(The News As We See It) by R.T. Fitch ~ President of the Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Singer Pledges Partial Proceeds to Help Wild Horses
In a recent public statement star-studded celeberty Sheryl Crow announced that she would be donating funds to help the wild horses:
“As part of my summer-long touring commitment with Kid Rock, I am playing the Cheyenne Frontier Days Festival in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I am aware of the contrasting and very passionate opinions that people have about this event, and rodeos in general. In recognition of these differences, and out of my love for wild horses, a portion of the proceeds from the show will be donated to The Cloud Foundation http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/, an organization dedicated to the preservation of wild horses on public lands.” – Sheryl
The Cloud Foundation is involved with several legal challenges, along with other reputable organizations, against the Bureau of Land Managements “scorched earth” practice of removing native wild horses from their rightful public lands.
To learn more about the legal actions taken by The Cloud Foundation visit their website at http://www.thecloudfoundation.org and the Wild Horse Freedom Federation at http://www.wildhorsefreedom.org.
Related articles
- Film Wild Horses & Renegades Gains Momentum (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I protest against this rodeo every year. I personally make calls and send emails to every sponsor they have. If I were The Cloud Foundation I would tell her to shove her money where the sun don’t shine. The abuse that goes on there for the horses is absolutely unacceptable. Many are killed and there is no excuse to suport or sponsor this event.
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On our end we are just reporting the news…and I, personally, do not know much about this event so I cannot offer an opinion. (although you know that I would be more than just a little against anything that would harm the horses or other animals)
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Go to You Tube and watch the killings and the abuse I fight this each and every year but sadly it goes on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-sj6bAx4c4
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Thanks, Mary….
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you’re welcome R.T. I know you care about the horses 100%
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Hey, whenever I see ANYTHING or ANYONE who pledges to help the horses it lights me up and Sheryl has helped in the past; she donated one of her very expensive, custom made saddles to Habitat for Horses to auction as a fund raiser. During the auction it was not going for anywhere near the price that it should so Terry and I bid on it to hold for a later date…we thought that she was kind to make that donation.
Who knows, you may see that saddle up on eBay, someday, to support the horses through the Wild Horse Freedom Federation and help with the legal costs…stay tuned.
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Good idea, RT!
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SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (www.sharkonline.org) has been videotaping rodeos, including Cheyenne, for a number of years. Currently SHARK has nearly 250 uploaded videos on YouTube, 40 of which are from Cheyenne. Here’s one taken two weeks ago, depicting animal-injury coverup: http://www.youtube.com/user/SHARKonlineorg#p/a/u/2/Uz9OACrot_k
Like Mary, I have been protesting rodeos since their cruelty was brought to my attention. From what I’ve seen, the PRCA spins and dodges and weaves and deceives with the best of the BLM.
RT, I just now sent your blog to SHARK’s president, Steve Hindi, in case he wants to comment.
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I forgot to add this: I realize how hard it is for nonprofits to come by money, but I would like to believe that I would not accept money that came from the spilled blood of brutalized rodeo horses, bulls, steers and calves. But each of us has our own definition of the word “compromise,” I realize, so I hope I don’t come across as judging another’s motives. All of us do, after all, want to help the horses. It’s just that we each see the concept of “helping” in a different light sometimes.
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When I see Sheryl Crow’s name I automatically think of how she cares for and advocates for the horses. She is one of the most outspoken celebs in James Klienert’s “Wild Horses & Renegades” which is being screened on Capitol Hill this very day, I might add.
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I understand.
It’s hard to accept that someone who has done so much good for horses would do anything less than good, unless innocently.
We all have to make our own decisions on these things. And none of us makes perfect choices. We go with our highest sense of right, and we’re willing to keep learning and keep growing and keep changing. It’s a dilemma, for sure.
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Whoa, slow down everyone. Sheryl is obtaining the money from her performance and that is a good thing. And look who the money is coming from: most of those that don’t think about the plight that the horses have to endure out there, so that has to be a good thing. Opposing the rodeos and what the animals have to go thru is one thing but getting the money to help the wild horses is going to help in the long run. On another note, I don’t know if anyone saw on the news recently the horrific actions and deaths that are occurring in the Chuck Wagon races, mainly in Canada, but they are done here in the states at alot of the rodeos too. The video I saw would make you sick and some of the participates comments about it, I found discusting.
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My intent in posting this breaking news, as I had not seen it anywhere else, was because I thought it was “GOOD” news for the wild horses and burros and helpful news for TCF as we all are wrestling with trying to spread ourselves too thin on the legal front. But, if this is a controversial topic then we are glad to have it hosted here as I am very interested in what you folks have to say.
My head has been buried so deep into the wild horse and slaughter issues that I have not, honestly, been aware of this Cheyenne problem.
Please, educate us.
Thanks.
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I’m so impressed by your horse-humble response, R.T. It was obvious to me that you had not had the time to explore this subject before. If you were to watch all 246 SHARK videos (an impossibility given your time constraints), you would be sickened.
It’s very hard to take a morally courageous stand these days, but you have done so time and again on behalf of the wild horses and the horse slaughter issue. Consider that wild horses are among the most abused at some rodeos, and that rodeo horses are routinely sent to slaughter when they are no longer useful (think money-makers). So do horses from the Mexican rodeo, charreada (think horse tripping).
These “traditions” are all incestuously allied. Their proponents and propagandists see horses as objects, as profit centers, as property, as disposable. Of course rodeo cowboys will tell you it’s in their interest to take good care of their bucking horses. That sounds rather like racehorse owners protecting their expensive investments.
But what happens what a valued animal athlete can no longer perform? It’s off to the abattoir we go, as the “caring” property owner pockets the last penny he can extract from his loyal equine friend.
