Coleadero Rodeo skips steer-tailing event that ripped tails off cattle, but what about next time?

• Interesting post, Eflores. Thanks for sharing it.

• Most people who advocate for animal rights seem to forget that their grandparents and great grandparents are the one's responsible for wiping out most animals on earth. There is one group of people responsible for putting hundreds of species on the ENDANGERED LIST. HINT: It wasn't MEXICANS, BLACKS, OR ASIANS! So before you say rodeo and charreria are barbaric, go and finish cleaning all that oil in the gulf your grand daddy spilled, which killed millions of animal species instantly! NOW THATS CRUELTY!!!! Mexican Charros are the forefathers of the American Cowboy, just in case your grand daddy told you otherwise! 2 bulls were put down, but 2 million fish died from your daddy's oil spill!

• This looks fun(:

• To Eric Mills; I would point out that Cesar Chavez, never referred to Charreria as animal cruelty. I believe that he knew that the hundreds of years of taking care of bovines on horse back, taught the charros how to care for animals without causing them serious injures. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. Exactly how many animals can you proved have been seriously injured in Charreria in the last ten years. Then compare that to the same number of animals seriously injured in rodeo, during the same period, based on the reports you say you have. Since you only have tried to ban suerties in Charreria, I assume you have substantially higher numbers of animal injuries in Charreria. If the rodeo numbers are higher and you have not diligently worked to ban rodeo, then you are an opportunistic bigot. You pander to racism to make money. As far as 596.7, that is the stupid statute. Requiring veterinarians in attendance, when the people running the show have extensive experience taking care of animals is stupid. If you look at the states that have this statute, they are the same ones that are in the biggest financial bind. Contrary to your assertion, most states do not consider it a model, since most states have not adopted it. I have also looked at the California penal code and it is still not a crime to have a high school athletic event without a physician in attendance. I forgot to mention Hendi, in my last post. Your assertion that his armature investigators did not shoot the steer is wrong. We know they shot the steer because he says that they sent picture and videos to to states attorney. No mention is made of a veterinarian�s report. If a vet had looked at the animal, then he would have mentioned the report. Next he says that a deputy sheriff put the animal out of its misery. That is the person who shot the steer. Hendi like you, Cathleen Doyle, and most animal rights fanatics, use the half truth. Again, where does the money you and Hindi collect, go. We know you don�t take care of a single steer or horse. We also know, you and he do not have any experience, with horses or cattle. So why don�t you leave the people who know what they are talking about alone.

• Dear Ms. Besemo - I share your sentiments regarding Mr. Janssen. But he's made us a major gift which we can use against him. See his post of 8/15, above. He provides a link to a short, descriptive video of all nine "charreada" events, including "steer tailing" and "horse tripping." (He's the narrator, I believe.) I would urge you (and others) to make a copy of this to help educate local animal activists, legislators and the general public. It's an eye-opener. The irony is, Mr. Janssen doesn't see the cruelty, just the "tradition." Sad. Here's hoping that Colorado will soon adopt legislation outlawing these cruelties. Sincerely, Eric Mills, coordinator ACTION FOR ANIMALS Oakland

• This guys just another animal abuser. Look at him using the old excuse they all use. I'll go with the experts at what kind of damage his kind do to childrens minds and society in general. "The well-worn excuse by many law enforcement officials � that �it�s just a dog,� and �we should be focusing on crimes against people� -- shows a frightening lack of understanding of the ramifications of animal cruelty and its insidious affects on the animal�s �human family,� and other law abiding citizens. Animal cruelty can be linked to the vast majority of serial killers, many habitual violent offenders, and most children and teens who kill." National DAs association,2010 If he thinks society is going to stand by and let anyone rip the tails off animals or even pull an animal by its tail (that damages any animal) without outrage...he's a fool!

