Ardeth Baxter’s letter commenting on the review of
the book Riders of the West requires my response (HCN, 11/19/01:
Romanticizing rodeo abuse).
Animal-human
relationships are the core ingredients in the settlement of the
West. That relationship continues in the form of arena events –
rodeo, team penning, cutting dressage, etc., and ranch work –
gathering, branding and shipping livestock.
I
have been in the business of ranching and raising kids and
grandkids for over 40 years and I can guarantee that the
responsibility, ethics and sense of fair play those young people
gain from competing in rodeo and other animal-oriented events are
not found in video arcades and shopping malls. The young men and
women that I know, raised in a rural environment, are compassionate
leaders with exceptional common sense and decision-making ability.
Rodeo plays an important role in developing that kind of character.
To get down in the chute on the back of a 2,000-pound bull or a
1,500-pound horse requires a 170-pound cowboy to be alert and
definitely drug-free, and by the way, who is practicing violence in
that picture?
I have often wondered why people
who are so concerned about the well-being of exhibited livestock
aren’t concerned about the feral horses in the West that are
allowed to multiply to the point that both they and the land
suffer.
Rodeo livestock are well-fed and cared
for. Bulls and horses are bred for their bucking ability and during
rodeo season, usually work about 50 to 60 seconds a week. They are
usually turned out with all they can eat during the
off-season.
The National High School Rodeo Finals
will be held in Farmington, N.M., next summer. I hope Ms. Baxter
can find time to talk to some of the contestants, parents and
producers and hear the real story from the “horse’s
mouth.”
Sid
Goodloe
Capitan, New
Mexico
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Rodeo’s virtues.
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