Hill Country Ride for AIDS has raised more than $3 million to support thousands of Texans living with HIV and AIDS. This year's Ride takes place tomorrow, Saturday April 25, 2009. This year there will be four bike routes; 10,45, 65 and 100 miles.
Yours truly will be, once again, one of the official photographers of the event. More images available on my website soon. ccgart.com
Regular In Repose readers may recall my post regarding the FDA test called the LD50.
Its the FDA test Lethal Dose 50% that absolutely requires medicine to kill at least half of the lab animals it is fed to in some concentration before it can be labeled (a supposedly beneficial)drug. If a substance does not kill, it cannot be called a medicine.
Well geez. Whatever it was they gave to those polo ponies, it must have been some very good horse medicine. It would pass a FDA "LD100" test. It killed every polo pony it was given to.I sure want to know what chemical was so important to this polo team that they fed it to 21 of their ponies. What medicine in the world would so many apparently athletic horses require?
I want to make sure I steer clear from anything even remotely like it for my own little herd of equine. The more I learn about the chemicals we so blithely put into our bodies, and into the bodies of our children and animals, the less I want to do with them.
What would happen if we just ate good organic non-genetically altered food and drank clean pure live water instead?
From the maker's press release:
"On an order from a veterinarian, Franck's Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses on the Lechuza Polo team. As soon as we learned of the tragic incident, we conducted an internal investigation that was led by an outside lawyer and, upon its conclusion, we immediately alerted the state Department of Health and Board of Pharmacy. The report, which we are furnishing to these agencies, concluded that the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect. We will cooperate fully with the authorities as they continue their investigations.
"Franck's Pharmacy has been providing patients, physicians and veterinarians with custom medications for more than 25 years. We are in the healthcare profession and are committed to improving the health of our patients.
"We extend our most sincere condolences to the horses' owners, the Lechuza Polo team and the members of the United States Polo Association. We share their grief and sadness.
"Because of the ongoing investigations, we cannot discuss further details about this matter at this time."
Anyone who knows me at all knows that animals are a great part of my life. I love and respect them, sometimes more than most people think is reasonable.
I could not be a part of a sport, or any activity that harms animals.
I was not surprised but merely disappointed and dismayed to find out that PETA made an appearance at the gates of the rodeo this year. I wondered how much they really knew about the reality of the sport.
I first started taking photographs of rodeos in 2003 after getting my boots dirty with local amateur events a bit further north where I recorded events as a photographer but I also participated as well. I was on a co-ed team for an entire season of monthly ranch rodeo events. Team X. We came in second at Tamehawk Arena in 2003.
People sometimes think that rodeo animals are abused and tortured. I beg to differ with that blanket assessment. A steer on a cattle ranch destined to your grocery store as a Tbone steak or Mickey D's as your drive through burger has a far greater chance of being misused and abused and being hurt, injured or even killed before becoming your dinner. 10 to 15 percent of ranch animals get seriously hurt or injured, gravely sick or die before they are slaughtered for consumption..
I don't eat mammals, but I don't begrudge you if you do. But please, don't judge rodeo as cruel while you chomp on your roast beef sandwich. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates 1.7103 million cattle
and 2.3656 million calves died prior to slaughter in 2002, for a total
of just under 4.1 million deaths.
In Rodeo, for the same time period, the PRCA. took this survey: Out of 17,743 animals, (This survey includes the bucking bulls, broncs, roping calves, steers, and all animals used in the events) only 38 showed injuries ( which is .00052 percent).
Although often looked upon as a 'rough' sport, you can see that it is actually very well regulated. (Especially compare these figures to horse racing, often looked upon as more refined, where an estimated 1/3 of horses are injured.)
Here is a photo of th bucking bull called Voodoo Child a Bulter and Son's bull who has not been ridden in more than 70 attempts. Back in the chutes he leans against the panels and looks into the eyes of the cowboys asking for scratches, pats, rubs and attention. The cowboys are happy to oblige.
Photograph Copyright Candace Craw-Goldman and courtesy of the
Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo
Austin, Texas 2008
Voodoo is not unhappy. He is not abused, nor sad, nor mistreated. His every need is taken care of, he gets the very best transportation, nutrition, housing and medical care. He is worth a lot of money to the Butler's. He knows what his job is and he performs his required task of (less than) 8 seconds of bucking per night to a cheering crowd and spends the rest of his existence happier by far, most likely, than the steer that provided the meat for your taco at lunch or the fajita you order at the Mexican cantina on your way home.
So for those of you worried about the welfare of the rough stock at rodeo events, I'll repeat one of the best lines I have heard recently regarding the subject of animal abuse:
"The best way to help animals is to not eat them."
Rodeo? Not so much...
Minor amounts of bloodshed so far.
Photograph Copyright Candace Craw-Goldman and courtesy of the
Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo
Austin, Texas 2008.
Photograph Copyright Candace Craw-Goldman and courtesy of the
Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo
Austin, Texas 2008.
I found myself the one applying pressure to this barrel horse's leg for a minute or two, till the vet could get there.
He's going to be just fine. (Silly horse tried to JUMP the first barrel, instead of run around it.)
Sixteen-time world champion rodeo cowboy Jim Shoulders was once asked this question by a reporter. The Oklahoman answered in his dry, wry way:
"It's the same reason people glance off the road to get a better look at a car wreck. It's why the Romans went to the Colosseum to see the lions eat the Christians. People don't want to see somebody die, but they darn sure want to be there when he does."
Photograph Copyright Candace Craw-Goldman and courtesy of the
Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo
Austin, Texas 2008.
...in sports, no doubt about it. Its bull riding, and not just bull riding but XTREME bull riding at the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo and I get to photograph the experience up close and personal.
In the media reserved seats, section "N"? No, not me, (grin) I shoot for the rodeo itself so I get to be right there with the cowboys. I get to be close enough to hear them pray and swear, close enough to see the sweat bead up on their face. I get to eavesdrop on their gossip...and almost all of it seems to be details on this or that bull and what they know about him.
I get to go everywhere they can go except the toilet and the dressing room. The latter doesn't get much use, by the way, from my observations. Most of the bull riders gear up and change right next to the pens that hold the bulls behind the chutes in the arena.
I get to go up the ladder and stand right there on the narrow wooden platform behind the chutes while the cowboys tie on their ropes and wait their turn to climb on to their beasts. I can walk right up and touch a bull with my boots if I want.
Photograph Copyright Candace Craw-Goldman and courtesy of the
Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo
Austin, Texas 2008.
Yup, those are my boots.
I couldn't get any closer to this sport unless I strapped myself on to the bull and rode it myself.
Yes, I'm insured; my life, my health, even my camera and my equipment and last but not least, my rear-end with some really decent business liability insurance.
Photograph Copyright Candace Craw-Goldman and courtesy of the
Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo
Austin, Texas 2008
This bull's impatience to get the show started and his cowboy into the dirt had my heart rate up. Yes indeed. He tried to launch his 2200lb self over those rails more than one time. That close rail is only about 12 inches from my shins and I was more than ready to leap off the back end of the platform should he turn in my direction.
"Self-preservation" grinned one cowboy as I moved quickly backwards, "Its all about self-preservation."
To be continued...
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