RODEO
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1994:
California Assembly Bill 49x, to ban
horse–tripping––a staple of charro rodeo – – at
deadline awaited only governor Pete Wilson’s
signature to become law. Calls of support for the
bill may be made to 916-445-2864.
The Animal Rights Foundation of
Florida asks that letters protesting Dr. Pepper’s
use of rodeo themes in ads be sent to John Clark,
Senior V.P. for Advertising, Dr. Pepper USA,
8144 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX 75231.
Members of In Defense of Animals
attempted a sit-in August 12 to protest a cattle
drive through the streets of Napa, California,
held to promote the Napa Town and Country Fair
rodeo. They were nearly trampled––along with
spectators––when the supposedly expert cowboys
lost control of the herd of 25 longhorn steers
about a block before reaching the demonstrators.
The steers smashed up a patrol car, damaged
other vehicles, and finally stopped to eat the
shrubs around the town hall, except for one who
crashed into the door of the Redwood Bank.
For the second straight year, t h e
state attorney’s office in Lake County, Illinois,
dismissed cruelty complaints filed against the
Wauconda Rodeo by the Chicago Animal Rights
Coalition. Video of the rodeo taken by CHARC
and aired by local media showed horses with
wounded flanks, a steer being kicked, and a
steer being yanked by the tail, but a panel of
three veterinarians and a state agricultural inspec-
tor said nothing shown was abuse. Also dis-
missed was CHARC founder Steve Hindi’s com-
plaint that he was hit by a passenger in a car dri-
ven by Wauconda mayor James Eschenbauch.
