A video on YouTube of horses roped by the legs, thrown to the ground, and dragged by the neck has horse advocates calling for an end to the practice of horse tripping in horse events in Oregon State. The video was taken at a Big Loop Rodeo in Jordan Valley, Oregon.
Renewed call for horse tripping ban
SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are calling for new efforts to ban horse tripping in Oregon.
An animal advocacy group SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) are calling for new efforts to ban the practice. Scott Beckstead Oregon senior state director of the Humane Society introduced a bill iin 2011 to ban horse tripping in the state, but the bill did not pass because people said the practice was not happening any more.
In a press release after the anti-horse tripping bill was killed in committee, Dave Duquette of United Horsemen said, “No rodeo event in Oregon condones, or conducts, horse tripping. Oregon has comprehensive laws in place to protect animals. This bill was totally unnecessary. It was nothing more than a first step by HSUS to ban all roping of all animals in our state.”
Duquette has currently been working on a project to bring horse slaughter back to Oregon.
Most people are unaware that horse tripping even happens, according to Beckstead. He says rodeos like Big Loop don’t get sanctioned by the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association). “The animals obviously are traumatized, injured and badly hurt.”
Both Idaho Power Company and Les Schwab Tire Centers, sponsors of the rodeo, are reviewing their sponsorships of the event.
Under Oregon's current animal cruelty laws, rodeo events are exempt from the rules and regulations regarding treatment of animals.
In the meantime, a major rodeo is taking place in Eugene, Oregon, this week: The Eugene Pro Rodeo runs July 3-7 at the Oregon Horse Center. It is a PRCA event and does not feature horse tripping.