The banning of four key events at British Columbia’s largest professional rodeo will likely not spread to other rodeos, says the president of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.
Dale Leschiutta said he believes other communities will not follow the Cloverdale Rodeo’s lead. It eliminated tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling and cowboy cow milking after a calf was injured and then euthanized during a rodeo roping event May 19.
Leschiutta acknowledged the Cloverdale Rodeo, which is near Vancouver and part of the professional rodeo circuit, is in a sensitive area where conflict between rodeo personnel and animal rights activists has risen before.
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“It has a very active animal rights component,” said Leschiutta.
Laura Balance, spokesperson for Cloverdale Rodeo in Surrey, said it’s the second time since 2004 that an animal was injured during the rodeo and was euthanized.
Three years ago, a steer was destroyed after it was hurt in a wrestling event.
That prompted Cloverdale organizers to suggest changes to the rodeo association to help prevent animal injuries but the recommendations weren’t implemented.
Balance said she expects the CPRA will no longer sanction the Cloverdale rodeo because of the cancelled events. Cloverdale will now focus on saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding and ladies barrel racing events.
“Everybody has to do what’s right for their rodeo. It’s no longer something we want to ever happen again,” she said.
Shirley Hamblin, a Houston, B.C., area rancher, expects other rodeos will follow suit and eliminate roping events.
“Public pressure is going to increase, not diminish,” said Hamblin, who doesn’t like calf roping events and seeing small calves jerk to a sudden stop at the end of a rope.
“It’s just not standard practice to chase a calf full speed,” she said. “Calf roping is something that should have been gone a long time ago. I abhor it.”
Hamblin has a different feeling toward team roping with its larger animals and slower pace.
Harold Starr of 150 Mile House, B.C., said eliminating roping events from the rodeo makes no sense. It’s one of the few rodeo skills still used on a working ranch to catch and treat sick cattle.
Starr said the decision won’t change professional rodeo in places like the Calgary or the Williams Lake, B.C., Stampedes, but it may spell the end of rodeo in cities like Vancouver.
“In big metropolitan areas, it could have an effect,” he said.
Leschiutta said changes to rodeos held in sensitive areas will likely be discussed at the June board meeting.
Dirk McCarroll, whose sons placed second in the team roping event at Cloverdale, said the decision to eliminate roping events is a “knee jerk reaction” to a group of animal rights fanatics.
“They are so ignorant, they don’t know anything,” said McCarroll, who trains horses on his Camrose ranch.
Ropers don’t purposely hurt animals, but accidents happen whether they’re on a farm, ranch or in a rodeo, he said.
“In Western Canada, people rope cattle to doctor them. We don’t try to hurt them.”
McCarroll said once the Cloverdale Rodeo loses its CPRA sanction, it could soon lose financial support from major sponsors like Dodge. He predicted that fewer fans will attend without the roping events.
“Common sense will prevail. In Western Canada we need to keep this in perspective. These people are nuts.”
The organization that hosts the Canadian Finals Rodeo planned for Nov. 7-11 in Edmonton has no plans to eliminate roping events, said Northlands general manager Ken Knowles.
“We have a great working relationship with the humane society,” said Knowles.
He said the Cloverdale accident that led to the euthanization of the calf needs to be examined to determine how to avoid such incidents in the future.