Maybe these comments are two sweeping, too much of a generalization. But they tend to be the norm in rodeoland — not surprising when you consider that these folks have to (secretly) electroshock and spur and strap a horse to get the poor baby to buck.
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I can not watch the videos anymore as I have seen most of them and even last year if I recall correctly, they tried to stop people from taking pictures. I literally spend days and sometimes weeks making calls in protests to each and every sponsor that is on the page of their web site. I doubt it helps but I can not be silent. I was going to email Steve as well so I am glad you have, maybe he can add some insight to this …
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Mary, I am inserting the link, here, for the others…don’t watch. This was produced for and sent to Sheryl Crow on May 17th of this year.
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Looks like the same horse in the picture with Sheryl, maybe she cleans them up and takes them home like some angel.
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Bless you for posting this, R.T.
Incidentally, I don’t watch the rodeo cruelty videos anymore, either. They hurt my heart too much. Just the still photo on the video above is enough to make me weep. If I were at that rodeo, I would want to run down from the stands and order those violent men away from that dear horse, then cradle him in my arms and tell him how loved he is.
There is no excuse for this “tradition.” It is doomed, along with every other form of abuse of God’s noble horses.
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Sheryl Crow’s support of *some* horses via the exploitation of *other horses* reminds me of the pig roasts and bbq fundraisers that “humane” organizations have…
At some point we have to acknowledge that splitting hairs in using/killing one species for the benefit of another just isn’t working. At what point will we respect all the innocent beings – all the victims – in a way that is consistent to how precious each life really is?
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Is it possible that Ms. Crow might have an opportunity to bring the plight of our wild ones to many at the event by her presence and performance?
I like to think she will do the right thing.
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Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for Sheryl Crow to refuse to perform and use the publicity of that refusal to expose the animal cruelty that is part of the Cheyenne festival. Make a good thing out of a bad situation.
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I’m so glad that so many of you follow SHARK too. I’m just so torn about Sheryl and her performance. It is kind of hypocritical for her to do this show and give money to Cloud. It’s like she is paying off her conscience. Six horses died last year in the Chuckwagon race alone. Many were hurt. One or two died because of heart attacks. What does that tell you? Then I’ll never forget that one guy smacking that poor wild horse in the face during that wild horse event. Sorry but it is just beyond belief to me that she could say she is for the horses and then stand by and support the abuse. I only hope that she opens her eyes while she is there and watches some of these events. Maybe then she will stand up taller and tell the world about the abuses she saw at this so called great frontier event.
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I used to volunteer with our local “humane” org. We had a big fall fundraiser held at a cattle farm (cow/calf op). The owner was one of our supporters. His family ran a beautiful, clean and well kept farm. People from town and country would attend.
I never found a conflict of interest or any compromised ethics….we thought of it as an opportunity to educate, motivate and donate (everyone enjoyed the time spent).
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Sorry, but I don’t think it’s an all “in” or “out” proposition.
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Denise, my question is: was the “humane” organization’s fundraiser for dogs and cats? If so, I can see why no one saw a conflict in having it at the farm, because everyone thinks it’s normal to take good care of them — and not kill them.
I’m don’t see how your comments relate to what LynnIL wrote. There was no smacking around of dogs or cats or cows at the fundraiser right? No injuries or deaths from abuse or “accidents” that you witnessed while at the farm, right? I’m just trying to understand your point, that’s all.
By the way, have you watched any of the 40 video SHARK took at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo over the years? I’ve seen enough of them (in the past) to know what I can no longer bear to look at.
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I donate to SHARK.
I’m not a vegetarian.
We medically treated and rehomed all kinds of animals (mostly dogs/cats).
I don’t like the 2 biggest draws to rodeo: bull riding (why ride a bull?…it serves no purpose) and “bronc” bustin’ (they aren’t broncs…they are mechanically altered animals tortured and in pain).
Rodeos have problems and are antiquated.
I despise the AQHA…but adore a well trained, healthy and long term cared for QH (cutting horse,etc).
I don’t believe the “music entertainment” portion is held at the same hour as the despicable rodeo. And there are many other activities…remember, this is WYOMING.
We didn’t slap around the cattle on the farm…yes, most were headed to slaughter.
I have a problem with Ms. Crow…but I’m not going to condemn her or those that accept the money.
There are a SLEW of entertainers and sponsors that participate in similar events (Calgary, Houston Livestock, county fairs, etc). How do I ethically reconcile that with my choices to live life…exempt all, I guess.
We are going to have to agree to disagree. And you and others are more than entitled to your opinions and logic.
I understand your position.
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Thanks, Denise. I appreciate your description of the two rodeo events you especially don’t like, I’m glad you support SHARK (I guess they’re not going to return your donations because of your dietary choices), and I agree with your non-support of the AQHA. It’s good to find common ground, even if we do go our separate ways on some subjects. I truly wasn’t attempting to argue or change your mind; just wanted understand what you meant. I do now.
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Thanks BlessUsAll! I still don’t understand what she was getting at.
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When I heard that Ms. Crow was appearing at Cheyenne I thought “why?” I still don’t understand why. Then to announce that the money would go to TCF so long after this decision came to light. The protests against this decision were deleted from her FB page instead of answered at that time. I see it as trying to buy your way out of bad PR.
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For one thing, I’m glad that she can at least know that a portion will help another worthy cause. A refusal to perform would be better, but we all know that money is the bottom line in EVERYTHING! As long as people go to these things, they will never stop. I wish I had not been so late in finding out about how cruel everything is for animlas and I sure wish she didn’t have to appear with that jerk kid r!
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For one thing, I’m glad that she can at least know that a portion will help another worthy cause. A refusal to perform would be better, but we all know that money is the bottom line in EVERYTHING! As long as people go to these things, they will never stop. I wish I had not been so late in finding out about how cruel everything is for animals and I sure wish she didn’t have to appear with that jerk kid r!