• Randy, you really need to read my posts a little more carefully before responding. I'd also love to hear why you think I'm "racist." Just because I (and most others) speak out against what we see as animal abuse? Do you consider Cesar Chavez to be a racist, too? (Chavez was also opposed to rodeos and charreadas generally.) Those injury reports were from the PRCA's own surveys, not me. And I was doing work to reform rodeo years before I ever even heard of charreada. (California has the best rodeo animal welfare law in the country, Penal Code 596.7, which I sponsored back in 1999.) As you know, it was amended in 2008, so as to include charreadas. It needs strengthening still further, though, to require ON-SITE VETERINARIANS AT ALL RODEOS AND CHARREADAS. Would you be opposed to that? Why or why not, please? x Eric Mills ACTION FOR ANIMALS

• I don't care about how Hendi spells his name, to he is one of the few people I refer to as despicable. Because of your racist attitude, you are joining that group. He and you are there because you use an instrument to inform, to misinform. He and you are both there because you are parasites. Both of you want to separate adolescents from their allowance without doing anything constructive for society. The reason you are a racist, is because you claim to have proof of serious injuries at 57% PRCA, events, but only two or three at coleoderos. Yet you are seeking legislation against charros and coleoderos and not cowboys, where you claim to have the proof. So, while your asking Colorado to ban cloa, you should ask for a shut down of rodeo. You claim to have the statistics to prove the need, so use them. If you don't then you have proven what you are, an opportunistic racist. As far as the dangers of cola, we just finished a two day tournament at 3 Potrillos. They were celebrating the anniversary of the team. The Flores family compose the team. If you watch the video I am attaching to this post, you will see Victoriano ride a wild mare which falls on him. He stays on the mare and finished the ride. Quite a man for 55 years old. He then goes on to help his sons in mangana. There were eighteen teams at the anniversary celebration with six charreadas over two days. Not an animal was hurt. Not one tail lost in 162 colas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ajQ_E3uCY

• Randy, Randy, Randy.... I obviously wasn't trying to present a review of ALL the animals injured and killed over the years. Only you, the abusers, would know that. My point was to list just a few of the deaths and injuries of which I was aware in recent years. Again, TIP OF THE ICEBERG. I have five PRCA injury surveys from 1999-2008 documenting an animal injured or killed at 57% of their sanctioned events, on average. I'd wager that things were even worse on the amateur (or, as you say in Texas, "armature") circuit. Randy, if you're so concerned about high school football injuries, please tell us what you're doing to correct the situation. Ditto steeplechase and thoroughbred racing. Again, this irrelevant to the issue at hand: STEER TAILING (banned in Nebraska and two California counties, with Colorado soon likely to join the list). And it's Steve HINDI (SHARK). Please learn to spell his name correctly, at least. And there's no way that he or any SHARK investigators shot any wounded animals at a charreada. That would have been illegal, of course. As a lawyer (!?), surely you know that. MAYBE IF YOU GUYS REQUIRED ON-SITE VETERINARIANS TO CARE FOR INJURED AND CRIPPLED ANIMALS, THEY COULD BE IMMEDIATELY TREATED OR EUTHANIZED, HEY? Now there's a REALLY radical idea for you: concern for animal welfare. Cheers, Eric Mills, coordinator ACTION FOR ANIMALS

• To Eric Mills; Of the tens of thousands of animals used in rodeo and charrerada every year, you have come up with less then 100 fatalities over a 24 year period. Between 2000 and 2008, twenty children were reported on the INTERNET as killed in High School football. Maybe you should be working to getting rid of high school football. As I have said, you take the anomalies and say it is the norm. Look at Hendi's videos. He and his armature investigators have been going to charreadas for over two years. In that time they have videoed one horse that was not hurt and one steer that may have had a broken leg. We can't be sure about that, because these so-called animal protectors did not call a veterinarian to look at the animal. They just shot it. Again how many horses or cattle have you or Hendi ever owned? Where does the money you and Hendi collect go? You don't take care of any cattle or horses with it. Why don't you and he put up some money for a scientific study of the dangers of the use of animals in sport? Take the Charro Challenge.

