Rodeo Facts

Animal Rights Moon Bat's Myths

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Animal Rights Moon bats make outlandish and baseless claims about rodeo livestock. Actually anyone who has been around any type of livestock for any length of time knows that these moon bats have never raised, owned or care for any type of animal. If they had, they would be embarrassed to make the claims and ranting's that they do make. For those of you reading this who don't know about rodeo, but have enough sense to find out the facts, here are some facts about rodeo, rodeo livestock, animal souls, animal feelings and animal intelligence. Hopefully, some of the animal rights moon bats will read this information and stop making complete fools of themselves, but as I have stated numerous times, I don't think that will take place. I have more faith in Forrest Gump.

I have been around rodeo for a long time and I have never met anyone who is cruel or wants to be cruel to animals. Matter of fact, rodeo people own far more animals than the average person in the United States. That means that we spend not only a great deal of our time caring for animals, but a great deal of the money that we earn. Yes, it is a choice. A choice that all of us who own livestock make. If I counted up all the money I have spent on my horses, dogs, etc. I probably could afford multiple homes. It is that simple. Not only is there money, but time. You can't just up and leave and go on vacation - you have to find someone to take care of the animals. And if you have an older horse like I do, you don't like to leave them, and if you are going to leave them, you need to find someone who knows horses and how to care for them. But I, like most rodeo people, choose to spend our time and money on our animals. And yes, we own our animals. Legally, we are ultimately responsible for them and for everything that they do. The dairyman across the street from me has had his dairy cows get out of their pens and run into the street. One of them ran into a car and did about $3,000 worth of damage to the vehicle. Guess who paid - the dairyman. One of his dairy bulls got out one day and ventured down to the dairy down the street to visit some heifers. The bull did some damage to fencing and hurt a heifer. Guess who paid - the dairyman.

The rodeo livestock commands a great deal of respect from Rodeo Contractors, the Cowboys and Cowgirls and the fans that attend rodeo. These animals are athletes and are treated as such. There is no doubt that the rodeo livestock are equivalent to the athletes who play professional soccer, football or baseball. No one affiliated with rodeo wants to see an injured or abused animal. Injured and abused animals will not perform and, moreover, are dangerous. Bulls, horses and steers weigh a lot more than the average human does. If these animals are injured or abused, their instincts will lead them to do one of two things - fight or flight. In the case of a bull, who is more likely will choose to fight than flee, can inflict fatal injury to humans. There is a great deal of respect that one develops when working around any type of livestock. That respects comes from the fact that these animals weigh, in some cases, 10 times what an average human weighs. On top of the weight factor, livestock will either defend themselves or fight back if threatened. No men or group of men could subdue a 2,000 pound bull. Since livestock, like most members of the animal kingdom work on the philosophy of fight or flight, one must develop a healthy respect for these animals and how much damage they can inflict on humans. Abusing or injuring livestock is completely contrary and in short, stupid. It doesn't behoove the sport, the livestock, the cowboys, cowgirls and fans to injure or abuse rodeo livestock.

Many of the bulls and bucking horses become the favorites of the rodeo fans and the cowboys. These bulls and bucking horses develop a real talent and skill at dumping cowboys in less than 8 seconds and these animals get a real fan base. Most of the time, like most rodeo fans, I root for the horse or the bull. Usually the bull and the horse win.When I was at the NFR in 1996, there was one pen of bucking bulls, where the score at the end of the night was the bulls 13 and the cowboys 2. And given the fact that the 15 bull riders all had some type of injury or could barely walk, the bulls where winning in more ways than one. . Each rodeo livestock animal develops a unique and signature talent in dumping the cowboy. I saw Bodacious make his last appearance at the 1995 National Final Rodeo. On the last Saturday night Scott Bredding had drawn Bodacious. Bodacious had a way of coming out of the chute by jumping extremely high in the air (this bull was a hell of an athlete) and at the same time swinging his head towards the ground. This would cause the cowboy to be pulled down towards Bodacious' neck. Bodacious would then throw his head back and usually connect with the cowboy. Well old Bodacious pulled this stunt on Scott Bredding and knocked Bredding out cold. Then old Bodacious just walked out of the arena with the "I am the Best" walk and a crowd of 17,000 rodeo fans on their feet in complete awe of this magnificent bull. Earlier in the week, Tuff Hedeman, World Champion Bull Rider and PBR World Champion, had drawn Bodacious Tuff, who had received a broken nose courtesy of Bodacious at the PBR Finals in October. Tuff was still suffering from the broken nose at the time. Tuff sat down on Bodacious after he was loaded in the bucking chute. When Tuff nodded his head he was ready to ride, the chute gate swung open, and Tuff Hedeman grabbed the fence and pulled himself off Bodacious, thus receiving a "no ride" and "no score". Tuff's reasoning was he knew Bodacious could inflict more injury and was not willing to take the chance. On the last day of the NFR in 1995, Bodacious owners announced his retirement from rodeo and all 17,000 fans in the Thomas & Mack stood on their feet and gave this great bull a much-deserved standing ovation. Bodacious retired to green pasture and the difficult job of breeding more bulls with his rodeo talents. He was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Rodeo respect the livestock so much that every year at the NFR the cowboys, cowgirls and livestock owners vote for the most talented bucking horses and bulls to perform at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. This is a tribute to the livestock that consistently performs and challenges the rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. Each year, members of the PRCA vote to inducted the best of the rodeo livestock into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. This may seem foolish or insignificant to many people, but to the people involved in rodeo it is the same honor that would be bestowed on a baseball or football player being inducted into the Baseball or Football or even for that matter, a Rock Star being inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Fame. This induction gives notoriety and appreciation by the sport of rodeo of the rodeo livestock. They are important and all of us rodeo fans recognize their contribution.

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