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Although giving this some additional thought, I don’t know everywhere that Willie Nelson has performed but my guess is he has performed at rodeos and he too is a big advocate of the wild horses.
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I was thinking that perhaps it is Kid Rock who is the “headliner” and not Sheryl. He is more popular with younger audiences these days and I read she was doing a summer tour with him. Perhaps that means she is contracted to do shows where his management gets them scheduled. Meaning it’s not just up to her about the venues and her pulling out would not just affect her but also lots of others. Even if she isn’t joined at the hip with him, all her staff would also be affected and that may play a part in a decision to go on with it.
I am also sure that all the pro-rodeo/anti-wild horse people involved with that rodeo are probably really having their knickers in a twist to think she is donating to The Cloud Foundation who many of them despise right along with the wild ones. Too bad 🙂
I am not sure if Kid Rock is a wild horse advocate or even a horse advocate but he was raised with horses in rural Michigan and he does have that really cool song Born Free that mentions “wild like an untamed stallion”. Here is the lovely video filmed in the wild beautiful places of Michigan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu3rsha1ZtI He’s not my cup of tea but this is a good one. Wish we knew someone who could get to him too on this and see if they might somehow make a stand right FOR the horses there at the rodeo. Take the money, play music, say the TRUTH and run! Wouldn’t that be cool?
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MY EX-HUSBAND PERFORMED AT THE CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS A FEW TIMES BUT THE PERFORMANCES WERE NEVER HELD ANYWHERE NEAR THE RODEO GROUNDS. HOWEVER, HE DID GO ONCE OUT TO THE RODEO BUT DIDN’T STAY LONG HE SAID IT MADE HIM SICK . HE HELD THE BUCKING TITLE IN AUSTRAILIA FOR ONE YEAR BUT THIS WAS NOT A SPORT IT WAS TO BRUTAL. GROWING UP IN THE MID-WEST AND LIVING ON A RANCH YOU ALWAYS WENT TO THE RODEOS BUT THEY WERE NEVER LIKE THIS. IF THE HORSES HAD BEEN USED AS SHOWN ON THE VIDEO THE RANCHERS WOULD HAVE BEATEN THE DEVIL OUT OF THE RODEO CREWS. HOWEVER, DON’T BLAME MS. CROW SHE HAS MORE THAN LIKELY NEVER ATTENDED THE RODEO. THIS TYPE OF RODEO SHOULD BE CLEANED UP AND FOR CERTAIN IS NOT FOR CHILDREN TO WATCH.
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I want to thank R.T. Fitch for posting this story and subsequent comments. Unfortunately, Ms. Crow’s offer to donate part of the proceeds from her show says nothing about the great trauma suffered by the horses she professes to care about. Furthermore, she has for weeks deleted Facebook comments on the issue.
I see her donation as an attempt to stop the negative PR without doing the right thing – which minimally is to take a stand on the cruelty endured not just by the horses, but other animals also at the Cheyenne Rodeo. SHARK does indeed have hundreds of YouTube videos up showing rodeo animal abuse, many of them specifically exposing Cheyenne. It is an exceptionally brutal rodeo, and that’s just the way the promoters want it.
The wild horse race includes not just the gangs of contestants brutalizing and tormenting the horses, but also explosions going off to keep them as traumatized as possible. Others have posted links to some SHARK YouTube videos. Additionally you can get more info at ShameOnCheyenne.com.
This has nothing to do with the “passionate opinions that people have about this event…”. This is about horses abused, injured and sometimes killed in the name of entertainment. How is the suffering at Cheyenne mitigated if Sheryl gives a donation?
SHARK would not accept such a payoff, and I hope others similarly refuse.
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“Please understand that SHARK is not opposed to rodeos – only the cruelty in rodeos. Not everything in rodeo is cruel, but that which is cruel should not be ignored, and there is so much cruelty in rodeo.”
Then, we have a quagmire. If Sheryl Crow gives this money to the Cloud Foundation, maybe the horses who have died have not died in vain? I am trying to find common ground here. Rodeo is changing and these are two big, backwards holdouts. She may surprise you and have some worthwhile things to say while she is there. From the inside…
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She saw the videos, she is not a stupid person. She has gone thru a cancer event so she has the capacity to grasp the issues at several levels. Bottom-line, if she really was concerned about the horses (in this case the young horses who are hurt and killed in their “race”) and how they are treated in this event generally, Sheryl should not have played at all. This is WY and these folks will use her to justify their actions as she is on the record re Wild Horse Issues. She is paying lip service with a token payoff to try and salvage her image. Perhaps she was signed by others, perhaps she is stuck or she is simply a hypocrite. Whoever designed this strategy watches a lot of C-SPAN. She should be ashamed as if this was REALLY important to her she would find a way out and take the hit.
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This is the rodeo of rodeos. This is where the Wild Horse Race and the Chuckwagon race are. I know of no other rodeo that does this. The Chuckwagon race has been deadly in the past and they still hold it. They have added new rules let see how that works. Sic horses died last year, one of a heart attack. How does a horse get a heart attack? Think about it! There are 700 hundred horses that will be in the Chuckwagon race alone. Do you think that there will be no deaths or injuries? My beef is that there is just so much going on there that no one really cares about the animals. Its part of the entertainment. Even the Humane Society is silent. Much abuse has been recorded and still people who attend close their eyes. Sorry I can not do that anymore. I would hope that as time goes on people become more compassionate but I fear that is a long way off. People just seem to enjoy watching animals die right in front of their eyes for their entertainment.
As for Sheryl, she should have refused to be there. It would have been no big deal then. Now she refuses to back out after all the letters asking her kindly to not play. Many others have continued to play anyway but they did not try to buy off the anger by giving money to a horse charity. Say what you might about her, I will never see her in the same light I did when I saw her come out for the wild horses. Now there is a black cloud hanging over her for me. And I’m sure she has been at rodeos before. She knows better. That is my opinion.
