Industries, Lifestyles, & Livelihoods Are At Stake
Someone Should Do Something—Western Justice and Rural America in Action is the Someone
It is undeniable that the past decade has seen an immense increase in animal extremist-backed bills at all levels of government. With social media, we can be continually faced with these issues in one form or another, and it’s easy to become numb to them, especially those that have been around the longest. Whether it’s consciously or subconsciously, people think“This will never affect my branch of the industry” or “Surely someone is doing something about this.”WJ is someone—but we can’t do it alone. The proverbial frog of the Western horse industry is in the boiling pot, and with each and every animal extremist-based bill or mandate that is proposed or passed, the heat turns up.
133 Year-Old Animal Enterprise Destroyed by Extremists
One needs only to look at the 2017 downfall of Ringling Bros. Circus at the hands of animal extremists to understand the seriousness of the fight against animal extremist special interest groups. Even knowing about this, horse people will say, “Oh, our industry is totally different; this doesn’t apply to us.”Western Justice is here to tell you that in the eyes of the animal extremist movement, your industry or discipline is no different, and it does apply to you. The ruin of one of the oldest animal enterprises in the world was a monumental notch in the animal extremist gun belt, allowing them to set a precedent and emboldening them to initiate legislation targeting numerous aspects of animal ownership and use—especially related to horses.
Bills Target Sectors of Horse Industry to Set Precedents
Historically, animal extremist-based legislation initiates in highly populous, urban areas, where there is a vast disconnect between people and animals and it’s therefore easier to promote the animal extremist agenda. States like California, Florida, and New York are somewhat of “canaries in the coal mine” for revealing animal extremist campaigns. In New York alone, there are currently bills being considered that have rodeo and racing specifically in the crosshairs but could very easily be broadened to apply to other equine events and industries—which is exactly the intent. Take for example New York Assembly Bill A8554, which would prohibit certain components of rodeo, specifically the use of flank straps in rough stock events, and calf roping.
Read the bill: https://legislation.nysenate.gov/pdf/bills/2019/A8554
For animal extremists, the stated purposes of this bill are just the tip of the iceberg. Though it may take some time for it to play out, the very intentional domino effect might look something like this—first, ban calf roping in rodeos. Then ban calf roping in horse shows. Roping calves on the ranch to administer care?
Why not? What’s the difference between roping a calf and roping a steer? Not much, really. Ban team roping and steer stopping in rodeos, shows, jackpots, and local play days in the state of New York to set a precedent, and other states will follow. Without events and competitions to create a market, the horse breeding industry will gradually go away. No more PRCA, NRCHA, NCHA, ACTRA, or AQHA roping events, and then, not far behind, the elimination of all events involving livestock—whether they are bucking horses or cattle in a cutting event
Extremist Mentality Has Been Plainly Stated
If you think this sounds too extreme to be possible, please consider the following quote and radical underlying ideology of Horse Racing Wrongs founder, Patrick Butteulo, who stated:
“...Tracks will close/consolidate over time (like what’s happening now); with that, businessmen being businessmen, less breeding. In other words, the racehorse population will gradually decrease according to time-tested economic principles. When the time arrives for the last track, or cluster of tracks, to close, there will be ample funds to “re-home” what’s left. Then, sterilize to extinction–a planet devoid of Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Standardbreds, and everything in between...
NOW is the time to nip this in the bud, before roping events are banned across the board, from ProfessionalRodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events to American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) breed shows—thus devaluing and devastating a massive sector of the Western horse industry. If you think it can’t happen, think again—look at what has happened to greyhound racing in Florida
New York Bill Would Eliminate Private Property Horse Ownership Rights
Another New York bill, Senate Bill S1974A, would create a commission on retired racehorses that would have tremendous, intrusive overreach over racehorse owners, and in doing so, make buying and owning a retired racehorse complicated and undesirable.
Read the bill here:
Utilizing the inner upper lip tattoos on racehorses for animal identification, the commission would create a registry of retired racehorses with the information of every owner and subsequent owner. Their stated purposes are to address the employment and/or well-being of each animal, the issue of racehorse abandonment and to prevent New York racehorses from being sold to be processed. Owners would be required to report the death of a retired racehorse to the commission within 72 hours and file a statement with a death certificate from a licensed veterinarian.
It is very important to note that Western Justice, or anyone else for that matter, does not condone any actual animal abuse, but removing the private property rights of horse owners as this bill would, sets an extremely dangerous, onerous precedent
Help Us Help You - There is Too Much at Stake
In closing, we at Western Justice cannot overemphasize the importance of tackling these matters head-on if we want our industry to survive and thrive for generations to come. Organizations that could have and should have taken on the challenge of combatting them have simply walked away or turned a blind eye to the most controversial, and important, issues facing the Western horse industry today. We need your support to enable our well-established and proven team to take on these fights, and those yet to come.
Please consider a membership with Western Justice. For only $50/year, you can help save your industry. Your membership helps the Western Justice team research, respond and represent the Western horse industry where and when it matters most.
There is too much at stake - Help us Help You.
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