I went to one rodeo after moving here to cowboy country. They make a game out of things they used to have to do as work. Nobody ‘breaks’ horses anymore, they train them. So what if a guy can stay a few seconds longer on a horse or bull forced to buck by the belt that’s pinching its genitals. So what if two guys can slam a calf to the ground and tie it up a little faster than two other guys. There has to be a better way to show what a good cowboy you are. Gymkhana maybe? Oh, but little girls excel at that, so it’s not manly enough.

Horse racing and rodeos are big business, so it will be difficult to take the cruelty out, or eliminate them as abusive sports. Same for boxing and football.

In March I went to a Dutch Oven Cook Off. Mmm, cowboy cooking. The only cruelty there was not having a big enough stomach to try everything.