One more thing, we can’t clean up rodeos if people keep supporting them.
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“….One more thing, we can’t clean up rodeos if people keep supporting them.”
I respectfully disagree and no, I do not patronize rodeos; some events do have merit. However, the biggest events do NOT. Last I checked, most rodeos do not have those disgusting “wild” horse/chuckwagon races.
Calgary has implemented some changes. I thought Calgary was the mother of all rodeos in North America. As far as the PBRA, PRC, etc…don’t other events venues hold higher status like Houston for example?
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Sheryl Crow is doing what soulless corporations do – playing both sides of the fence. Corporations support both Democrats and Republicans so they have points with whoever wins. Sheryl makes money from animal abusers, and tries to pretend she cares by saying the politically correct thing and giving a token to protection groups. The question is, who is fooled?
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Sorry, Sheryl. Partial proceeds going to Cloud Foundation while your name is bringing in people who support this event and its abuse of horses is hypocritical. Why don’t you and Kid Rock pull out of it and donate to Cloud anyway? The publicity might shine a light on the issue. Better yet, why don’t you organize a concert with all your pro horse pals? What are you waiting for?
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I also am against the brutality of this particular rodeo and don’t like this development with Sheryl one bit. But I’m wondering if perhaps it is Kid Rock who is the “headliner” and not Sheryl. He is more popular with younger audiences and I read she was doing a summer tour with him. Perhaps that means she is contracted to do shows where his management gets them scheduled. Meaning it’s not just up to her about the venues and her pulling out would not just affect her but also lots of others. Even if she isn’t joined at the hip with him, all her staff would also be affected and that may play a part in a decision to go on with it.
Wish we knew someone who could get to him too on this and see if they might somehow make a stand right FOR the horses there at the rodeo. Take the money, play music, say the TRUTH and run! Wouldn’t that be cool? It sure would bring national media…. Even more if they donated all the proceeds to Cloud for both of them. Well, we can dream and imagine it. You just never know….
I’m not dreaming this though – -I am sure that all the pro-rodeo/anti-wild horse people involved with that rodeo are probably really having their knickers in a twist to think she is donating to The Cloud Foundation who many of them despise right along with the wild ones. Too bad 🙂
Not sure if Kid Rock is a wild horse advocate or even a horse advocate but he was raised with horses in rural Michigan and he does have that really cool song Born Free that mentions “wild like an untamed stallion”. Here is the lovely video filmed in the wild beautiful places of Michigan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu3rsha1ZtI He’s not my cup of tea but this is a good one.
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Denise, Have you come over from ABR? You seem to have the same augmentative way as they have over there.
Anyway, I was making a general statement but do feel that if people do not support abusive sports than things will have to change. But we are talking about Cheyenne Frontier Days where Sheryl Crow is performing not Calgary. We are talking about it because they have two very deadly for horse events. 6 horses died last year, 4 in one event. The Chuckwagon event is not held anywhere in this capacity, over 700 horses will compete. One has to know some will get injured or die. Animals dieing at this rodeo is what we are talking about and most feel that Sheryl Crow should not do this show. It shows support for the abuse of animals. I do not pay to see animals get electric prodded or have their tails twisted just so they will buck. That is not entertainment to me. But that is me. If you support that then fine. Horses would have been better served if Sheryl would have not performed and said why she wouldn’t. And some thing in this world you can not be wishy washy about. You have to take a stand on some things and fight for it.
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So, she is donating a portion of the profit to help save horses, and another portion to abusing horses. Does she think that they cancel each other out? I find this statement by Ms. Crow to be more insulting than if she had remained silent and performed. Now we know – beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she is WELL aware of the abuse at the rodeo, and she just doesn’t care. Sheryl (if you read these comments) there is still time to do the right thing. DO IT!!!
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But Ms. Crow clearly states that she’ll be donating a portion of the money out of her love of “wild horses”. Apparently the ones unfortunate enough to already be captives don’t matter all that much. Nor do the bulls or bull-calves and that’s very sad.
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I was truly shocked when I learned that Sheryl Crow would be performing at (and thereby lending credibility and support to) the horrifically cruel rodeo at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. Like circuses, rodeos are archaic spectacles that perpetuate the concept of animal abuse as “entertainment.”
Anyone who professes to love horses, as Ms. Crow does, should have nothing to do with this event. In fact, she should be outwardly opposing it. Donating funds to a wild horse foundation is a positive gesture, but it does not erase the face that she is glorifying animal abuse with one hand, while writing a check to help prevent it with the other.
I have been a fan of Ms. Crow’s music for years, but I draw the line at animal cruelty — and I will not buy the records of “artists” who help glorify animal abuse. I would assume that Ms. Crow has enough money at this point in her career to be more judicious and selective with the venues she chooses to perform at. Shame on her.
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The information was posted on Facebook that she was going to perform at the rodeo. The message went viral yesterday very quickly.
One of the questions posted on one of my Facebook groups was. Was she aware of what goes on at the Cheyenne Rodeo? I had seen where S.H.A.R.K. had sent her info as well as others. I wondered if that information actually gets to her.
The following information was also posted on the group
Sheryl Crow’s Agent: John Marx William Morris Agency One William Morris Place Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Phone: 310-859-4000 Toll-Free Number 1.888.290.1162 | Dallas 972.250.1162 | Beverly Hills 310.295.2292 | New York 888.681.8092.
So to end speculation for myself I called her manager yesterday at the Beverly Hills number above and was very polite. I never expected to speak to anyone of significance but I figured I would give it a try anyway. I was put through to her manager’s secretary and then her manager. I am no one special or known so I was surprised but regardless I went for it. I asked if she was aware of what went on at this particular rodeo. He stated that she has been made aware. I asked why someone so passionate about horses would do such an event. I stated I thought it was very hypocritical. I too made the statement asking how can she do this and be a horse advocate. He did not respond to the question and stated that it would be best to put my concerns and questions in email form to him at jpm@wmeentertainment.com and he would forward them to her publicist who would comment.
