Activists lock down Chuckwagon track

[GGG]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Because it's stupid, cruel and barely above dog fights?

Roping up a cattle, how joyous.

No need to exagerate. In 100% of dog fights, #### fights or bull fights at least one of the animals is permenantly harmed. So it is clear that it is not comparable to rodeo and certainly not chucks.

The most cruel thing we do to animals is eat feed lot chicken. So that is the best place to start as feed lot chicken are probably animals that would be better off not existing.

The Horses and Bulls used for the jumping events likely wouldnt exist without rodeo and it would be questionable if other animals would exist in their place so the question becomes is the short term pain worth their existance. I dont know where I stand on this one.

For calf roping and steer wrestling I think the arguement against is stronger as these animals are still just going to get eaten later. But how much pain is being inflicted on the animals during this time. One test might be do animals after being in rodeo change their behaviour towards humans. Are they fearful going into the shoot? If yes then it might be cruel, if know than the animals dont know the difference.

Some animal cruelty people try to argue that lobsters feel pain because of the number of flicks of their tale increases in certain sitatuons. So a definition of cruel needs to be established before this can discussion can take place. And remember if you eat factory farmed chicken to be careful of your definition of cruel.

[GGG]

Well, I think the point is pretty clear. Enough is enough. No more dead horses. For the last nine years in a row horses have died during these races and for the last 28 years in a row more than 60 horses have died during these races,” said Daviduk, adding it was surprisingly easy for the two to execute their plan.

“So at what point do we say the risk of injury and death is too high, we need to retire these. How many horses have to die?”

That is hilarious, we need to kill the horses so we can stop killing horses. I dont think they know what happens to the retired horses.

[Derek Sutton]

^^ A more worthwhile study would be to see if meat from the right side of the steers is more tender from hitting the ground vs meat from the left as they use muscles on that side to get back up.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I guess we could be known as the city with the pretty red bridge, but somehow that just doesnt have the same allure.

#SillyHall

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by GGG

That is hilarious, we need to kill the horses so we can stop killing horses. I dont think they know what happens to the retired horses.

No, they'd demand that the ranchers continue to pay for their care and provide huge (expensive) tracts of land for them to run free. Of course, in this perfect world, there are no things like snakes, heart attacks or gopher holes.

You'll NEVER see any of these people offer to pony up their own cash or resources to "rescue" all the animals that are being "horribly abused" for fun.

[Suzles]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Serious question. Would you prefer they simply sent to the slaughterhouse instead? Or what other option do you think realistically exist?

Okay I didn't want to reign in on this debate but I WILL answer this question. The problem is that too many horses are being bred. There will NEVER be enough homes for them - either as privately owned, or as racehorses or as chuck or rodeo horses or show jumpers or eventers or dressage hoses. Everyone wants to breed. They view it as free money. The slaughter house at Bouvry will tell you how many pass through each day. How many mares give birth in the feed lot - and how often both they and the foal die from complications on the manure and urine soaked feedlot floor. Very few entires make it to be full time studs - artificial insemination is prevalent. Any old mare can receive a straw of semen. Quality is of second importance to quantity. Money leads the way.

For some facts for you for how much I know about horses, I have been around horses over 50 years (30 years a riding instructor) and I have NEVER had -= or even know of - a working horse just drop dead. I did have a retired horse that dropped dead in his field at age 27 (from presumed complications from the sedative used during a dental exam). My other horse died at age 39 - a phenomonal age for a horse. Horeses are gentle, noble animals - they like to live as part of a herd. Grazing for a great part of the day. Chuck horses - I know this for fact, are given anti inflammatory drugs and steroids. I know, because a rodeo guy spent time talking to me at the peaceful protest we hold every year outside the stampede grounds. Calf roping will be the first event to go. Its gonna happen. Its not heritage. Its all about money.

[Derek Sutton]

So, many of us are right in saying that the Chuckwagon life these horses lead is much better then the alternative.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Suzles

Okay I didn't want to reign in on this debate but I WILL answer this question. The problem is that too many horses are being bred. There will NEVER be enough homes for them - either as privately owned, or as racehorses or as chuck or rodeo horses or show jumpers or eventers or dressage hoses. Everyone wants to breed. They view it as free money. The slaughter house at Bouvry will tell you how many pass through each day. How many mares give birth in the feed lot - and how often both they and the foal die from complications on the manure and urine soaked feedlot floor. Very few entires make it to be full time studs - artificial insemination is prevalent. Any old mare can receive a straw of semen. Quality is of second importance to quantity. Money leads the way.

For some facts for you for how much I know about horses, I have been around horses over 50 years (30 years a riding instructor) and I have NEVER had -= or even know of - a working horse just drop dead. I did have a retired horse that dropped dead in his field at age 27 (from presumed complications from the sedative used during a dental exam). My other horse died at age 39 - a phenomonal age for a horse. Horeses are gentle, noble animals - they like to live as part of a herd. Grazing for a great part of the day. Chuck horses - I know this for fact, are given anti inflammatory drugs and steroids. I know, because a rodeo guy spent time talking to me at the peaceful protest we hold every year outside the stampede grounds. Calf roping will be the first event to go. Its gonna happen. Its not heritage. Its all about money.

I dont think you answered olings question in regards to Chucks. As far as Im aware no horses are bred for chuckwagon racing. They use purely used horses. So question as far as chucks go is whether being a chuckwagon horse is worse than being dead.

[combustiblefuel]

My Grandfather Chuck Raced and My Dad and GrandFather did Chariot racing. Those Horses got better care than a lot of how we treat humans. They got to travel in heated tailers in the Winter . Lived in fancey Barns that could be compared to better living standards then Government housing given to low earning family's. These horses are not abused far from it. Hell they got more new shoes than I ever got. Accidents happen. How many people do fun things and get hurt? Horses love to run. They have a competitive side to them just like we do. We are all just Animals with primal instincts.


