The rodeo folks send their animals to the packing houses where I have seen cattle so extensively bruised that the only areas in which the skin was attached was the head, neck, legs and belly. I have seen animals with six to eight ribs broken from the spine and at times puncturing the lungs. I have seen as much as two and three gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin. Participants in rodeos are not exhibiting sportsmanship, but rather violent exploitation for profit. Contestants compete for millions of dollars in prize money, often making a living from their winnings.
Rodeos are a horrible example of posturing, chest puffing and classic man conquers beast machismo .
Wrestling and, many times, injuring an unwilling, frightened and defenseless animal does not prove one s manhood. Rodeo animals are not willing participants in this circus, as is clearly demonstrated by their undying determination to escape those individuals who insist on roping and wrestling them, and their incessant bucking of those who try to ride them. Animals are not ours to exploit for profit. They are sentient beings who deserve respect, a fact that those involved with rodeos have forgotten.