I don't like chasing any animals.....

It may seem that all they do is chase, but there is much more to this art than first meets the eye. Perhaps a brief explanation will help:

The modern cowboy you see here is an animal herder who actively tends cattle on ranches here in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. They need these skills to manage their work, and perform it safely for the cows, horses and themselves.

Rodeo has a unique quality of origin to which no other professional sport can lay claim. It emerged from an industry that is still active to this day, from the daily routine and tasks of a low paying job with long hours performed by ranch hands who came to know very well the animals with which they lived. Plainly put: These men and women work long hours for low pay, with animals because they love animals. If you've got a close bond with an animal, you take care of it.

Riding broncs and roping calves are the events that were born on Western ranches.

• Being able to rope a calf or steer on the open range is a necessary skill if an animal requires attention.
• Riding a bronky kind of horse is part of the territory, as many horses are green broke at best...in the western states especially, a considerable number of ranch horses are mustangs, wild horses saved from slaughter (something the government used to do to prevent starvation on the open range much like the practice of hunting deer to prevent forest overpopulation) or starvation (despite weeding out, a large number of mustangs starve to death or are eaten by coyotes).

The contests of rodeo riding and roping require only two things of the horses and cattle... either to buck or to run, actions that are natural to them.

Animal welfare, which is caring for and meeting an animal's needs, is practiced in the sport of rodeo. Rodeo people respect, admire, and want to take care of the animals that are so important to their way of life. That is why they choose this way of life in the first place.

It's obvious that rodeo is not taxing for the huge, powerful bulls that toss cowboys around like rag dolls, but some people may wonder if roping is hard on calves. A calf has more than tripled its weight when it is first roped, which is at 225-250 pounds, and is a strong animal. It takes the special roping and handling skills exhibited by the rodeo cowboy to manage the strength of a calf whose instinct is to flee or fight rather than cuddle. It also helps to understand that the lariat does not give the same kind of noose a regular rope offers; rather is smooth and stiff, providing an easy hold for a calf - not a harmful one. The lariat grasp loosens with a flick of the cowboys wrist and the calf, quickly freed.

The roping contest is an extension of the necessary skills developed by ranch cowboys to hold cattle for doctoring, etc., without benefit of pens and corrals - this allows a greater freedom in open ranging for cows, rather than fenced stockholds. The muscular structure of a calf and its hairy, thick hide allows prudent roping without harm. As is observed, immediately upon removal of the rope, calves jog trot out of the arena in a most unconcerned manner.

Injury to rodeo animals is infrequent with rates documented at less than 1%. The use of horses, calves and bulls in rodeo is so undemanding that they stay healthy and perform well for many years...far longer than they do in the wild or regular ranch atmosphere. It is not unusual for a bucking horse to be kicking up its heels in fine fashion over the age of 30 and many bulls are still active buckers at 20 years of age (The full life expectancy of a cow is 20-25 years if grazing naturally in a bountiful field. If they are dairy cows, 5 years is normal because of the hormones). Veterinarians attribute it to the good care they receive which includes quality feed and adequate exercise.

Of special note:

• Rodeo associations throughout the USA have extremely strict rules that dictate how contests will be conducted and animals will be handled. The first rules for the humane care and treatment of rodeo animals were established by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in 1947, seven years prior to the founding of the Humane Society of the United States.
• The average bucking horse, calf or bull works less than five minutes per year in the arena.
• Human skin is 1mm-2mm thick, horse hide is 5 to 6mm thick, and cow hide is 7 to 10mm thick...with an additional big difference to human skin...it's covered in thick hair.

OK, so this wasn't as brief as planned but there was a lot to say!

thanks for the long info !
I don't understand everything as it is not my mother tongue, but I do understand a little more of it

here in Austria/Europe we don't have such rodeos at all

see you

My pleasure! I'm curious, do you have ranches/farms that raise beef in Austria? If so, do they use horses to do so, or is it entirely by hand?

there are no horses in that way, they do it by themselves.....