Well between my friends on Facebook and my groups I sent this to almost 5000 people yesterday personally and I am sure they sent it to friends etc. The email address then went viral and was everywhere. I just asked people to just drop a short email even it if just said why is she doing it? I am sure there was an outpouring of emails as I got so many responses saying they had emailed.
Is it a coincidence that she publicly announces a day later (through her said publicist I might add) that she is now going to donate the proceeds to the Cloud Foundation. I think not.
If it had been any other venue and she had elected to donate I would have been elated. But in this particular situation I am extremely disappointed in her decision to perform at all. As far as her announcement to help the Cloud Foundation I am thrilled they will be getting a donation. But at what cost? Blood money? Horses are not the only ones abused at this rodeo. In a perfect world if the Cloud foundation had more than enough money it would be great for them to denounce the donation. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world and they need the money.
Does it help her reputation by donating? That is what I am sure she is hoping will happen. For me personally and others who have posted it made it worse for the reasons mentioned above by others. Although money helps, money is not going to solve the horse issues, education is. I would have thought more of her if she had said she was going to use this platform to educate those on the plight of horses i.e.: slaughter, blm, roundups etc. But throwing money at a Foundation (albeit a fantastic and well known one) is in my opinion ridiculous.
As the adage goes it’s kind of like closing the barn doors after the horses gets out. It is a useless action. Unfortunately the horse she let out is headed for abuse, slaughter, or a round up. She had the opportunity to have opened the barn door and let all those horses who are in that situation in (by educating) and then closing the barn door behind her as she walked inside the barn with them as their protector, friend, and advocate.
I apologize for the length.
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I must state, here, that her donation to the Cloud Foundation was totally unsolicited so there should be no hard feelings towards the good folks at TCF, what so ever.
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I agree. She should give the donation regardless to that wonderful foundation.
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I believe TCF should accept the donation but without any fanfare. Just quietly accept it, announce no thanks yous and do not publish the amount of the donation or what it went to.
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Cheyenne Frontier Days ranks right up there with the Calgary Stampede–CFD is often voted best rodeo in the country, best art show, best family entertainment. Hopefully they will bbe encouraged to follow the Stampede’s lead in more humane events and get rid of the Wild Horse Race. It’s extremely deadly. It doesn’t hurt to expose CFD’s need to revamp.
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I personally have never cared for her, her being w/Lance Armstrong was not good!!! When I first heard of this, simply could not BELIEVE it!!!!! Would not walk across the street to see her. She must be more than AWARE OF RODEOS & THE CRUELTY INVOLVED, especially the CALVARY ONE…..I feel that Ginger from The Cloud Fountain should refuse to accept even one penny, (blood money) from her…….SHAME, SHAME CHERYL CROW!!!!!!!!!
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I totally agree with all of the posts. Cruelty, torture and death should not be something that she should associate herself with. To me its an oxymoran – I support the Wild Horses, but on the other hand who speaks for those horses picked up by the rodeo and cattle companies. Do you think that they may have been owned or loved by someone at one time? HORSES ARE NOT MEAN, THEY ARE MADE THAT WAY THE VERY BEASTS THAT HANDLE THEM..Sorry for Cheryl Crow despite the fact that it is desperately needed, Blood money is blood money. Once she has done her gig, she will be off to another town. I think she should donate her money from some other concert, not this one…When the exhibitors feel it is inhumane,,,there really is a problem. In fact, I just may send Cheryl an email regarding this. The Cloud Foundation should really think twice about this one. Perhaps telling her why they would not feel comforatable accepting the proceeds from this concert..I believe she has horses of her own so she should understand. I can only imagine the injuries and death sustained in these rodeos. I went a couple of times and that was it for me – I always cheered for the animal..
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So much for Sheryl Crow — weak, sad. Doesn’t she have enough money, concerts to NOT support a rodeo. Rodeos are no secret — very cruel to all the animals. No Sheryl Crow music in our house from now one, would turn my stomach. Ugh.
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Why would a “horse lover” commit to performing at this cruel and deadly event that is responsible for the injuries and deaths of so many innocent, sentient animals? She cannot sit on the fence on this issue — she is either against horse abuse and killing or she is not. Blood money is still blood money.
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She should be donating ALL of the proceeds and cease being such a hypocrite! As a long time fan, I must say that I am very dis-satisfied with her statement. She is most certainly aware that OUR wild horses end up with the buckstraps on and a hotshot to their nerveous system while in the chute, at that very same rodeo she will be performing at. No one seems to walk their talk any longer. The awareness she has raised so far is commendable, but this is ludicrous!
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Personally I saw one at San Francisco. The horse they were using was a pregnant mare about 8 months along. The announcer swore the event wasn’t going to harm her cause she needed the exercise.
Let me digress for just a moment. I agree about exercise but how about “appropriate” exercise?
The next words out of his mouth have haunted me since. They were “let’s see her buck her baby out”.
That mare was sent back to the ranch that night having aborted her foal.
Whether a horse is a true “bronc”, just loves his business, or whatever I feel that these words show a damaging attitude in general to animal welfare. And that’s where I have issues.
And the idea of roping a horses two legs (be they front or rear) to trip him is worse than abhorrent. Gee, all I have to do is wonder about my own physical condition–I don’t bounce like a teenager anymore. That about sums up what happens to the horses.
I just don’t understand the novelty of such a thing. I don’t understand how people can gamble so much money on tripping a horse and possibly injuring it critically. There is nothing humane about tripping.
I guess I see rodeo as an evil when you get right down to it.
