OPINION
Animal activists are ‘weeds’ to rodeo lifestyle Local rodeo participant speaks out against the activists who threaten her lifestyle
ALL Photos Courtesy of Kelsey Simpson
Buster was my trusty steed when I won Coronation Pro Rodeo Princess in 2009.
A
Kelsey Simpson ksimpson@cjournal.ca
s spring blossoms over Alberta, it brings feelings of hope and excitement for most people. For me, spring brings the rodeo season. Unfortunately, with that blooms something most rodeo enthusiasts have grown to detest. Sprouting in the spring and maturing to full size by July just in time for Calgary Stampede week, the naïve rodeo protesters grow in numbers. Like most pesky and annoying weeds in the prairies, they are a species I would like to stomp out completely. The common rodeo protester is often misguided and has a constant need for attention. These weeds can mostly be ignored, but there are some that prove to be unwavering and troublesome. As far back as I can remember, I was on the back of a horse. My mom has even told me that she went on trail rides when she was pregnant with me. She grew up going to rodeos and eventually married her own cowboy, a bareback rider who competed on the North American and Australian circuits. Even with rodeo in my blood, my love for animals (my horses in particular) is no mere family trait. I spent every waking hour of summer jumping onto the back of my horse. All day riding treks with my sister, and our juice-box filled saddlebags, were my favourites. 20
APR 2014
calgaryjournal.ca
As I got older, that love continued to grow and led me into rodeo. I started when I was nine in 4-H, then competed in junior-high rodeo (in the town of Consort, Alta.), then high-school rodeo and eventually college rodeo where I still compete today. I have competed in barrel racing mainly, but also pole bending, keyhole, goat tying, breakaway roping, team roping, and even steer riding. Every rodeo weekend is full of fun and laughter with other cowboys and cowgirls that share the same passion for competition and an undying love of animals. It is like a big family that gets together every single rodeo weekend. Rodeo in Canada started over 100 years ago and developed from the real skills cowboys needed on the ranch. These skills were later transferred into competitions and tests of strength and horsemanship. Today, rodeos can be found all over the world and with them, protestors. These protestors and anti-rodeo activists are more often than not working off of myths and misunderstanding. They target the myths of brutality and mistreatment and the rodeo lifestyle as a whole. PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a front-runner organization for the activists claiming, “In reality, rodeos are nothing more than manipulative displays of human domination
over animals, thinly disguised as entertainment. What began in the 1800s as a contest of skill among cowboys has become a show motivated by greed and big profits.” One thing that is often misconstrued by activists is the death of rodeo animals. Rodeo families and people in the industry are often painted as heartless and unemotional when an animal passes. I can tell you that that is completely wrong. No one has a greater tie to their animals than their friend and owner. When an animal is hurt it affects them more than anyone. They remember the first time they got the animal, the first time they competed, and other achievements they earned together. Rodeo kids grow up learning about death and life all at the same time. Take a trip to any rodeo home and somewhere there will be a wall, a photo album, or a scrapbook commemorating their beloved animals and the memories they shared. The loss of an animal is felt with mourning much like the loss of a family member. I bawled for days when my first horse Winnie passed away and I often visited his grave to talk and tell him how much I missed him. Any person involved in rodeo can tell you that the livestock of rodeo are often treated far better than any normal human. They eat regular, premium feed, and in some cases even bottled water. By keeping them comfortable, fit, and hydrated it helps to preserve the animal and their ability to perform. In the cases of rough stock, commonly known as bucking horses and bulls, a high level of care is standard. Many of these animals are prized by their owners and honoured by their cowboy competitors. When it comes time to retire, most are kicked out to the pasture to spend the rest of their days — a luxury that was never given to the hamburger patties in the freezer. From the Friends of Rodeo website, the average bucking horse or bull works for less than five minutes per year in the rodeo arena. And for most, rodeo is so undemanding that they stay healthy and perform well for many long years. Veterinarians even attribute the good care they receive to their long lives. It is not uncommon for award-winning animals to still be kicking up at the ripe age of 25, an age in which many “pet” horses don’t reach. Respect is a big word in rodeo vocabulary, usually used in terms of the animals. Everyone in rodeo followed one golden rule when they were growing up: your animal always got fed before you did, no exceptions. After your event, no matter how sore, dirty or tired you were, your animal had to be taken care of. While most of my friends from school slept in on weekends or played video games until midnight, I was up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning feeding my horse even if we had only pulled into the rodeo grounds just a few midnight hours before. Another mistake that activists fail to realize all together is that without rodeo, there would be a flood of livestock going straight to the butcher, including horses. The rodeo industry is constantly buying new stock from ranchers and the sad alternative for many of the animals is certain death. Rodeo also takes in a lot of rescued animals, and in chuck wagon racing some of the horses used were