• Not to worry, Randy, it was quite clear where that silly and irrelevant post came from. Perhaps someday you'll learn to stick to the subject at hand. Again, I'm reminded of the quote from your fellow Texan Jim Hightower re: Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky): "Senator, if you get any dumber, we're gonna have to water you twice a week!" FYI, six horses died at the Calgary Stampede last month (and 50+ since 1986); and a bull at the Salinas rodeo, plus two other injures. Even when not injured, their fear and stress should be enough reason not to put them through this. Last year three roping calves suffered broken legs at this same rodeo and had to be destroyed. I was there in 1995 when five animals died. Plus the 11 severely injured steers at the recent "coleadero" at the Jefferson Co. Fairgrounds. Tip of the iceberg. But, hey! YOU don't care, 'cause the guys were having fun, and it keeps them out of gangs, right? I think Mr. Hightower might have had you in mind... Cheers, Eric Mills ACTION FOR ANIMALS

• Sorry, I forgaot to put my name on the last post.

• To Laura Besemo: I would point out, that I was born in St. Louis Mo. Both of my parents were born in St. Louis. My grandfather was born in Lincoln Neb., my grandmother was born in Madison Wisc. I don't think I am likely to be deported. My wife can trace he family back to Cortez. They have been living in what is now Texas, for more generations then then it has been part of the US. The reason I am in this argument is to protect something my grandchildren find exhilarating. Now, there are thousands of animals used in rodeo and charreria. Exactly how many can you prove, were seriously injured in either, during the past 12 months. Then compare that to the 50,000 children who were hospitalized as a result of injuries in high school football in 2009. (the number is from CNN). Furthermore, does it make any sense for a county to use its limited police resources to protect a couple of steers, when that same county has a 600% increase in homicides in 2009. That number came from the Denver Post and in the same story the Sheriff's Department of Jefferson County's response was blas�They think it was due to an increase in family violence. Of course the dead women would probably think they are more important then a couple of steers. The problem with most animal rights fanatics is that they think with their emotions and not their brain. They get to do this because they do not consider where their meat comes from or they do not eat meat at all. If they had to slaughter their own beef or pig to have meat to survive the winter, they probably would not have much sympathy for a couple of steer. So start using you brain and you might want to butcher and eat your own pig. I am sure you would have a different outlook about animals.

• That man is sick. Can't believe how someone is defending animal abuse. He seems to be blind to the many animals that have broken legs or outright die at rodeos across America. No ranch treats their animals like that. Just think if your neighbor was ripping the tails off dogs or standing outside on his front lawn and 'tripping' cats. Think that neighbor would be allowed to do that abuse? You should be arrested or deported Jannssen. You're a danger to society and animals.

• To Eric Millis; How many horses or cattle have you ever owned. The same to you cohort Steve Hendi. What is you experience with livestock. I don�t know where you get the idea that charros don�t agree with me. I represent eight charro teams in Texas and I have been premised a complete steak dinner if I get traditional mangana back. Most charros agree with me. They know that charreria and rodeo do not repeatedly seriously injure animals. They also know we use animals but we do not abuse them. Animals are less likely to be hurt in rodeo and charreria, then a high school football player on a Saturday night. Again, where does the money you and Hendi collect go? I know it does not take care of one horse or cow. Why don�t you and he take some of that money and accept the charro challenge. To do a scientific study of the dangers to animals of rodeo and charreria. We�ve made this challenge for over a year.

• Mr. Janssen's philosophy seems to be, "The family that abuses together, fuses together." Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of people, whether American or Mexican, abhor animal cruelty. Mr. Janssen doesn't even recognize it when he sees it. And when he does, he dismisses it as unimportant and irrelevant. It borders upon the pathological, frankly. His statement above bears repeating: "Even if the number of animals hurt is true, so what. The pleasure the guys had and the time they spent at the event and the time spent working their horses to prepare for the event is worth it.....It keeps them off the streets and out of trouble and gangs." Say what??!! In the final analysis, it's Mr. Janssen who is irrelevant. Even the REAL charros think he's a joke. I predict a ban on steer tailing ("coleadero") and horse tripping ("manganas," "piales") nationwide, within the next few years. Colorado will be next. Suck on that, Randy! Cheers, Eric Mills, coordinator ACTION FOR ANIMALS Oakland email - afa@mcn.org And be sure to peruse Janssen's absurd website: www.legalizehorsetripping.com (I'm not making this up!)

