Rollkur Communication

“We all ride for the same purpose, to win, but its those that ride with their heart and soul and leave everything in the arena that truly win in the end, no matter the outcome of the final placing.” Its not the person on the horse’s back, or the cowboy on a bodacious bull, that wins. It’s the horse and the bull themselves that are the champions. There are misconceptions when it comes to the sport of rodeo. Despite what PETA and animal activists think, rodeo is the way of life for some people and nothing can change that. We take pride in our animals, the livestock we use, and wouldn’t dream on attentionally mistreating these wonderful creatures.

First off when purchasing your horse you have to watch for proper balance. Balance is arguably the most important aspect when examining a horse since it is fundamental for both movement and performance, this is determined by the horse's bone structure.(Duberstein) Some aspects that play a role in determining the balance includes the horse's weight along with the proportions and angles of the body. A horse can be light weighted or heavy weighted and still balanced if its bone structure allows for equal distribution of that weight. Appropriate balance of a horse allows it to carry itself in a well mannered fashion.("Test Your Eye for Horse Conformation") Along with a horse's balance, structural correctness plays a major role in

I was astonished to find out that disabled people can greatly benefit from their therapeutic riding, even when outside of the arena. The idea of someone being with an animal to improve his or her people skills is intriguing. My research suggests that disabled riders may possibly gain better people skills and sensations by being with a horse, rather than talking with a sophisticated human being. In my research, I found that www.sire-htec.org had a great description of how a disabled person would feel on top of a horse. It stated, the horses “rhythmic movements help stiff or spastic muscles to relax, much like rocking soothes a crying baby” (“Benefits”). This information was very helpful when discussing the

If you’ve ever owned an animal, you know that being around them can be extremely therapeutic. After a stressful day at work or school, it is always nice to come home to your pet and feel comforted by them. Many dog owners even claim that their dogs can feel their pain. However, if you speak to anyone who has been spent their life around horses, they’ll tell you that the connection between horse and rider is unlike any other. Norwegian researcher Anita Maurstad explains in a recent article, that over time horse and rider can become so attuned to each other that they develop a state of co-being. Maurstad also found, through research, that horses appear to learn to relate to humans in ways that provide them with a good quality of life. A recent study from Washington State university has concluded that kids who work with horses have significantly lower stress levels. In addition to these, there have been numerous other studies that show that working with horses decreases blood pressure, reduced feelings of anger, tension, and anxiety. Riding horses also allows you to gain feelings of self esteem, empowerment, patience, and trust. Because of the overwhelming positive effects that horses seem to have, horses are no longer being used just for recreational or agricultural

Before we jump into the main question, let's jump back to where it all started. Horse therapy dates back to around 600 b.c when the greeks rode horses for therapy. Later, in around 1946 equine therapy then was introduced in Scandinavia. Which then led to the North Americans beginning the handicapped riding which started around 1969. They soon recognized that riding horses or just being

Riders and horses that compete prepare through a training process that aids participation skills and showmanship. Horse competitions require the people participating to have a certain level of experience and knowledge. Due to this, horse trainers put an extensive amount of time and effort into having to train their hose, prepare their horse, and participate in horse shows and events.

Throughout the history of American Quarter horses the main issue of the industry is the extent amount of drug usage on horses. The use of drugs on horses can help for healing and speed up the time of injury recovering, yet most of the time drugs hurt the horses. Today, this abusive action has only increased since the founding of the association. Quarter horses are jeopardized by having drugs injected in them to gain endurance and speed, but people fail to mention the risks that can occur. Injecting horses with dangerous drugs can cause heart attacks that may cause death after their race.

Many times, people think of trail rides and the black stallion when they think of the horse industry. Soring taints the reputation of horse shows and trainers around the globe. Once a person has seen the horrific abuse and has been to a show, it is a sight that can never be unseen. It sticks in the mind and makes one wonder if all trainers use these techniques. When people begin to know the truth about what really goes into these shows, ticket sales and show attendance rates begin to decline. Animal abuse is something that many people feel strongly about and many are not willing to support it in any way. If they believe that some, or all, gaited horse trainers use these cruel methods, they may never attend shows or own a gaited horse. This means decreased revenue and a misunderstanding of the gaited

Lifting the rider’s legs away from the horse’s sides while still keeping them parallel to the horse will help the rider open their hip and relax their seat. Essentially this simple exercise allows the rider to re mold their seat and leg to the shape off the horse’s body allowing for better contact between the rider’s leg and the horse’s barrel and to have a more following seat. This allows for better communication between horse and rider and will help the rider follow the horse’s motion and in turn create a more adjustable

Another thing is that these horses are really young so they fall a lot or they hurt themselves because they don’t know they are doing.

But what a lot of people don’t know is that in the wild a wild horse will buck if something is on them. So if they use a wild animal it would naturally buck thinking you are trying to eat them or you are attacking them. There is a thing called a bucking strap that is no different than a back synch. Also steer wrestling dose not hurt them the person basically falls off there horse and grabs the steer’s horns and puts it on its side. There is no harm done by putting an animal on its side. Also roping, roping a cow or horse doses not injure the animal if it did why would they rope on farms. It is their own money and investment. Why would they want to hurt the

Fans have argued that rodeo is abuse the the animals and others have argued that it’s not abuse to them. There are a lot of people who absolutely love the rodeo and come to watch and support it. Then on the other hand, there are those people that hate it and are totally against it because they believe it is abusive to the animals. Without the animals, rodeos would not be possible; therefore, the care of the animals is of the utmost importance to all participants and staff. A writer for Beef Magazine.com says, “Rodeos put animal health and welfare in front of fans. How rodeo has used veterinary information to prepare for—and respond to—a range of questions can be an example for the beef industry.” (Ryan, 2013). This proves that during the rodeos

It has also been shown that using the horse for riding has caused vertebrae problems if the rider uses incorrect posture (Lesimple et al., 2010).

Contestants under the age 0f 18 can compete in their local rodeos but cannot go pro with their riding. Bull riding requires strength, agility, and flexibility. Many of the riders workout daily. They do crossfit workouts and practice riding bulls. They don’t lift many heavy weights because they would develop slow reflexes. Some riders can take lessons to learn new techniques for ways to hold on and ride better. This sport requires mental toughness and preparation with extreme courage. Their mental mindset can either make their ride or break it. They learn from their negative rides and try to keep a positive belief. “About anyone with some athletic ability can be successful in bull riding, but there has to be the desire and mindset in order to succeed” (“Buchman”). Many riders believe their mindset in the biggest part in their rides. They practice their grips and balance and have many different ways to ride. The man’s hand in his balance point. He uses his thighs and knees and squeeze the bull’s sides for a better grip. He needs to stay close to the center of the bull so he can keep from sliding off during a spin. His free hand is used to stay away from the bull. His his free hand touches the bull of himself the ride is over. If his hand comes out of his rope the ride is over also. He can carefully wrap his hand to secure himself in the saddle, but this can also backfire with a broken hand if he gets caught. Before his ride,

“On average, 24 horses die per week on racetracks in the U.S.” (Cohen). This is due to the horrible mistreatment and horrendous training methods used on too young horses. However, the racetrack is not the only place where horses are abused. Horse shows, show rings, large business stables, smaller private barns; wherever a horse can be found, there is potential for some sort of animal abuse. There is not one certain breed or type of horse that is most commonly abused, every horse around the world can be subject to mistreatment. Unfortunately, there are not many laws that protect these horses, and some people merely turn their heads away. That is why there should be more laws against the abusive techniques applied by many equestrians in the equine