Editorial: Rodeo must take action to ensure event's integrity
10:26 AM, Jul 10, 2012
Editorial - Reno Gazette-Journal
It is no secret that there are organizations and individuals who would love to shut down the Reno Rodeo and other similar events around the country.
Nor is it a secret that they're always looking for ammunition for that battle, such as proof of the inhumane treatment of livestock. In this age of high-tech cameras, officials should assume that everything they do is being scrutinized and recorded.
So it behooved officials of the Reno Rodeo, one of the most successful high-profile rodeos in the U.S., to make sure that everyone involved in its annual event adhered to stringent rules when dealing with the animals.
Now it's critical that they take seriously the allegations made last week by the group Showing Animals Respect and Kindness that workers at this year's event in June violated that rodeo's own rules by routinely shocking horses to make them jump and buck. If the accusations are true, the rodeo must take firm action to punish those involved and ensure that it doesn't happen again.
