New Season, A Fresh Start, A Different Look.

As basketball and hockey start to wind down a new sport hits the stage. One that is the center of a lot of controversy in our present world. The sport of rodeo. Rodeo is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. It is close to being listed as an extreme sport and some people feel that it should be classified as such. Other feel that rodeo should be banned completely because it is cruelty. In rodeo we rope and tie calves and ride bulls and broncs. That does not make it cruel.If you know what you are doing and you do not intentionally try to hurt the animals then it is not cruel. Cattle and horses are some of the toughest animals ever to be put on this earth. Some associations have been put under tremendous amounts of pressure to stop putting on rodeos and have been forced by animal rights groups to cut out the events they view as the most harmful to animals. These show can no longer be classified as rodeos because they cannot put on a complete event. It is discouraging for competitors when they cannot simply enjoy a sport they love without having to defend their position as a competitor.

As a member of high school rodeo I know just as well as any other rodeo member that there are definitely risk involved in rodeo. Animals do get hurt and there have been cases where animals have to be put down for there injuries. However, in my experience most of the injuries of rodeo stock has been out back in the pens full of animals overnight. I have seen two bulls fight each other until one can  no longer fight. This is the kind of thing that can happen on a summer pasture when they are fighting over which cows belong to whom. Rodeo is not the harm to the animals that some people believe it is. It is mostly the animals own instincts that cause them to become injured. When I was first learning to rope and ride the things that were stressed the most were how to handle the animals so that you did not get hurt, and how to handle the animals so that they were safe as well. Rodeo stock contractors and competitors always try to maintain the highest regard for the livestock they are using. This allows us to have fun for a much longer amount of time. The association I am a member of fines, disqualifies and punishes any person who is abusive towards the animals.

I am excited to begin another season of rodeo. It is one of the most exciting sports in the world. Monica Dickens once said, " If you have it, you have it for life. It is a disease for which there is no cure." When she said this she was speaking about horses in general but her words can be applied directly to rodeo. A lot of the people I know are past rodeo member and they are still living the western lifestyle. Once you become a cowboy or cowgirl and realize that you love it, you will always be a cowboy/ girl. It is a simple fact of this life and also a true one. I am a cowgirl and I am proud of it. I have a upcoming rodeo and will compete just like always because if I compete like I know I can I will not cause any harm to any thing. The livestock or myself.