April 8, 2009

Dear Mr. West:

The Animal Welfare page of the Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) website states in part: “Cheyenne Frontier Days does not tolerate, condone, or permit actions that abuse animals.”

Unfortunately, this statement is inaccurate at best. The misnamed “wild horse race,” terrorizes and panics young horses in a chaotic environment complete with explosions to keep the fear factor as high as possible. Intentional, violent and dangerous calf jerkdowns go uncalled by rodeo judges, and many calves are also dragged by the neck while their legs are tied.

The worst of CFD’s cruelty, however, is steer busting. Steer busting is the original name of the event that is now called “single steer roping.” Because “steer busting” sounded too much like what it is, the event was first renamed “steer tripping.”

Still sounding too much like what it is, the event was again renamed “single steer roping.” It is no accident that the contemporary name disguises the brutal abuse the steers endure. Name changing to achieve political correctness, while maintaining the same level of animal abuse, hardly comports with either humane treatment or the “tradition” that rodeos claim to be of such importance.

As in the case of Mexican style bullfighting, mere words utterly fail to describe the level of violence suffered by the victims of steer busting. In fact, I’ve seen more animals injured/killed in a day of steer busting than any day spent in a Mexican bullring. SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect & Kindness) has a website called BustSteerBusting.com, which includes pictures and links to YouTube videos that expose the grotesque nature of this event. Much of that evidence comes directly from CFD performances.

We’ll give credit where it’s due. After three straight years of being exposed for shocking animals, CFD promised to ban the use of the electric prod in 2008. The CFD Committee followed through on its promise, and the ban was enforced. This shows that CFD can change when it feels enough public pressure from exposure, but the true test of character is whether CFD will change because it is the right thing to do.

CFD experienced a windfall of positive publicity when it banned the shocking of animals. We were pleased to be among the cheerleaders. Again, we’ll give credit where it’s due. But there is much more CFD must do to bring its animal treatment into the 21st century, and ending steer busting should be the first step in that process.

CFD officials point to “tradition” as a defense for continuing steer busting, claiming that it was one of the original events at CFD. Claiming tradition is no defense at all. If CFD were to be kept in its original form, the new misters that keep the spectators cool would have to be removed. There would be no giant TV screens. There would be no protective gear worn by rodeo contestants, or the electric eye for barrel racing, or the fancy rides on the midway, or the overly loud sound system. Come to think of it, silencing the obnoxiously loud rodeo announcers really WOULD be a major improvement. But I digress. It appears that the only tradition CFD wishes to retain is the abuse of animals, and that is truly unfortunate.

Our appeal to CFD is simple -- stand by your word. Mean it when you claim on your website and elsewhere that: “Cheyenne Frontier Days does not tolerate, condone, or permit actions that abuse animals.”

Mr. West, you have the opportunity to decide if Cheyenne will be a humane leader, as it was in the case of stopping the shocking of animals, or a follower. I firmly believe that steer busting is not long for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Steer busting is particularly indefensible, and scrutiny on the entire rodeo industry is increasing every year. It is important to note that even most rodeo people do not support steer busting, which makes dumping this abusive spectacle not only the right thing to do, but the wise thing as well.

Rodeo people claim that there is something special about being in rodeo. They claim to have “rodeo family values.” Here is an opportunity, and indeed a challenge, to make good on those claims.

Please stand by your word. Stop tolerating, condoning, and permitting actions that abuse animals. Terminate steer busting at the Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Sincerely,

Steve Hindi, President

SHowing Animals Respect & Kindness