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“let’s see her buck her baby out” that is beyond sick.
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Are ALL rodeo events “cruel”?? Is riding a horse, chasing cattle, turning around barrels, cruel? I KNOW many events are indeed, cruel, but this person, Sheryl Crow, who professes to love horses, including wild ones, &, who has donated to their cause, is again, donating a portion of the earnings to The Cloud Foundation. Is this correct? In so doing, she is not taking “sides”, she, as a celebrity, should stay neutral in these issues so she doesn’t lose her supporters; by saying what she said, & by donating to this highly worthy cause, she is “making a HUGE statement”. This is just my opinion. I have gone to rodeos when I was little, I now know better, & don’t attend. However, if my daughter was entered in an event, such as barrel racing, I would go, I would show my support for her.
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No not all. But enough are–like calf roping. Bronc riding is horrible. It’s not just the bucking strap but how the raking of spurs? To be awarded points you have to spur. And we’re not talking about little English spurs–they use the big rowel kind.
I guess I don’t see the glamour of riding a bull. Big deal you stayed on but at what cost to the animal?
I watched the movie last night on Temple Grandin. Even the big cowboys wouldn’t give her chance to see if her ideas would work. Her methods were to slow and cumbersome for those hurry up and slaughter ’em cowboy mentality.
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It is just hypocritical for Sheryl Crow to perform at any rodeo. What is she thinking? What a sellout. I have lost respect for her.
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This is blood money as far as I’m concerned. She is only donating to make herself look good. It doesn’t matter whether or not the events are held on the same day, time or location as the concerts. What does matter is that Sheryl Crow is supporting THIS rodeo.
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This is disgusting. I have written to Sheryl Crow: In this day and age, with everything that we know about animals, there is absolutely no difference between the barbaric acts of “entertainment” that are called cockfighting, dog-fighting, bullfighting, rodeo’s (horse & calf tripping), with the exception that rodeo’s have a stronger lobbying effort to protect them. Thanks to entertainers such as yourself giving credence to such abuse, it remains to be a shameful identity of American “culture”, as bullfighting is to Spain.
Is it that you only have “love for wild horses”, but the domestic horses can be beaten and abused for entertainment?
If you had a true respect and compassion for horses, you would cancel this show, but instead you are trying to buy back some of the integrity you have lost, both as a caring human being, and as an entertainer. You cannot buy your way back with a sleazy backroom deal of contrition, in fact this gesture places you even lower in my estimations. I will be writing the Cloud Foundation, to which I am a member, to express my opinion regarding your actions.
You have an incredible opportunity to do good with your fame, rather than greedy profit seeking through the exploitation and abuse of animals. Try to use it wisely.
With Great Disappointment,
Patricia Austin-Puccio
(an x-fan)
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Please! Channeling money for the benefit of wild horses while supporting rodeos that kill and maim other horses? How cynical and hypocritical! It’s really sad that someone with the money and fame who could do a lot of good by opposing such cruelty is selling out to the rodeo business and then hiding behind concern for wild horses. Well, Ms. Crow, you certainly lost me.
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Sheryl Crow is a HYPOCRITE…so the small change she donates is suppose to make up for all the atrocities that go on at rodeos??? If she truly was an animal lover she wouldn’t have to have the obvious pointed out to her. I will never buy another item of hers again. A long time supporter who’s a WAY BIGGER animal lover!!!
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If I were the Cloud Foundation I wouldn’t accept what amounts to a bribe, or, quite literally, blood money, because rodeo horses are routinely injured and killed. How can Ms. Crow ever again proclaim herself an animal lover if she publically supports activities that cause extreme animal torment, even making a lot of bucks off of their suffering? It’s hypocritical in the extreme.
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one of the worst things we as humans can be in life is a ‘hypocrite’ and that is exactly what Sheryl Crow is if she publicly supports rodeos by entertaining the people that perpetrate the abuse of animals by attending such barbaric spectacles. You could do SO much to help horses by taking a stand. I rescued a herd of abandoned horses fifteen years ago, one I rescued from a rodeo, his physical scars have healed, but his mental scares will never heal. Please Sheryl, don’t be a hypocrite, stand up for the horses you say you love by Not being part of animal abuse.
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Such amazing judgements here. Sorry, but I have to go with R.T. and the fact that I am greatly appreciative of anyone’s donations to help the horses – and the Cloud Foundation is a great choice. I don’t think any of us are in a position to be thowing stones – because I’m quite sure there are people who would have the same kind of judgements about any of us and our choices. I’m grateful for any help that comes to support the wild ones and the abandoned ones….PERIOD! Blessed Be!
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I see your point.
But I think there is a difference between hypocrites, who say one thing while doing another, and imperfect people who try to match their words with their actions — and ask that others do the same.
The former were, in the Bible story, incited to name-calling and stone-throwing by their rigid, vengeful, unmerciful tradition of punishing sinners by killing them. The latter are, today, trying to the best of their ability, out of unselfish love, to be true to their principles … to advance a cause … to reform a system … to raise consciousness … to change laws for the betterment of humanity and horses.
The folks here who believe it’s immoral to accept money from an evil enterprise and then try to buy one’s way out of complicity in that evil are NOT out for blood, as the mob on the mount of Olives was before Jesus healed their stony hearts — and the low self-esteem of the adulteress. Instead, most posters here are out to STOP the flow of blood and ill-gotten gains from it.
Nor do the people responding to this blog seem to think they get every decision right in their own lives. Hardly! They appear to be simply stating, “I don’t care how much money you offer or how worthy the cause. I would not accept that bribe and I don’t think this organization I support should, either.”
Yes, there looks to be a shortage of money to help fight for the wild horses and burros. But perhaps it’s more a shortage of trust in a timeless truth, which says that when we take a stand for right without fear of the consequences, we are always rewarded, and everyone whose lives we touch is blessed.
