'Cheyenne - America's Shame'

I think the person who made the video is totally over-reacting and needs to go back to her bunny hugging!
The foal after hitting the fence was trotting around fine, no lameness no harm done. Yes I don't agree with the foal racing. I just think people over-react when it comes to rodeos, the animals are not treated badly, they are worth so much money they would not be treated anyworse then eventers or showjumpers over here.

A rodeo is a really good and fun event to go and watch and it would be a shame that such a lovely tradition would be ruined because of a bunch of ignorant people who do not know all the facts.
 
Don't like foal racing, although never knew that they raced them before. Just to be clear - I do not like foal racing.

Although technically, they could be going that speed in a field, whereas here they are just doing it in a racetrack.

As for the issue over the smacking - foal sat down, so he thumped it on the rump - which made foal get up! no abuse there.
The foal which ran into the fence, trotted out fine, looked nothing wrong with it other than a little bit confused!

But as for the video maker - "baby horses" - They are called FOALS!! :)
 
fburton said:
But are they treated with respect? It doesn't seem like it to me, but that is just my opinion.
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No they are not but neither are many other horses in various countries. I'm not saying that this makes it okay but I think calling it America's Shame is a very large over-statement.
 
Actually, speaking as a breeder, I find that clip disgusting. I'm no fluffy bunny but foal racing is totally unacceptable to me. These are babies. The Cheyenne rodeo is held in July, making these foals only 2 or 3 months old.
 
Kokopelli said:
I'm not saying that this makes it okay but I think calling it America's Shame is a very large over-statement.
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Actually, I agree with you there. It isn't the only American cultural tradition, by any means, and there are many other Americans who would disapprove of it, just as many Spanish people would disapprove of bullfighting.
 
I guess what I'm trying to say is don't tarr all rodeos with the same brush. There are some very good ones out there where no abuse is carried out and the animals are happy and enjoying their job. Obviously there are bad ones aswell, it just annoys me when people say that all rodeos are cruel when this is not the case and it would be shame for the good ones to be lost because of misconceptions of the rodeo.
 
We are not, in the UK, in any position whatsoever to start poking at another country about how they care for their horses. If you took out the names of the states, you could be talking about the UK in most of the instances. OK not foal racing, but what about the 2 YO's in harness racing at some of the horse fairs? as for culling - this was being very seriously discussed over here and as for the money horses go for.. seeing what some of our native ponies go for.. they don't even make meat money

so not saying to ignore, just to acknowledge that the UK has just as big issues with our own equine population.
 
I agree that the UK has its fair share of equine problems too, a lot of ours is based around over and indiscriminate breeding. However I don't see why there needs to be a comparison between the two countries if problems are simply being stated. I don't think the UK farms thousands of horses for pharmaceutical drugs but I stand to be corrected.
 
crozet said:
Anyone thinking that this - although not nice - is America's shame needs to leave the house and take a look around them. .
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Applauds this comment.

No comment on the rodeo subject, my opinion on that is pretty well known.
 
Anyone who says that that is OK should hang their head in shame - these rodeos are vicious, brutal and oh so often fatal for the animals be it cattle or horse.

Disgusting is all I can say about it.
:(
 
Never seen one in real life but really hate rodeo's. That foal racing clip is nothing compared to what else youtube has to offer on the subject!
But going back to the OPs original point - I think its a great idea to post these sorts of things on youtube, it all raises the profile/awareness of whats going on and for free. Has certainly stopped me ever going to visit a rodeo and if no one ever went to watch they wouldn't be the big business they are now.
 
LouandBee said:
Never seen one in real life but really hate rodeo's.
With all do respect if you have never seen a rodeo in real life then you do not know what actually goes on there. You may have only seen horror stories from the bad ones. I don't understand how you can "hate" something if you have never seen it.

May I add that I am not one of these people who quite happily go and watch 'entertainment' at the cost of an animal but sometimes things ar eblown out of proportion.
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Foal racing is very wrong :( Poor little things. What is the point of it? Is it supposed to be cute or funny? :confused:

As for the rodeo horse so traumatized it was laying down, I have no words. Utterly disgusting and there would never, in my opinion, be any excuse to treat a horse like this. I would like to get that shocker and stick it on that guys nuts. Idiot.
 
How you can watch ANY of those links and not be ashamed to be human is beyond me.:mad:

To state that rodeos are not cruel and that the animals involved enjoy their jobs is, for me, outrageous.

Look again at those links and see it for what it is - entertainment by way of cruelty.

Please post me a link to the 'good' rodeos - where the animals are enjoying every minute of it because I can't seem to find any at all on youtube :mad::mad:
 
fburton said:
But are they treated with respect? It doesn't seem like it to me, but that is just my opinion.
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I don't think they are being abused but neither are they being treated with respect. Glad to see the little foal was not lame or hurt.

