Vegans, would you go to a rodeo?!
What would you do? Please state you reason.
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
Although I am not a vegan I am an animal lover and I see nothing wrong with going to a Rodeo the animals are not injured and you are not eating them
Its not animal cruelty. Its very good for horses to get out and run. Horses love it. Running is in their blood. It is very, very natural for horses.
Not all vegans are animal rights people anyway. Its fallacious to argue they are. Some, like me, are vegetarians for health and financial reasons. So you do have to figure out what kind of vegetarian you are and for what reasons you are a vegetarian. That's something you have to do yourself. No one can help you with that as its a personal thing.
Rodeo cowboys in the North American imagination By Dr. Michael Allen
I would not. I find them ridiculous.
I am not a Vegan but i do know several people who are in Rodeo who are. first let me address some people who are misinformed, the flank strap/rope is nowhere near the " private parts" of the livestock. first 80% of the horses in rough-stock riding are mares and the rest are gelded males since the rules do not allow stallions in the arena. in bull-riding the flank rope also doesn't come anywhere near the parts, if some people knew anatomy of cattle they would know better. as for the roping and bulldogging events they are the same thing we do on ranches all over the world for doctoring, branding and castrating of cattle but in Rodeo you don't smell the burning hair and see the blood and the calves are sent back to the ranches that they came from after the rodeo. the livestock is fed the best feed and the rough-stock in hotter weather is given Gatorade in their water to keep up their electrolytes. bulls can be worth over $300.000 dollars and horses worth $50.000 or more.
you need to decide for yourself if you should or should not go, Vegan-ism is about eating a healthy vegetable based diet, a lot of people try to blur the line of Animal rights and Vegans. Rodeo is not for everyone.
4th generation Cowboy/Rancher........Retired Pro Rodeo Bullfighter/Barrelman
No! If you are a vegan the answer would be an easy and already existent no. Veganism is about not exploiting animals and rodeo is a clear exploitation of animals and many vegans have protested rodeos throughout the U.S. Your mom has some issues clearly if she actually wants to go out and see animal abuse and enjoy it. Rodeos are pretty out in the open with a lot of their cruelty because that is part of their "show"
"The word 'veganism' denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, including humans and the environment.
In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."
No vegans would ever go to a rodeo unless it was for undercover investigations or something of that nature because as seen above it would go against the principles of veganism.
vegan because animals are not property
NO! Vegans don't believe that animals are ours to use as entertainment.
Most people with an ounce of compassion can see that there's something wrong with jerking a 3-4 month old baby animal to a halt with a rope around its neck, slamming it to the ground and tying its legs so that it can't move. The frightened calves are usually traveling at high speed when lassoed and hit the end of rope with great force. They may become airborne before crashing to the ground, with a high probability of breaking their back, neck or legs in the process. Tearing of ligaments, disc rupture, damage to the thymus gland, trachea and subcutaneous tissue, and hemorrhaging is also common. If they can still breathe, calves will cry pitifully as would be expected of any terrified baby.
The documentary Earthlings changed my mind about a lot of things, including circuses, zoos and rodeos. No one is watching you, judging you, or forcing you to do anything. Do things because you have values and feel personal convictions to do them. Don't do anything to fit into a category; rather, do them so that you feel right about the way you're living and the decisions you've made. If you really want to go to the rodeo and you honestly see nothing wrong with it, then go. If you feel bad about going and don't want to go, do not go. Your mom and her friend will survive either way.
Even before I was vegan I hated rodeos. They are pointless and primitive, and if you wouldn't eat an animal for ethical reasons I don't see why you would be okay with watching one be hyped up and teased for no other reason than to have someone see if they can hold on to it for 8 seconds. Rodeos are sad and pathetic occasions where people who have nothing decent to do with their lives make a competition out of clinging to bucking livestock. Vegan or not, there are much better things to do with your time.
Why not? I can see no contradiction in you dietary beliefs and a rodeo. If you're conserned about the welfare of the animals then you have a "bone-to-pick" [Sorry couldn't resist the joke].
Even in the days of the first farmers animals were used to cultivate, haul ... all the veggies to and from the market.
If you're concerned about the welfare of the animals where is there a better place to gain ammunition in the crusade that PETA has already begun?
You're not going to eat the animals you're just going to view a "Time honoured" tradition of the Man vs. Beast confrontation.
If you don't go ... especially if your mom and friend are giving you a hard time about your choice ... how will you defend yourself? Once you've gone you can just say "It's not for me! I went, I saw, I didn't enjoy .. count me out "
You can not defend a position without knowing both sides of any story!
P--------------
Just my thoughts
No, I would not.
Did you know that the only reason the animals buck is because they have a belt around their privates? When the rider gets on, it puts pressure on their testicles, and they just want it to stop. When the ride is over, the belt is removed and the animal calms down.
Some freakin' sport.
I'm not a vegan but I still wouldn't go because they're very cruel. I know it may be hypocritical of me because I eat eggs and dairy, but there's a difference between using animal products and watching an animal being tortured in front of me for nothing more than my own entertainment.
Semi-vegan here (I eat eggs that my own chickens produce and milk from my own cow), but no, I would not. Rodeos are cruel, ropes tied around an animals body so it's so uncomfortable that it has to kick it's legs up is not my idea of 'fun' either is taunting animals or roping cows.
I'll stick with the horses at my own house who are treated with respect. I don't even use a whip on them.
The horses and bulls have fun throwing the riders off their backs. You should go, because American Rodeos do not torture animals like they do in Bullfighting. Bullfighting is no excuse to watch a real animal suffer... can you honestly compare that with a Rodeo?
Rodeo's are stupid. But not as stupid as a bull fight. Oh lets trap a bull in a ring and kill it slowly. Talk about no class. Serious who finds killing a beautiful creature like a bull entertaining?
Humans are the most disgusting animal on earth.
If you are completely against animal mistreatment in any fashion, you shouldn't go. They stun the bulls and horses and treat them badly when they aren't in the rodeo. If you want to see the people, then go.
Sure why not, it's just people roping cows, riding horses, and riding bulls. Guess it depends on your reason for being vegan and if you think a rodeo is being cruel to animals.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with it at all. It's animal exploitation. If she already bought a ticket for you, maybe she could find someone else more willing to go.
Vegan
I wouldn't go. I'd be extremely uncomfortable and probably disgusted. Let her know that you're just too uncomfortable because it's animal exploitation.
I would go and watch a rodeo just as soon as I would go and watch a bullfight or a dog fight.
Please don't support cruelty, rodeos are absolutely horrific and need to be closed down.
I wouldn't. I was never comfortable with them and they have always angered me, animal exploitation is wrong.
I'm a vegetarian, but I would not go-- but then, I also do not go to zoos or circuses.
Personally, I would not go. I do not go to any shows that exploit/ injure animals for the entertainment of others
No, rodeos cause animals immense suffering! We should not exploit animals just for entertainment!