I mean, who knows, maybe a gentle “no” to a compromised contribution will open up new spigots of love currency for Cloud and his band — and for all the other free-roaming herds on America’s public lands.
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In my humble opinion. I would say, that everybody is entitled to their own personal opinion about all of this; Cheryl Crow, and the Rodeo events.
For me, the bottom line, is… Are the Horses, benefitting? Is any part of this, for the domestic, and or wild horses made just a little bit easier? Than, for me… I only speak for me, it is worth it… Anything, to give these animals some relief…
If you were facing the kill box, in all it’s glory; and someone somewhere (you didn’t approve of) offered to buy your way out…. Won’t you want someone to take that money on YOUR behalf?
Think about it, you don’t have to like her, but the money is for a good cause, and you get to chuckle about, the money donated in part, came from some of the Dave Duquettes’ of this world. Now that’s funny, I don’t care who ya are! lol
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I think these two posts above mine make some sense.
Like it or not Cheyenne will probably happen again. Hopefully, less deadly but don’t count on it. And sadly many people will attend. WY has a LOT of republicans who vote for people like Lummis and SS. This is the mentality.
Hopefully with how viral this concert has gained attention Sheryl will choose a HUGE donation to TCF.
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I like that HUGE idea.
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I only hope the Sheryl will not only support the Cloud Foundation like she has in the past but while she is there on the grounds I hope that she goes behind the scenes and sees the abuse for herself. I am sure she knows what goes on there so I feel she must have some strong reason for doing this concert. I don’t think she would let us all down like this otherwise. Hopefully we will hear her side of this decision at some point. But for now I am truly disappointed.
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On a trip out west my parents took me to a rodeo, I had never been to a rodeo before and really didn’t know what to expect when I got there. The Cheyenne rodeo was violent to say the least where roping of steer and calves were concerned. It was a big bucking bronco named Bill Bailey that made me cry though. He was a big beautiful buckskin horse forced to perform for a cheering crowd. He was badly injured in a fall while being kicked in the side by a spur wearing cowboy. The horse was taken away, and later the announcer said he would be ok…I remember saying outloud “liar”. I knew the horse was badly injured, but just part of the show and not given any other distinction. I was 16 years old and the year was 1969…I have always abhored rodeos ever since. The injury caused to these animals is both physical and emotional; when will this cruelty be stopped?
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The following has been sent to The Cloud Foundation this morning. I apologize for the long length.
Dear Ms. Kathrens and Cloud Foundation Board:
It has come to our attention that the Cloud Foundation is accepting a donation from Sheryl Crow from the proceeds of her appearance at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. SHARK has numerous YouTube videos exposing the cruelty of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. This includes cruelty to horses, most notably in an event called the “Wild Horse Race.”
The following are links to a few of the dozens of SHARK YouTube videos exposing the indefensible cruelty of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. I urge you to review as much of this documentation as possible before making your final decision.
Singer Sheryl Crow Betrays Horses
2010 Cheyenne Rodeo’s Cruel Wild Horse Race
Rodeo Spin Doctor Tries to Defend Cruel Wild Horse Race
Horse Killed at Cheyenne Rodeo (Graphic)
Horse Crashes Twice at Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo
The Cheyenne Rodeo’s Fake Humane Rules
Cheyenne Rodeo Injury Cover-Ups
Cheyenne Rodeo Animal Abusers Getting Desperate
2010 Cheyenne Rodeo Breaks Bull’s Leg
Baby Horses Abused at 2010 Cheyenne Rodeo
Phony Cheyenne Police Investigation
Cheyenne Rodeo Vet Rule Exposed
Cheyenne Rodeo’s Disappearing Humane Rule
2009 Cheyenne Animal Injuries, Part 1
2009 Cheyenne Animal Injuries, Part 2
We are requesting a statement from the Cloud Foundation. Is it the position of the Cloud Foundation directors that there is no cruelty at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo? If the Cloud Foundation believes there is cruelty, why is it accepting money from Ms. Crow’s Cheyenne Frontier Days performance?
Know that SHARK very much supports effort to save horses, wild and otherwise, and all animals. We were shocked when we learned Ms. Crow, a supposed champion of wild horses, was to perform at a festival that includes animals abuse and most notably, a brutal event called the wild horse race.
Ms. Crow has for weeks refused to answer our concerns, which are supported by overwhelming video and still photo documentation. Rather than speak out against the abuse, Ms. Crow now seeks to buy her way out of negative publicity. Now the question is, why is the Cloud Foundation is willing to bail her out by accepting her donation?
We will be posting another YouTube on this issue very soon, so we would appreciate a very timely response.
Sincerely,
Steve Hindi, President
SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK)
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The upside is that there will be money going to the Cloud Foundation, and that money will help fund efforts to help wild horses/burros. The down side is that it’s blood money in a sense, and the decision to give TCF a portion of the money (Why not all of it?) Ms. Crow receives for her CFD performance appears to simply be damage control. I managed top tier celebrities for 25 years. Just like in politics, all it takes in the world of entertainment to dilute huge errors in judgement to a simple “Oops.” is money and a good spin.
If her gesture were purely altruistic, there would be no announcement. There would just be a check.
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Not trying to be flip, but have you personally worked with Ms Crow or any one person that is part of her management/publicity team? I respect your experience (very interesting)…but is Ms Crow a part of your specific recollections or a reflection of your collected experience of celebs/entertainers?
Thought she has adopted and cares for equines(mustangs, too) personally. Thought she donated a saddle to HfH (?) fund raiser. Thought she does speak out, on a variety of issues….and does any one person here really know if she hasn’t been giving anonymously? Does any one person know if she is not going to speak out about abuse at this venue?
I’ll give her the benefit of a big doubt for now…btw…she is performing at another possibly controversial venue….a state fair; pretty sure it has meat showing and rodeo.