I think it is a shame on US to have foal racing, it seems pointless and is stressful for dam and foal. I am not a fan of rodeos.
FDC
 
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Kokopelli - i think I know enough of what goes on at a rodeo to know that I hate them. Never been to a bull fight either but pretty sure I would hate that too.

Lets just say watching a horse buck its heart out or a calf nearly get its neck broken is not my idea of fun as I'm sure its not for all the animals involved either.
 
We didn't see the mares, so no idea of how they were behaving, Curiously, didn't hear them calling. Did that foal LOOK alright? Disoriented (running in the opposite direction to its dam), probably pumped so full of adrenaline it wouldn't have felt a car hit it. I don't think I'm a fluffy bunny but not until I see baby human racing will I think this is in any way 'right'.
 
BonneMaman said:
Anyone who says that that is OK should hang their head in shame - these rodeos are vicious, brutal and oh so often fatal for the animals be it cattle or horse.

Disgusting is all I can say about it.
:(
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I go, frequently, and NO, I WILL NOT hang my head in shame, why should I?

You don't know me, I don't know you. We'll have to agree to disagree on this.

I have never seen anything I consider cruel, certainly not anything like the suicide races or the foal racing - EVER, and, I tell you what, if I did, I'd be the first person up there protesting against it, loudly and very publicly, believe me.
 
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You'd think intelligent human beings would find better things to do with thier time rather than spend money watching foals fall over.

Oh hang on.... don't we race 2 year olds here? Oh wait... don't we beat them here too?

I think things like this are good to raise awareness. Somehorse somewhere is being treated with cruelty and it might not be what they are prepared to show you when you pay to watch.

It's thanks to bunnyhuggers like this that Amersham was found.

I say hoorah to the bunnyhuggers. The bunnybeaters couldn't give a rats arse about much other than thier own backsides.
 
Enfys said:
I have never seen anything I consider cruel, certainly not anything like the suicide races or the foal racing - EVER, and, I tell you what, if I did, I'd be the first person up there protesting against it, loudly and very publicly, believe me.
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Would you say the animals were happy and enjoyed their job, as Kokopelli has suggested?
 
tallyho! said:
You'd think intelligent human beings would find better things to do with thier time rather than spend money watching foals fall over.

Oh hang on.... don't we race 2 year olds here? Oh wait... don't we beat them here too?

I think things like this are good to raise awareness. Somehorse somewhere is being treated with cruelty and it might not be what they are prepared to show you when you pay to watch.

It's thanks to bunnyhuggers like this that Amersham was found.

I say hoorah to the bunnyhuggers. The bunnybeaters couldn't give a rats arse about much other than thier own backsides.
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Agree - absolutely good to raise awareness/discussion - my point is that we in the UK are not without our fair shame of welfare issues either and I don't want our own to be overlooked while we stand and stare at another country..
 
fburton said:
Would you say the animals were happy and enjoyed their job, as Kokopelli has suggested?
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Who can tell when a horse is actually happy in it's job? They put up with a lot. I see plenty of competition horses and childrens ponies looking a darn sight more miserable, and stressed out, for a more extended period of time (like hours, not just the 8 seconds a bronc is ridden for) than I ever have at a rodeo.

If you really want to see an unhappy looking horse look at some Mennonite or Amish buggy horse tied up outside a store. They may have trotted (hard) for 6 or 7 miles in all weathers, then are tied up, then trotted (hard) all the way home again. These OTT pacers/trotters live a hard life until they are used up and then they go to market to the kill pens whilst a replacement is bought for a couple hundred bucks on the same day.

Every rodeo horse/bull/calf I have ever seen has been well covered and healthy and alert looking, none have been lame. In the pens out back they are perfectly content, (in a relaxed way) eating, drinking, dozing, lying down and chewing cud, none pacing, calling, or looking in the slightest bit as upset as a horse, say in a market stall with hundreds of people walking by.

All in all I would say that Yes, the animals are content, of course they would probably rather be back at the ranch in their pens or paddocks but this is a life they are accustomed to and understand. You go in the chute, you have a strap put on, you buck that irritating human off, flank strap comes off, you go back to your pen for the rest of the afternoon and eat, sleep, drink whatever. Job done.

I took this photo a couple of years ago, cute old things aren't they? When I can find them, I'll put up the photos of them at work!

IMG_8513.jpg
 
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This thread seems to me that you are implying that all americans watch these foal races and go to kill auctions, when really I have never even heard of a foal race near me and while I know they are out there I think it is demeaning to us who don't watch it to call it "America's shame"

Yeah, we could do tons better with a lot of things, but so could every other country. It's actually "Human's Shame", not just America. Just saying. I don't mean to get under anyone's skin but this kinda made me go on a patriotic rant...:rolleyes:

So please, don't single out one place when almost every country does these sorts of things. Doesn't make it any better, and I am totally opposed to it, but really, don't judge everyone on the actions of a few.
 
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