• This is repulsive!! Take your child to the movies, get out a board game, take a walk.....I see no fun in this. CRUEL, CRUEL, CRUEL!!

• To Larry Weiss; You obviously have not dealt much with teenage boys. Sweeping up dog s.... is not something they will do voluntarily. Even middle class boys are drawn to the gang mentality. They want to prove themselves. In charreria and rodeo, they can prove themselves, with their families present. The benefits completely outweigh the dangers. Something you might want to think about, according to CNN, over 50,000 children are hospitalized as a result of injuries in high school football. The estimate on head injuries for children in high school football go from a low of 5% to a high of 50%.. In 2008 in North Carolina alone 3 children died from head injuries in high school football. Most sports are dangerous. That is one of its appeals. Very few people want to live their life contemplating their navel. We are physical and that is one of the joys of life. Also, the number of animals seriously injured in rodeo and charreria is minimal. I go to 75 to 100 charreadas a year and I have gone whole years without seeing an animal hurt. On the other side you have people like Eric Mills, and Steve Hendi of SHARK, perpetuating half truths about the dangers to animals in rodeo and charreria. These men don�t even own a horse or a cow. They never have. Yet they have the arrogance to tell people who have been taking care of livestock their whole lives what to do. That is ridiculous.

• It seems to me that a healthy family activity would be devoted to helping or caring for animals and not activities in which there is a high risk of injury to animals. I believe that children are naturally sensitive to an animal's well-being unless they are taught otherwise. How about going to a SPCA and walking the dogs or helping to clean the cages, as so many SPCA's are dependent on their volunteers?

• Celebrating family and culture is important. Music, food, dancing, etc without animal cruelty sounds like a better idea than Coleadero to me. In this particular case we don't have to debate whether steer tailing is cruel or not. One animal had his pelvis broken, many others had their tails degloved, none received veterinary treatment. Children deserve better family activities than that.

• The Rodriguez brothers had 3 charreadas on Sunday at their lienzo, El Bajio in South Texas. Nestor and Solomon are two of the nicest men you would want to meet. When Haiti had the earthquake, the did a fund raiser at their ranch for their church. Made money for Haiti, and lost money for themselves. Like all charreadas, there was a cola or bull tailing competition. 3 Charreadas, 3 teams each, a total of 81 colas. None of the steers was injured. That is the way it usually goes. The high point of the day was terna or team roping. This is different in charraeda then in the American rodeo. In the American rodeo, you try to get it done quickly and efficiently. In charreada the emphases is on style. Before you catch the steer you have to do florero or fancy roping. You get more points for your style. One of the best ternadors in the state was there. Nato Alvarado. His and Uncle are both charros, so are his cousins. He was not the reason terna was so interesting, though. Another team, Charros Cerro Gordo was there. This team is composed of the Hernandez family. All three Ternadors were brother, ages 8, 10 and 12. Their Florero was not as good as some of the others, but they took the steer down and they competed as a family. That is why charreria and rodeo are so important. It brings people together in a community and it strengthens their spirits. In all three charreadas, not one animal was injured. The fact is very, very few animals are seriously injured in charreada or rodeo.

• Eric; like most animal rights fanatics, you only tell half truths, that is because you never knew what the truth was. In a county where there was a 600% increase in homicides, the over the top reaction of the sheriff for a couple of steers is ridiculous. Furthermore you have to weigh the good against the bad. Cherreria and rodeo, both of which you abhor, and which you publicly asked to be stopped, are family oriented activities. While they have the prospect of injury to both animals and people, the good outweighs the bad. You don't see children involved in these activities in gangs or doing drive by shootings. These are good kids and they compete with their families. By the way, where does the money you and Steve Hendi go? I noticed that Hendi and SHARK are still pandering for single women. Still anything for a buck.

• I'm glad that Team Martinez decided to do the right thing. It's just a pity that so much negative publicity and pressure had to be applied to make it happen. Ripping the tails off of live animals? Come on!!!

