A few weeks ago at a pro rodeo in Salinas, California PRCA judge disqualified a calf roper named Cash Hooper. Cash Hooper made a good run and when he got back on his horse the calf began straining, trying to get up. The PRCA rule book says the roper must remount his horse, ride his horse forward putting slack in the rope. Before Mr Hooper rode his horse up, the calf began trying to get up and Mr Hooper’s horse backed up one step, which caused the calf to lay back down. The Prorodeo judge, Harry Rose disqualified Cash immediately. The judge also told Cash, you aren’t in Oklahoma.
A few days later a reporter for a rodeo publication wrote an article condemning Harry Rose’s decision to disqualify Cash’s run. She also wrote about Harry’s comment that “he wasn’t in Oklahoma.”
The article was posted on social media and has generated a lot of comments. So much so that Harry Rose wrote his version of what went on at the rodeo in California. His comment that they weren’t in Oklahoma was meant to point out how strict the rules involving animal welfare are enforced in California, Oklahoma is more relaxed. Mr Rose said in no way was he condemning any rodeos in Oklahoma, he was merely trying to protect the rodeos in California from being accused of animal abuse.
I showed the video of Cash Hooper’s run to my sixteen year old son and asked him why Cash was disqualified. Without hesitation he said, “He pulled his horse back.” Even to my son that competes in junior and amateur rodeos, the rule violation was obvious.
I’m a PRCA cardholder and I’ve judged amateur and junior rodeos. I wanted to point out a couple of things no one else has brought up. If the judge wouldn’t have flagged Cash Hooper out, it would have kept the man winning the last hole from placing. As a contestant I’ve been on the bad side of a judge’s call and it kept me from placing at that rodeo. No big deal right? It’s just one rodeo, but I missed qualifying for the CRRA finals that year by less than a hundred dollars. If the judge at the rodeo had made the right call I’d have made the finals.
I researched the results of the rodeo at Salinas, California. Most of the contestants that placed in the aggregate at Salinas were on the verge of qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo. The decision the judge made could potentially have huge consequences for several contestants. A rodeo judge has to make decisions instantly, sometimes they mess up, but by and large they almost always are correct.
This past week an Olympic Dressage competitor was disqualified from Olympic competition for whipping a horse during practice. This week I also noticed as rapper Snoop Dogg enthusiastically watched the dressage competition at the Olympics. He compared the dressage competition to horses dancing.
Rodeo, especially pro rodeo brings the western lifestyle to city folks. What goes on at a practice arenas all over rural America cannot go on inside the prorodeo arena. I agree with Harry Rose’s statement, “You’re not in Oklahoma.” His actions not only protected the guy winning the last hole at the rodeo, but it also protected the rodeo industry as a whole. I wonder if Snoop Dogg has heard about the dressage competitor that was disqualified.
All over the world people that are not “horse” people learn about the rural way of life from watching competitions such as the Salinas rodeo and the Olympic dressage competition. As a professional agriculturist, which is a very broad brush stroke, we each have a duty to educate the general public about our way of life.
The general public will never know how most performance horses get better healthcare than their owners or how much is spent trying to keep our equine athletes safe and sound. The general public will never see the care given to dairy, feedlot, and cow calf operations. All of us have a duty to protect our industry and educate the general public about it.
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.