I hate that PC junk too. I read an article in one of these Palm Beach newspapers yesterday about how horrible bull riding is and rodeo in general. Some lady wrote that bucking straps cause "excruciating pain" to the bulls. Anyway, I read her letter and the gratuitous response and felt compelled to write a rebuttal. I'm working on it. I'll post a link later if I can find the article. You guys will just love it.
Heh.... there was a guy who posted a thread about bull riding here once... he was a lawyer and a bull rider, posting a draft of his argument in defense of bull riding, to use when fighting local ordinances that sought to restrict or ban it.
I actually argued with him, because I thought he argued too far the other way, saying the bucking strap 'tickled' and the spurs didn't hurt the bull. I thought it better to at least be honest... yes, the bull hates that stuff, that's why he bucks... but it doesn't cause injury.
Yeah, I get so tired of "be nice to the horsey" crap.
I swear anything you do in the way of discipline to a horse is frowned upon by so many people. If they would just take the time to understand why some discipline techniques are used, they actually figure out that it is actually saveing the horse itself from hurting themselves, let alone the person working with them.
How are you suppose to stop a 1200 lb animal from throwing itself back? Is letting a 1200 lb horse throw itself safer then trying to teach it not to do that? Is causing a little pain to a 1200 lb animal worse, less safe? (Rehtorical questions, you don't have to answer. I'm on my soap box:)
Becky
Parada Del Sol Rodeo in two weeks. Looking forward to it.
BTW, Cody looks like he was bred for roping and reining...sweet.
Speaking of excruciating pain to bulls, I have a story. In high school, my husband raised cows, bulls and pigs. One day, my husband and some other ag guys were hauling a big bull somewhere in an open top trailer. He said that they were doing 70 miles an hour or so on a main highway when the bull reared up, put his front legs over the top of the trailer and climbed on out. It happened so fast that they didn't even have time to slow down. Bull falls out and bounces across the highway, then gets up and runs off. When they finally caught him all his injuries amounted to was a couple of skinned places. Judging from that story, I seriously doubt a bucking strap causes excruciating pain.
Keep me posted. A rebuttal shouldn't be all that hard, given some of the loopy stuff folks put out there with regard to rodeos. Most of my favorites are not family-oriented in nature, though. You wouldn't believe the kind of stuff people apparently "know" about rodeo.