Many people think rodeos are cruel. They think that when the calf hits the end of the rope in calf roping could hurt the animal. When people steer wrestle and the steer is being dragged to the ground could injure the neck. They also believe the putting a human on the back of a bull could create back problems for the animal. Too many people are criticizing rodeos and stock contractors of being cruel to rodeo animals but do not know the truth. Honestly rodeo animals are treated good, even better than ranch animals.

Sock contractors pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to make sure the animals are in good health and provided with the necessary items. According to the Central Contractor Registration contractors will pay up to $5,000 dollars in one trip to the vet per animal for just a simple checkup. They must also pay for feed, health care, hoof care, breeding, and transportation. This all costs money that the contractors are willing to pay for these animals to stay in perfect condition. If you ask me I would take this as a signal that the rodeo animals are taken very well care of.

At ranches animals are treated much worse than rodeo animals and they do just fine. These animals just eat the grass that they can find. Rodeo animals are given high quality hay and alfalfa along with grain and oats to be kept in better shape. In the winter the ranch animals have to find shelter to get out of the wind and snow. Rodeo animals are kept in shelters where the living conditions are much better. Heath conditions are also better. On a ranch it might take weeks or even months before the rancher notices if something is wrong with the animal. Rodeo animals are checked over daily for any sickness or other injury.

During the rodeo itself the animals are taken very good care of and provided with all the necessary precautions to be safe. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) requires all ridden animals to have wool padded flanks and saddles. All spurs are required to be dulled and loose spinning to prevent a puncture. All steers that will be roped must have horn protection. Also a veterinarian must be present at all rodeos and must check over all animals before and after the rodeo for any injury, sickness, or abuse. All of these safety precautions prevent the animals from any harm.

Some people may argue that the animals are kept in small trucks and abused when being transported. However if this were true then state line officials would be able to see that and have the contractor arrested. Also the contractors must provide the Circle Cross Rodeo with names, numbers, weights, age, bios, veterinary papers, etc. the Tuesday before the rodeo. This allows the officials to do a background check on all the animals before the rodeo. This all proves that if the animals were abused then the abuse would be stopped.

Altogether, rodeo animals are treated very well. These animals are given thousands upon thousands of dollars to make sure they are in top shape. During rodeos they are taken care of and given every safety precautions. Even before the rodeos these animals are being treated very well and given all necessary safety precautions. If you agree that these animals are being treated fairly then stand up for yourself and let others know what you believe. Rodeo animal are kept in very good conditions and treated fairly.