Mexican Charreadas, The Law & Animal Welfare

California boasts the nation’s most comprehensive rodeo law, Penal Code 596.7, the result of 1999 legislation carried by Senator Don Perata (D-Oakland), and sponsored by Oakland-based ACTION FOR ANIMALS. The law was amended in 2007 to include the Mexican charreadas common throughout California (AB 1614, by Assemblymember Audra Strickland, R-Thousand Oaks).

Current law requires either an on-site or on-call veterinarian at every rodeo and/or charreada, and bans the use of electric prods in the holding chutes. The law further requires that animal injury reports be submitted to the State Veterinary Medical Board. These reports are Public Record, email [email protected]. The law needs amending to require on-site veterinarians at ALL these events. The PRCA, racetracks, horse shows and endurance rides all require on-site veterinarians—so should all rodeos and charreadas.

Incredibly, NO charreada injury reports have been submitted to the Vet Board since 2007. Three of the charreada’s nine scored events involve roping the legs of running horses. In the “steer tailing” event tails are routinely stripped to the bone (“degloved”), broken, even torn off. It appears that the charro community is unaware of state law. Please spread the word to help remedy this unacceptable situation.

Sincerely,

Eric Mills, coordinator

ACTION FOR ANIMALS

P.O. Box 20184

Oakland, CA 94620

(510) 652-5603