Rodeo

This is a speech I wrote about rodeo cruelty. I have decided to post it since pro made no protests in round one. Anyone can see that tazing puppies, whipping kittens, and kicking babies are all evil pastimes, so how can people be so blind to rodeo cruelty? Bulls, horses, goats, and other unlucky rodeo victims are no less intelligent or aware of the searing pain than the spectators that smile and laugh every time a horse is ripped to shreds with viciously sharpened spurs, and cheer every time a calf's neck is snapped! "The brute animals have all the same sensations of pain as human beings, and consequently endure as much pain when their body is hurt; but in their case the cruelty of torment is greater, because they have no mind to bear them up against their sufferings, and no hope to look forward to when enduring the last extreme pain." - Thomas Chalmers, Scottish Religious Leader. Rodeo has an unusual party favor that they grant to all who come witness their horrors. Their specialty brand of rose colored glasses are deployed like missiles throughout the crowd. Spit from the mouths of disturbingly moral-less announcers, these lies take seed in the vulnerable, uniformed mind. Bam! A horse slams into a wall after the rider has flung his self from his back before his eight seconds were up in a cowardly action. The horses body doubles over, it flips and start convulsing. A gasp rises through out the startled crowd. The unfazed announcers pulls the microphone to his unshaven jaw and begins dribbling sickly sweet lies in an obnoxiously fake southern drawl. "Now ya'll don't be gettin' yourselves worried bout' that there horse! He ain't hurt that bad! And we have specialty equine ambulances for his scrapes and what not! He'll be right as rain come tomorrow mornin'!" The ruffled crowd reseats themselves, one-hundred percent reassured that the horse being dragged by seven "brave" cowboys across the ring would make a full recovery. "Now can I git a big cheer for them cowboys helpin' that horse?" The crowd absolutely roars with pure excitement. A closer examination of the "specialized" ambulance reveals that it is no more than a metal stock trailer with a deceptive paint job. Legally, rodeo has to report all animal casualties. This horse was not reported as deceased. Yet, no one dared to question why this particular animal never showed up in any rodeo, ever again. The most disturbing part of this story? It is entirely true. SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness, or SHARK, captured this horrific incident on their hidden cameras. I have seen first hand the cruelty of the rodeo. Unlike the stereotype, when the horses exit the ring, they do not, in fact, go out to graze in a huge rolling meadow. They go into a small pen with twenty plus horses about the size of a backyard in a densely packed suburban area. It's floor consists of dirt, hay, and manure. The hay, which they trample upon, is expected to be considered edible, and it is the only provided food source. In an entire week, their pen is not cleaned. They are placed with a bull in a pathetic attempt to rev them up in the most primitive manner. These horses are perfectly good, with beautiful conformation and phenomenal coloration. They have all been wasted. The scars that cover their sides run long and deep from years of spurring. Mare are penned up in an even smaller enclosure with their babies. They too, are being ridden in the eight second torment. The goats are in a stall intended for one horse. There are three. There is no water, or food and they are standing on concrete. As I stuck my hand through the bars to pet their scruffy beards, they skittered to a far corner. This is very much un-goat like. They should be more curious then a kitten. The dogs, who are next door, have a similar situation. They are trapped in stalls and are only released when they have a primate directly secured to their back. They mope, and flash depressed puppy eyes in my direction. "Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages." - Thomas Edison, American Scientist and Inventor "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead, American Anthropologist What? End rodeo? But it's an American tradition! I know what I'm proposing, and it seems impossible, but please remember that at one time slavery was an American tradition as well.