Edit:I should clarify what I mean by living In the Barns. They had free access In and out. They could pick when to leave and when not too. On side of the Barn led out to the trailer loading ramp and the other to a 25 acre semi flat pastor with a nice dugout with filtration system. You could go out their and watch them run after each other just like how dogs play. They loved It . If they saw you watching they would immediately come over and start trying to "headbutt" you like a Dog or cat does when they rub up against you to show you some love.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by GGG

I dont think you answered olings question in regards to Chucks. As far as Im aware no horses are bred for chuckwagon racing. They use purely used horses. So question as far as chucks go is whether being a chuckwagon horse is worse than being dead.

Not used horses only. You definitely can breed Horses of your own choosing. My Horse Charles was bred specificly to be a Chariot horse. He was a pure bred American Quarter Horse.

[Azure]

Is it really so bad that horses get slaughtered and we eat the meat? I love horses as much as anyone, but I also accept the fact that most of them can't live out their lives in a fancy ranch in southern Alberta.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Because it's stupid, cruel and barely above dog fights?

Roping up a cattle, how joyous.

Just another neigh sayer

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by Dion

Just another neigh sayer

Yup. Yet people glamify People fighting in UFC. Ufc is as barbaric as dogfight/cockfight.kinda reminds me of the meme " lives in Calgary cheers for Oilers"

"Protests Chuck racing, Watches UFC"

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

Yup. Yet people glamify People fighting in UFC. Ufc is as barbaric as dogfight/cockfight.

I'm not really on one side of the fence or the other (although the pro-chuckwagon crowd makes a pretty good argument), but there's a massive difference between a human who has the choice to be put in that situation, vs a dog or rooster that doesn't.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

Yup. Yet people glamify People fighting in UFC. Ufc is as barbaric as dogfight/cockfight.kinda reminds me of the meme " lives in Calgary cheers for Oilers"

"Protests Chuck racing, Watches UFC"

Someone missed the joke

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by Dion

Just another neigh sayer

Originally Posted by combustiblefuel

Yup. Yet people glamify People fighting in UFC. Ufc is as barbaric as dogfight/cockfight.kinda reminds me of the meme " lives in Calgary cheers for Oilers"

"Protests Chuck racing, Watches UFC"

Please tell me that didn't sail right over your head.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by Minnie

Please tell me that didn't sail right over your head.

No I got it . was just bad structure of sentences. Was trying to hard to add another joke at mastadonfarms expense. I just wanted to get in on it

[vanisleflamesfan]

Originally Posted by transplant99

The entire Stampede STARTED as just the rodeo...why on eath would we ever disassociate from that? Take it away and you have K days or whatever its called now...or any other geneic carnival in every other city in the world.

As for the bolded...there is a petty good reason Calgary is known as the "Stampede city".

This is not true.

However, it is fitting that most people think this since the 'history' of the Stampede is actual a 'revisionist' history. Guy Weadick, long-time 'Wild-West Show' promoter, wanted to have an event in this area that would rival other major yearly 'Wild-West' type of events at the time including events in Wyoming and the (at the time) very famous rodeo in Los Angeles of all places. Weadick wanted a celebration of a way of life that he saw as dying; that way of life being an open range style cattle ranching culture. Now the important thing to consider here is that this area of Southern Alberta never really had an open range style cattle ranching culture in the sense of what 'open range' meant at that time (before you flame my face off for suggesting this, it is again, important to understand that 'open-range' ranching meant something very different at that time from what it means today - this area NEVER had THAT type of 'Wild West'.

Weadick was projecting his uninformed vision of a 'Wild-West' onto an area that had never existed in that way in reality.

But more importantly, Weadick was doing this because he wanted to make money.

Fortunately for him, the idea of the Stampede took off in this area and helped to cement the popularity of 'rodeo' events.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I'm not really on one side of the fence or the other (although the pro-chuckwagon crowd makes a pretty good argument), but there's a massive difference between a human who has the choice to be put in that situation, vs a dog or rooster that doesn't.

Yes I would agree. Then again some Fighters might have to support their families and It might be the only way. I was trying to point out that every time there is someone claiming that any conceived notions that an animal might be in harms way simple people will jump right to Making the comparison to dog fighting.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by vanisleflamesfan

This is not true.

However, it is fitting that most people think this since the 'history' of the Stampede is actual a 'revisionist' history. Guy Weadick, long-time 'Wild-West Show' promoter, wanted to have an event in this area that would rival other major yearly 'Wild-West' type of events at the time including events in Wyoming and the (at the time) very famous rodeo in Los Angeles of all places. Weadick wanted a celebration of a way of life that he saw as dying; that way of life being an open range style cattle ranching culture. Now the important thing to consider here is that this area of Southern Alberta never really had an open range style cattle ranching culture in the sense of what 'open range' meant at that time (before you flame my face off for suggesting this, it is again, important to understand that 'open-range' ranching meant something very different at that time from what it means today - this area NEVER had THAT type of 'Wild West'.

Weadick was projecting his uninformed vision of a 'Wild-West' onto an area that had never existed in that way in reality.

But more importantly, Weadick was doing this because he wanted to make money.

Fortunately for him, the idea of the Stampede took off in this area and helped to cement the popularity of 'rodeo' events.

Very nice and Factual post . Calgary Stampede to me always seemed to be trying to Be like the Cheyenne frontier days. Except Cheyenne actually has a history open range cattle raising and a more tradional history of a Wild West. We went to each one every year for obvious reasons as stated earlier.

Cheyenne Wyoming became a booming town because of the Cattle Industry once the Union pacific started to visit.