If at all possible, a visit behind the scenes of a rodeo would be an unmatched educational experience, or maybe tagging along with a stock contractor. The stock contractors are usually up before anyone checking on his livestock and these guys are the last go to bed. As we’ve learned, the livestock is the stock contractors livelihood, so he has an economic interest in maintaining the health of his animals.
To further protect these animals, one of the PRCA rules authorizes officials to disqualify a contestant and assess a $250 fine on the spot for unnecessary roughness--the fine doubles with each offense. Not many cowboys are willing to risk thousands of dollars of purse money.
But you might ask, what about all that rough stuff they do to the animals DURING the rodeo. Well, looks can be deceiving. We’ve already talked about the wrapping of horns on steers, and there’s been the question about spurs.
Spurs sure look like it should hurt. According to textbooks like Sisson’s “Anatomy of the Domestic Animal” and Maximow and Bloom’s “Textbook of Histology” the hides of horses and bulls are much thicker than human skin. A person’s skin is 1 to 2 mm thick; a horsehide is about 5 mm and bull hide is 7 mm thick. Plus the spurs used in professional rodeo’s three riding events -- bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding -- must meet PRCA guidelines by having BLUNT rowels (and remember this is the star-shaped wheel on the spurs) that are one-eighth of an inch thick so as not to cut the animals. If a rider uses non-regulation spurs, he’s disqualified. The rowels must be loose to roll over the horse’s hide. Bull riding spurs have dull, loosely locked rowels for tighter grip on their loose hides.
The flank strap (sometimes called bucking straps) ups the bucking action and irritates the heck out of the animal. The strap consists of a sheepskin-lined strip of leather that is placed behind the horse’s rib cage in the flank area. Since the strap crosses the horse’s or bull’s back and stomach, it is instinctual for the animals to try and throw the strap off with their hoofs as they jump and kick. According to large animal vets, these straps cause no injury to the animal. Here go those PRCA rules again. The strap MUST have a quick-release buckle and must be lined in sheepskin. Sharp or cutting objects are NEVER placed or used in the strap’s construction.
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