Abo

Possibly the human animal got hurt more than the equine one. lol

Having said that, I reckon gaining a horses trust is better
than "breaking".

Not that I'm any expert... as my knowledge is limited to
knowing which side to mount... and that's it.

Cheapshot Loc: California.

Nice set! Thanks for sharing.

Linda2 Loc: Yakima Wa.

Happy this is not getting many positive comments.

DRam11 Loc: Polson, MT

From the reading I have done it seems most of their horses were kept outside the camp herded (guarded?) 24 7. If a man had a particularly valuable horse, one that was a good buffalo horse for example, that horse might be picketed outside the man's lodge.

As for breaking horses, I have no idea. Andrew Garcia, who lived and then wrote "Tough Trip Through Paradise" seemed to indicate that some, particularly his wife, were pretty rough with their horses. I'd have to believe that a man would treat a valuable hunting horse pretty well.

scallihan Loc: Tigard, OR

I agree. Feel sorry for the horse.

Barn Owl

RodeoMan, I was surprised at your sign-in and your obvious attention to treating animals without cruelty. I grew up around rodeo entertainment and excitement. Guess it is my old age, but I am rethinking what the events of "rodeoing" include and the treatment of livestock. It has its own culture. I'm not talking about the necessary skills necessary for normal farm and ranch work.

spaceytracey Loc: East Glacier Park, MT

His book, "Horse Follow Closely" gives a great basic outline for horse "training".

Flying Three Loc: Berthoud, CO

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments: Because of your thoughtful comments, I wanted to answer some of your questions. I neither condone nor condemn rodeo. There have been so many positive changes for the welfare of the animals over the years, that it is a much less abusive sport than it used to be. One way to look at it is that these animals are well fed, watered and cared for in return for 15-20 seconds of real work (the attempted riding time of most events). Compared to our mythical wild horses that are abused by allowing over-grazing and over-crowding, often leading to starvation or at least living in poor conditions, it appears to be a good trade off.
As to your comment about my profession and how this fits in: on a daily basis I confronted obesity, injuries from neglect, witnessing the results of tying or neglecting animals left to fend for themselves in back yards without the pleasure of companionship or daily walks, injuries from agility training, or, my personal pet peeve, dressing pets in costumes so we can laugh at them. Talk about cruelty!
There are all kinds of cruelty that we condone: do you watch football, hockey, or wrestling? Do you have guns, and if so what do you use them for? Do you play violent video games?
I have gone on long enough. Thank you for comments. David

Reuss Griffiths Loc: Ravenna, Ohio

I agree with your comments about rodeo in general. Great effort is taken to make sure animals are not abused. Bulls and Bucking Broncs are specifically bred for what they do and they do it often enough to know what their job is. There is no spurring with anything that can damage a horse and I've personally seen bulls being off loaded from trailers for competitions. While they certainly are given respect, they also don't display any aggressive behavior either. Wild horses are a separate issue because the BLM is involved. They actually have 50,000+ horses in holding pens which is more than are free roaming. Some good work is being done with fertility drugs to manage their numbers on the range and eliminate roundup.

On the other hand there are approximately 100,000 unwanted (for many reasons) horses annually which need to be dealt with. Many of them are shipped to Canada and Mexico to be sold for human consumption. But efforts are being made to stop this. This issue is really the elephant in the room. Lots of groups and organizations are trying to change this situation but it's still a huge problem without a good solution.

To quote you. I've gone on long enough

Barn Owl

Flying Three, Thanks for your thoughtful response. You make good points about the care of rodeo stock. I'm probably just getting too old and sensitive, but I hate seeing the physical/mental damages done to many of our young pro rodeo contestants. Suspect you and I could drink a cup of coffee over the $$$ spent Federally on B&B of wild horses and burros. That does not include the ecological damage done by herds of wild horses on many ranches. So yes, I would favor the humane slaughter of cull horses/burros from the BLM lands and providing the meat to the homeless. You make an excellent point about the treatment of humans in our professional sports. Plus, what are we doing to our kids in contact sports? Notice that basketball has evolved into nearly a gladiator sport? Best of continued good health to you and yours.

Barn Owl

Reuss Griffiths, Thanks for the YouTube link.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

Why would anyone take part in such an exercise, let alone photograph it?