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Luxton Rodeo says calf roping, steer wrestling will stay, despite plea from B.C. SPCA

Organizers of this weekend’s Luxton Pro Rodeo say they have no intention of banning calf roping and steer wrestling, despite a letter from the B.C. SPCA asking for an end to rodeo events that cause injury, death or mental anxiety for animals.
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Chance Butterfield of Ponoka, Alberta, competes in steer wrestling at the Luxton Pro Rodeo last year.

Organizers of this weekend’s Luxton Pro Rodeo say they have no intention of banning calf roping and steer wrestling, despite a letter from the B.C. SPCA asking for an end to rodeo events that cause injury, death or mental anxiety for animals.

Rodeo manager Sandy West said she would not talk about attempts by animal activists to change the rodeo. “It just gets stirred up and that’s what they want,” she said.

“We do everything we possibly can do for the safety of the animals and we always have done. The SPCA comes and checks every year when the stock arrives.”

In a letter to Langford mayor and council, B.C. SPCA animal welfare manager Geoff Urton pointed out that Cloverdale Rodeo has eliminated some of the most harmful events, including calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping, after a request from the City of Surrey.

“To our knowledge, this has not jeopardized the popularity of their event and, in fact, we believe it has won the city and the rodeo association a great deal of goodwill from the community,” the letter says.

“Removing other unsanctioned events at the Luxton Pro Rodeo, such as the mutton busting and mutton scramble, could also be carried out immediately without protest from Canadian Professional Rodeo Association officials.”

Mutton busting is like bull riding but with kids on sheep, while mutton scramble involves kids chasing a sheep.

Other municipalities, such as Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver, have already prohibited rodeo events, Urton said.

Langford Mayor Stew Young could not be reached Wednesday.

But West said the decision to discontinue some events means Cloverdale is no longer classed as a full rodeo.

“It’s not a rodeo unless you have all your events,” she said.

Greater Victoria veterinarian Nick Shaw said he would like to see events that cause stress to the animals stopped.

“There are little calves that are thrown down and roped and they are scared and sometimes injured,” he said. “The reality is these events do cause stress.”

Urton said in an interview that such events cause animals anxiety because they have to run away.

“Then they are more vulnerable to injury and death because of the rough treatment in these quite aggressive events,” he said.

As a mitigating measure, some rodeos now have breakaway calf roping where, as soon as the rope becomes taut, it breaks away from the horse.

“That way, they are not jerked to the ground so roughly,” Urton said.

Other gentler western-themed events are growing in popularity, such as demonstrations of moving herds of cows or flocks of sheep, similar to skills seen in sheepdog trials, Urton said.

“The question for the mayor and council and Langford citizens is: Does [rodeo] qualify as something we want to promote in the community as good family entertainment?” he said.

Luxton Pro Rodeo runs from Saturday to Monday.

jlavoie@timescolonist.com