• And, in the interest of "Fair and Balanced" reporting, I received the following email on 8/5/10 from one Randy Janssen, a gringo lawyer (!) in San Antonio, Texas, who promotes charreadas and himself practices "manganas" ("horse tripping"). This was in response to the 11 steers who were seriously injured at the July 18 "coleadero" at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds (broken legs, broken pelvis, two dead, seven steers with their tails stripped off, aka "de-gloving"): EXCERPT: "Finally, even if the number of animals hurt is true, so what. The pleasure the guys had and the time they spent at the event and the time spent working their horses to prepare for the event is worth it. The more young men were involved in this type of activity, the better. It keeps them off the streets and out of trouble and gangs. Like (sic) I have always said, people are more important, then (sic) what could be tomorrow's dinner." The mind boggles. And take a look at Mr. Janssen's website: www.legalizehorsetripping.com for more words of wisdom & videos. (I ain't making this up!) AGAIN, STATE LEGISLATION IS IN ORDER TO BAN THESE CRUELTIES. AND NOW'S THE TIME. Sincerely, Eric Mills, coordinator ACTION FOR ANIMALS Oakland, CA 94620 email - afa@mcn.org

• I have an extraordinary and eloquent letter from the late Cesar Chavez (United Farm Workers) which he wrote to me in 1990 in support of my rodeo and charreada efforts. It contains the following: "Kindness and compassion towards all living things is a mark of a civilized society. Conversely, cruelty, whether it is directed against human beings or against animals, is not the exclusive province of any one culture or community of people. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cockfighting, bull fighting and rodeos are cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." Words to live by. Copies available upon request. Sincerely, Eric Mills, coordinator ACTION FOR ANIMALS P.O. Box 20184 Oakland, CA 94620 email - afa@mcn.org

• GOOD NEWS! At the Jefferson County Fair Board meeting last night (Tuesday), it was announced that the "coleadero" promoter had cancelled all three of the remaining scheduled events. Reasons cited were negative public pressure, declining attendance and declining revenues. (Tickets were $35.00). Hallelujah! BUT A LITTLE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE, PLEASE: It was ACTION FOR ANIMALS (me) who alerted the animal protection community about this travesty. I was surfing the web at midnight on August 3 (never a good idea), and found this half-hour-old story on a local TV station. I stayed up until 2:30 a.m emailing some 30 Colorado animal organizations, plus the nationals (PETA, Humane Society of the U.S., In Defense of Animals, Last Chance for Animals, American Humane, etc.), with contact info for County Comnmissioner Ralph Schell (who refused to cancel the event), the Sheriff's Dept. and Animal Control, and helping put local activists in touch with one another. With all due respect to PETA, they did NOT carry the ball on this one. That was done mostly by local activists, and my hat is off to them. Job well done! WHAT IS NEEDED NOW IS STATE AND COUNTY LEGISLATION TO BAN "STEER TAILING" AND "HORSE TRIPPING" - The Fairgrounds should have such a policy, as well as Jefferson County. Nine states have now banned "horse tripping" (California was the first, in 1994, sponsored by ACTION FOR ANIMALS). In 2008, the State of Nebraska banned both "steer tailing" ("coleadero") and "horse tripping" ("manganas" and "piales"). COLORADO SHOULD FOLLOW SUIT. Now's the time. I have copies of state laws and county ordinances banning these cruelties. Copies available upon request. NEBRASKA HAS BY FAR THE BEST-WRITTEN STATE LEGISLATION. USE IT! I'd be please to work with anyone on this issue. Please contact me. x Eric Mills, coordinator ACTION FOR ANIMALS P.O. Box 20184 Oakland, CA 94620 tel. 510/652-5603 email - afa@mcn.org P.S. - I was appalled by some of the ugly, racist, anti-Mexican comments in the media. It's irrelevant who's doing the abuse. THE ISSUE IS ANIMAL CRUELTY. Let's stay focused.

• Coleadero was designed to appeal to and attract the recent arrivals from Mexico. They should be banned from Colorado under the cruelty to animal laws, plus the organizer should be severely fined..

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