Victims as Accomplice in Rodeos

Lynn Charlton

They’re the only horse events that deliberately stimulate fight/flight reactions in animals for the purpose of entertainment. Rodeos rely on flank straps and shoulder spurring to achieve the feigned wild-west shows with dress-up cowboys. While cattle are also used in rodeos, this article focuses primarily on the unique position of horses as both victim and unwitting accomplice in brutalising other animals.

At rodeos, horses are used in two ways: they compete in three actual horse events, and they have supporting roles in a variety of other events. 

In bareback bronc, horses wear flank straps and riders repeatedly ram spurred heels into the neck/shoulder area. The more berserk the animal – thrashing, twisting, leaping off the ground, mouth open, tongue hanging out, eyes rolling – the better, the crowd and announcer’s excitement reaching an orgiastic crescendo. It is disturbing to witness the absence of empathy for the horse.

Horses have been known to die from suspected heart attacks during bronc events.

Flank straps are placed in front of the hind legs and under the belly. They are not tight, but close-fitting. When the animal bucks trying to remove it, the strap is loosened – a relief. As the hind legs return to the ground, the strap closes in around the belly and flank. The animal bucks again to get relief. All this is going on while the horse is being spurred.

While the spurs are not sharp, they can cause blunt force trauma according to Dr Peggy Larson, former bareback bronc rider, large animal veterinarian and expert witness in animal abuse cases. Bruising and tissue damage are usually invisible beneath black and brown coats.

Common sense would also indicate this is likely. Many horses have marks on their necks/shoulders and in some cases, pink flesh is visible where spurs have sliced off bits of skin. 

Do horses enjoy this? Common sense may indicate the answer, but horses themselves speak. Many refuse to enter the arena. They know what’s coming. Some go berserk in the chutes, trying to escape or get down on the ground, trying to be invisible. In chutes, a horse contractor was filmed punching horses in the head and face to get a wild rearing reaction. New Zealand rodeo used electric prods on horses for many years, to force them into the arena. 

In saddle bronc, as implied, the rider uses a saddle. Spurring is restrained by stirrups, limiting the height and intensity of each kick. Flank straps are also used. Our team attended a buck out one year where new horses, picked up cheap at sale yards, were trialled. In an arena with several other ridden horses, they were utterly bewildered. One rodeo senior shouted, ‘Stick it to ‘em,’ ‘Give it to ‘em,’ egging on riders ramming spurs into horses’ shoulders. 

The third horse event, barrel racing, involves racing horses as fast as possible in a cloverleaf pattern, around three barrels. Competitors have to grip the pommel to stay on, such is the speed. Many spur horses hard, throwing their legs right out to do so, and whip. Many horses need anti-inflammatories and painkillers because of the strain and damage to their legs and joints. 

Horses as unwitting accomplices in brutalising other animals

In calf roping (rope and tie), a competitor on horseback chases a calf, slamming it to a sudden halt at the end of a rope. The horse is also slammed to a sudden halt via the use of harsh equipment, often with their heads thrown up, mouths gaping, nostrils flared and whites of eyes showing. Some calves fly backwards through the air. Some are spun around by the neck, facing the opposite direction they were moving in, the weight of their torso pulling at the rope causing horizontal hanging. The competitor dismounts and wrangles the calf, slamming them to the ground. The horse is trained (goodness knows how) to step backwards enough to keep the rope taut, choking the calf further. The competitor hog-ties three of the calf’s legs, often putting their weight onto the calf. The horse may step backwards, dragging the calf and competitor along in the dirt for half a metre or more, elongating the calf’s neck. Calves, choked by the horse, can be seen with bulging white eyes, unable to breathe. 

Two horses are accomplices in steer wrestling. A steer is released from a chute a fraction ahead of two riders. Chasing the steer, the ‘hazer’ gallops alongside the fleeing steer to keep it moving ahead in a straight line. The ‘steer wrestler’ is also galloping alongside, so that the steer is between the two horses. The wrestler leans over to grab the horns of the steer and drops off the horse, twisting the steer’s neck 180 degrees until he collapses. 

In team roping, two horses are also used. Chasing a steer, the ‘header’ rider attempts to rope the animal around the horns. Often they miss and rope the steer, literally, across the eyes or around the neck, pulling the animal behind them. The ‘heeler’ rider ropes the steer’s hind legs, lifting them, so the steer is stretched out between the riders. Many steers collapse onto their belly when stretched beyond the limits of their body.

During the feigned ‘wild bronco’ events, pick-up riders on horseback are in the arena. Their role is to help competitors to dismount from bucking horses and unbuckle the flank strap to slow the animal down. They do this by getting alongside the bucking and galloping horse up against the arena fence. Competitors throw themselves over the back of the pick-up horse and drop to the ground. Another horse and rider chases the horse along the fence, leans over, and unbuckles the strap. The effect is clear; the horse, no longer panicked, slows down and stops bucking.

Rodeos are currently being reviewed in New Zealand. What do the animals tell us about their experiences in rodeos? Do they love it, like rodeo enthusiasts claim? Is it a sport for them, or are they fighting for their lives? As animal lovers, we believe the animals.