ALL ABOUT A RODEO

Hokitika Guardian, 19 July 1924, Page 4

ALL ABOUT A RODEO

EXPLAINED BY WEMBLEY PROMOTERS.

MANAGER SMILES AT “CRUELTY STUNT."

“Tbe rodeo,'’ said Mr Charles B. Cochran, promoter of the Wembley equestrian exhibition, in an interview with a “Manchester Guardian" representative, "is the spurt supremo of the editle-caisilig Countries, hut tin? Weliibloy rodeo is the first international event ever planned. About ,L - 2i),()!).') will be paid in ea*h prizes, and many of the ‘top hands’ on the ranches in America, Canada. Australia, and the Argentine are to compete, ami also many ‘cow girls,’ lor whom separate events are arranged.

"In such events a* bronk-riding am steer-wrestling, where the contestant is judged by his skill alone, the tea contest is between man and beast and in these events the man is liaiuli

capped severely, all the advantage being given to the aninuil. Against the restrictions imposed on the rider, the brook is at liberty to use every scheme he can think of to unseat the contestant. and any cowboy will tell you flint all of these •outlaw’ horses arc ‘fast and wicked thinker.-.’ For the ‘brooks’ used at rotlocs are not like the socalled ‘bucking horses’ that travel with Wild West shows or circuses and that are made to buck by artificial means. They are real ‘outlaws.’ Having refused to be broken to the saddle in

tdays of their youth. t !t.*y no"' 1m on the till oi the I,mil. ' Tin.' steer wrestling contests aix decided liv ihe length of (imo it takes the wrestler, who starts: on horsehnek to leap from his Imrse In thi* i'lln■ ■ in.'j stem' and wrestle him to Ihe ground." Tox Austin, ilm m:in:i"Pr of thi rodeo, in nn interview witli an lxx• change Telegraph Company's representative, said Iho first rodeo (pronounced ro-tlny-oh Iwas held ;it Denver, Colorado, ill years ago, and was called "Tile Festival of the Mountains and the Plains." The following year i! was moved to Cheyenne in 'Wyoming and was named “Festival of Frontier Days." Cheyenne this year holds ils twenty-eighth anniversary. After the first meeting; at Cheyenne the name given was "stampede,” and this has since heen changed to the Spanish word rodeo, which means in English round up."

The bronco riding contest for the international championship will bring lo- ! gel her the wickedest horses in Hie 1 States and tjie finest riders that ever 1 straddled leather. Deerfoot killed ■ Davies in the 1919 rebellion, and last year bucked of! all the competitors except three men. The horse and the three men are coming. One of these, Pete Yamlemeyer, is the winner and holder of the Prince of Wales’s trophy for the stampede in Calgary. The horses are the wildest it has been possible to get together in the Stales and Canada. It will he impassible rite continued) to bring the real genuine Texas longhorn steer owing to the embargo on

. cattle, but we have done the next host . filing, and are bringing longhorns from Canada, shipped from Medicine Hal, I Saskatchewan. The men competing I are professionals in their line, and many of them live by wltat they make

'at the various stampedes. Therefore. lit will he understood that they must |he clean livers and athletes in every sense of the word. Also many ol them own their own ranches.

"I would like to say something about this so-called cruelty stunt,” he continued. "It makes me smile. The idea that roping and hog lying a steer is cruelty is absurd. It is impossible for a ISOlli man to throw a 10001 b steer by twisting his neck, just hs it would he impossible for that hell hop (he pointed to n page hoy passing) to throw me by twisting my neck or arm. A. steer with his four legs out-strads died is as immovable as a rock, and the puncher moves his head and neck round in order to get him off his balance and throw him to the ground. If range-fed cattle are to lie turned into beef there must he cowboys to round them up. If it is generally thought! that punching cattle and hull-dogging steers is cruel, the easiest- way out of it is fur the world to quit eating heel.