Mastery over animals can involve what appears to be cruel, violent treatment. The Fund for Animals, People for the Ethnical Treatment of Animals, and other groups strongly criticize rodeo. Animals rights advocates level specific criticisms. They argue that the flank strap inflicts pain to the genitals of bucking bronc or bull. A flank strap or scratcher cinch extends around the animal's body at the flanks.
Critics take strong exception to calf roping.
Calves can be injured when the taut rope pulls them sharply to the ground. Animals rights advocates also object to using electric cattle prods or twisting an animal's tail in the chutes to get it to buck more wildly. Rodeo fans will reject such the criticism, but rodeo is definitely hard on man and beast alike. In a 1937 California rodeo, however, a horse named Duster bucked him off and planted a hoof in his ribs. Knight walked away from the ride but died that night of internal injuries at age thirty-three.