've kind of been scratching my head a bit, trying to figure out what exactly was the alternatives you were both suggesting and I'm still not sure I quite get it.


I'm not sure if I'm understanding correctly but how is it easy and useless? To me, it's easy in the sense that truly on a scale of easiest to hardest change to make, one would think this would be a almost a no-brainer because really, there isn't really any important reason for calf roping, there is no great sacrifice or disruption from ending it.. and how is it useless? As in, you don't think it would/will happen, or even an end to calf roping would be useless? I don't really see how that could be..


The big problem is that our cruelty laws are so weak that often the Humane society or law enforcement can't even do anything. The laws vary from one province to another but overall Canada isn't at the top of the list when comparing various countries' laws. And there's money, well lack of it... But still...again... I'm not sure why all these outside factors and unrelated issues would have any effect on whether we can choose to find other means of entertainment that don't include animal abuse. You both make great points but I'm still not sure how they are supposed to be argument on the rodeo issue.. So to be honest, I don't quite get the reasoning behind that.


FYI Little Cowboy: SPCA, Humane societies & similar organizations are actually not considered to be part of animal rights. They are considered animal welfare organizations and there's actually quite a big difference in philosophy. But even within what does fall under animal rights, there are lots of different views from both ends of the spectrum and anywhere in between. It's really not saying much to make a statement about "animal rights" without specifying an issue/cause/organization because the term itself doesn't come close to representing a group sharing homogenous goals, viewpoints, ideals, etc... So you're really applying whatever one specific group may have done and generalizing that this somehow represents everyone else in the world who also happens to identify with animal rights...which is often very far from being the case.


Are there bigger issues than this one? I'm sure there are. And again, that answer may be different depending on who you ask. There are other groups/people working on countless other kinds of issues. The logic of saying well, there's so much worse out there, why bother with this..is kinda pointless. Change never happens all at once and sometimes the smaller changes make way for the bigger issues by spreading awareness.


I don't understand this idea of avoiding to make a change just because there are bigger problems out there.
Well, start somewhere... how about right now? Then we can work on the next one..
Do we only get 1 change and then that's it? So we need to only focus on one big issue and forget the rest? Seems like an odd strategy.



Btw- 5th horse death.