tailing is a traditional Mexican rodeo event in which a cowboy on horseback
grabs a running steer's tail, wraps it around his leg or stirrup, and pulls
the steer to the ground.
roping is a traditional American rodeo event in which a cowboy lassos a
running calf around the neck, pulls it down and then ties three of the
animal's legs together as quickly as possible.
one inherently more dangerous than the other when it comes to the safety
and welfare of the animals involved?
say some cowboys — known as charros — who participate in the Mexican rodeos
course there isn't a difference," said Armando Pliego, an Omaha charro
who addressed the City Council Tuesday dressed in his rodeo gear: leather
chaps, an ornate button-down shirt, boots and a colorful gold necktie.
local animal experts don't agree.
a public hearing on a proposed city ordinance that would ban two charreada
events, Humane Society officials and a local veterinarian told the council
that the Mexican events are more painful and dangerous to the animals than
American rodeo events. The Humane Society does not oppose American rodeos.
Nebraska Humane Society is asking city leaders and state lawmakers to expressly
prohibit both steer tailing and an event known as horse tripping, in which
a charro ropes the front or back feet of a running horse, causing it to
is the treasurer of Charros La Amistad, an Omaha-based rodeo club that
has performed in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, putting on about four or five
events a year. He estimates that there are about 200 charros in Nebraska,
with about 20 of them in Omaha.
Langan, a Humane Society vice president, said Mexican-style rodeos are
becoming more popular in the United States.
Steve White, who said he attended a charreada near Elkhorn recently, told
the council that horse tripping can cause rope burns, abrasions, dislocations,
torn tendons and ligaments, and broken legs. Steer tailing can injure the
steers when they are slammed into the ground, White said. The chance for
injuries is greater than with American rodeos, he said.
should never take precedence over the welfare of animals," he said.
McClure, an associate professor of equine surgery at Iowa State University,
said in a telephone interview that he has seen charreadas. He would not
say whether he believes Mexican-style rodeo is harder on animals than a
traditional American rodeo.
horse tripping, to say they likely break legs is probably an overexaggeration,"
McClure said. "Could a horse get injured doing that? Yes."
Smith, owner of the Elkhorn-area Chance Ridge Event Center, said in a phone
interview that he believed two charreadas had taken place at his facility
does not recall ever seeing horse tripping, but steer tailing has occurred
at Chance Ridge. He said he doesn't think steer tailing should be banned.
haven't seen them cripple a cow or anything like that," said Smith, a veterinarian
whose animal hospital is next door. "I've never seen that or even where
it made the tail sore."
tripping is illegal in seven states, but Iowa and Nebraska are not among
frequency of injuries attributed to horse tripping and steer tailing is
Rodriguez, a member and former chairman of the American Charro Association
in El Paso, Texas, said the organization does not keep statistics on animal
Nebraska Humane Society doesn't have statistics on Mexican rodeo animal
injuries either, said Langan, vice president for field operations.
Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, which sanctions about 30 percent
of rodeos in the United States, tracks animal injuries and reports that
the rate of injury is far less than 1 percent.
majority of U.S. rodeos are sanctioned by smaller rodeo associations or
not sanctioned at all.
rights groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, have
said both Mexican and American rodeo constitute animal abuse and should
Jim Suttle said he sees parallels between events included in American rodeos
and steer tailing and horse tripping.
we're going to do something like this, we better be prepared to do it for
white, Caucasian rodeos," he said.
Chuck Sigerson sponsored the ordinance after being approached by the Humane
council could vote on the issue next week.
told the council he would like to work with the Humane Society to modify
the two events to make them safer, including putting leg protection on
horses and ending the steer tailing event before the animal is propelled
to the ground.
certainly willing to meet and try to come up with a compromise," Langan
children, Armando, 15, and Xochitl, 12, told the council that charreadas
are an important way for them to connect to Mexican culture and that the
Mexican rodeos are being unfairly targeted.
haven't they done anything to stop horse racing, hunting and fishing, or
American rodeos?" Armando asked.
Society officials said they were not trying to stop charreadas, but they
want to see the steer tailing and horse tripping events eliminated. Pliego
said charreadas involve 10 different events.
was among nine local men who were cited for animal cruelty in July, after
Humane Society investigators found five malnourished horses with extensive
scars on their legs. Several also had abrasions. The men pleaded no contest,
and each was fined $900. The horses were confiscated.
men admitted to participating in horse tripping and told investigators
that steer tailing also was occurring.