2018 PRCA Media Guide Intro

PRCA and Livestock Welfare Quotables Veterinarians Dr. Jerry Billquist, DVM:“I’m convinced that the PRCA stands at the forefront of humane livestock treatment.” My job is to make sure rodeo animals receive the right care and I take that seriously, says Dr. Jerry Billquist. “For example, one time a horse’s leg was stuck through a chute. I assessed the situation and after we were able to free the horse’s leg, I requested that the owner take the horse back to the sorting pens and out of the draw. The stock contractor needed to spend some time with the horse and let it get more used to the chutes. The horse could have been potentially injured because it wouldn’t have been able to perform to the best of its ability. I’ve received good support from the PRCA and haven’t experienced resistance from stock contractors and rodeo committees when making such calls.” Dr. JohnWenzel, DVM:“Stock contractors and rodeo committees are constantly discussing animal welfare, trying to make sure that livestock get the comfort and care they deserve, so that they will perform at their best as athletes.” New Mexico Extension Veterinarian Dr. John Wenzel says the six to eight PRCA stock contractors he’s worked with at 40 rodeos are all “extremely picky”– “They always want the best for their animals. Stock contractors and rodeo committees are constantly discussing animal welfare, trying to make sure that livestock get the comfort and care they deserve, so that they will perform at their best as athletes. I often use the PRCA’s rules to help folks in other livestock industries come up with animal welfare standards and guidelines for their own fields.” Dr. JakeWells, DVM:“Bucking horses have a little draft horse in them, so they have huge bones, stout musculature, big feet, strong ligaments … they hardly ever have any problems.” “Those roughstock horses and bucking bulls are tough as nails – they hardly ever have any problems,”says Dr. Jake Wells. “Bucking horses have a little draft horse in them, so they have huge bones, stout musculature, big feet, strong ligaments – there’s a tremendous difference in the physical make-up of those horses, plus they are kept in pastures, not in stalls. The animals can roam around, stretch out.” Stock Contractors Heath Stewart, ranch manager of Frontier Rodeo (2015-17 PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year): “Like a football coach, a stock contractor can tell when one of their players (animals) is getting tired and isn’t playing up to standards.” It’s the same with animals, you can tell when they’re tired, says Stewart. “That’s why we shuffle around our stock. Same with kids – when you’re around them every day, you know when they’re not feeling good.” Jim Korkow, PRCA stock contractor:“If I left a loading chute and a truck in the pasture, the trailer would be full of horses all the time, waiting and wanting to go.” Another longtime PRCA stock contractor, Jim Korkow, notes that bucking livestock are true athletes. “Most of our professional bucking horses save their energy for when the gate opens. They stand in that chute calm, not nervous. Some get themselves psyched up, like prizefighters going into the ring – they lean (against the chute) so they get more push to spring out of the chute.” Sparky Dreesen, PRCA stock contractor and former PRCA saddle bronc rider:“Our horses are bred to buck – we don’t train that. But we do take our baby colts to the rodeo, so they learn from their moms how to get on and off the truck and how to get sorted in the pens. We also make sure they get used to‘rolling ahead’ through the chutes. The older horses teach the younger horses everything else they need to know.”’ Dreesen says caring for his bucking horses is constant work – and pleasure. “When our bucking horses come in every morning for their grain, we check their hooves and tails – they don’t wear (horseshoes), so we look for corner cracks in their hooves; you have to trim that off right away. And if I see one with a knot in his tail, I spray WD-40 on it and get it out. That tail is his balance point – it helps him keep his balance when the rider comes off.”

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INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL INFORMATION