Bullrider Death Leads to Calls for Ban

Safety at Work

The recent death of a 24-year-old bullrider competing in a Texas rodeo has sparked renewed calls for the banning of rodeos and bullriding nationwide.   

“I can confidently say that rodeos and bullriding remain a cruel and archaic form of entertainment that should be outlawed,’’ said Peggy Larson, a veterinarian and former bareback bronc rider in Williston, Vermont.   

Larson, who also works nationwide with law enforcement to help abused animals. reports that hundreds of animals have been killed or injured in rodeos.  “More than 100 animals have died in the Calgary Stampede, a major Canadian rodeo event, since 1986. Six horses died in the chuckwagon race in 2019,’’ she added.  

Animal abuse experts warn that  the actual numbers are often higher, as not all animal deaths or injuries are reported.   

Bullrider Dylan Grant was injured after being bucked off by a bull in the arena during the second annual round of the Wharton County Youth Fair Xtreme Bulls event. Medics rushed him into an ambulance  where they worked to stabilize him. He was then taken by helicopter to a Houston hospital where he died. The bull had initially stepped on his neck.  

A recent National Institute’s of Health survey found fifty-five (19.7 percent) of the 278 competitors and rodeo clowns who participated in the rodeo sustained a total of 61 injuries. Bullriding was the most dangerous event, accounting for 20 injuries to 18 competitors; saddle bronc riding and horseablck riding followed with 13 injuries each.  Barrel racing was the safest, with no injuries.   

Steve Hindi, president of SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness)  said stupid people go to see rodeos and  stupid people participate in them.  “Cruel tools like the hotshot (electric prod that scares animals)are used to make animals perform. Other tools include metal spurs and bucking straps that burn the animal’s  abdomen and groin area and cause him to buck and can lead to back and leg injuries,’’ said Hindi.  

There are few animal  laws protecting animals forced to perform in rodeos. The Federal  Animal Welfare Act exempts rodeos from protections it provides to animals. Some states exempt rodeos from their anti-cruelty statutes, while other states defer to the Professional  Rodeo Cowboys Association regulations. One promising development:  a handful of states like California, Rhode Island and Nevada have passed laws that ban or tightly regulate rodeo events, and some cities are beginning to pass ordinances as well that ban or restrict rodeo’s cruelest  practices.   

But under a little- noticed  provision in the new state budget, Pennsylvania municipalities will be forced to allow rodeo events to take place in their borders even if local lawmakers have voted to restrict them.  Only one place in the commonwealth appears to fit the description: Pittsburgh, which more than 30 years ago banned the use of some tools to control animals, including electric prods and spurs.  

“We were extremely disappointed when we saw that Pittsburgh is now hosting bullriding,’’ said Hindi.   “Rodeos and bullriidng are dangerous to animals and humans,’’ he said.  

The U.S. professional rodeo circuit averages one to two deaths annually. Several more riders suffer serious spinal or brain injuries each year, according to the World Health Organization’s Helmet Initiative.  

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