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Going against the tide here, but….
Mr. Hindi, I respect and donate to your work.
I agree that more than a few “rodeo” events are inhumane, antiquated, poor family entertainment and down right human behavior at it’s worst. I do not believe all events are problematic and frequently, wild equines are used in the most grotesque venues of CFD and Calagary and most certainly are MORE than problematic.
I do not believe that Ms. Crow’s appearance is an endorsement of rodeo cruelty. Many here and you don’t agree with me. I respect that.
I think calling out the Cloud Foundation is a debate about the larger issue of animal cruelty and barbaric rodeos from SHARKs perspective.
I will NEVER PRESUME to know all aspects of demonstrated behavior or question the ethical/moral circumstances of an individual or organization that has continuously demonstrated a commitment to the equine issues in the US.
I understand your position. I just don’t believe that challenging TCF, Ms. Crow is the linchpin in your anti-rodeo position. It becomes divisive and distracting. In addition, it becomes a distraction to immediate needs and consequences that are the foundation of stopping the Fed/State extermination machine. Rodeos do play a part, but not like the roundups, removals and HCHS do.
I understand that you and others do not agree with me. All I ask is that while we do not agree, we stay focused on the core issues. For you it is stopping rodeos; for me it’s stopping certain events in rodeos.
TCF and Ms Crow have a different approach to those issues. Please take the time to think about people that do not believe an “all or nothing” approach to animal cruelty is the wrong way because it is not your way.
Give Ms. Crow the opportunity to handle this situation the way she sees, constraints, commitments and all.
I hope all reading will take the time to understand that many equine welfare issue advocates do not share opinions and efforts 100% of the time. But we should share respect of one another’s opinions 100% of the time.
I may have incorrectly worded some of my thoughts and points. I apologize, but I am not apologizing for not agreeing with you regarding certain aspects of this performance and rodeos or recognize that the performance equals animal abuse endorsement.
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Don’t worry about going against the tide. We do it all the time.
Please understand that SHARK is not opposed to rodeos – only the cruelty in rodeos. Not everything in rodeo is cruel, but that which is cruel should not be ignored, and there is so much cruelty in rodeo.
Rodeo is not SHARK’s only issue. As stated in the letter to The Cloud Foundation, we support the organization’s mission and the cause of protecting wild horses. SHARK of course opposes horse slaughter. Rodeo people on the other hand are strong proponents of horse slaughter, as they continuously breed horses in their failed “born to buck” program, not to mention looking for a way to make a few more dollars from the broken, dispirited castoffs.
Consider for a moment the reaction of wild horse advocates including The Cloud Foundation’s personnel if SHARK were to make a deal to endorse, or in some other way partner with or publicly support wild horse roundups to attain some gain in the area of rodeo animal abuse. Wild horse advocates would be understandably and righteously outraged. There would be no legitimate excuse for such behavior.
The carefully crafted, much publicized donation of Ms. Crow to The Cloud Foundation appears to come right out of the rodeo mafia’s playbook, and I have to wonder if their spin-doctors are working on her behalf. Rodeos constantly tout their contributions to charities, as do bullfights, cockfights, live pigeon shoots and circuses.
Look at an excerpt from Ms. Crow’s statement:
“I am aware of the contrasting and very passionate opinions that people have about this event, and rodeos in general. In recognition of these differences…”
This isn’t about opinions. We’re not looking for recognition. The rodeo video documentation is what it is. The cameras don’t lie. Any truthful individual looking at the documentation must admit rodeo horses and other animals are abused, put at risk and sacrificed for pointless, nonsensical entertainment.
We are very passionate about pursuing our efforts, but the day SHARK accepts blood money to secure its mission is the day it is no longer deserving of support, for it will be unfit to pursue its mission.
As I write this response, I saw the following on R.T. Fitch’s blog: “It’s not right versus left. It’s right versus wrong.” In this case it might read: “It’s not wild horses versus rodeo horses. It’s compassion versus cruelty.” One does not achieve compassion by partnering with cruelty.
Sheryl Crow was wrong to contract with Cheyenne and the Calgary Stampede, where even more horses have been killed. For weeks she ignored our call for her to speak out about the cruelty. She deleted the concerns of her own fans on her Facebook page. She has ignored pleas at protests during her tour. Now, with the voices growing louder, she resorts to a cheap, sleazily worded buyout.
I thought she was a champion of horses. They need champions, but champions stick by their principles. I can’t tell you how sad and sickened I am by the whole debacle.
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Your reply is thoughtful, logical and real. Honestly, I appreciate the time you spent replying.
Do you know for fact that Ms Crow will NOT speak out for the horses at her performance?
I said, the performance does not necessarily mean she endorses animal cruelty or the problems with the CFD rodeo. I understand your position, rationale, logic and passion on several issues and realize that you think it does.
That you would choose to not accept “blood money” is understood based on your vigilantly held and demonstrated efforts. I was trying to say that others may choose not to take that approach and does not make their efforts any less sincere.
Yes, I realize that by mere participation, you think the donation is just that…insincere.
Can we let Ms Crow and TCF have the opportunity to resolve the appearance of conflict?
As far as it has been handled by Ms Crow’s handlers…I agree. Ignorance, sloppy is no excuse. But maybe, just maybe as a FFA, Missouri born baby she doesn’t have the problems with activities that include rodeos. Last I checked, she is not a rodeo participant, does not have entrants or the rodeo Queen….way different from performing at a concert on the grounds of the CFD.
Yes. I know. We disagree. I think you have every right to. So do I.
I still support SHARKs efforts, but take exception of going after people and/organizations that put their money where their mouths are. Agreed, not the way you would like.
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Some food for thought. This is my personal opinion and not EWAs.
Why not look at Ms. Crow’s donation as a donation from everyone attending to help fund the law suits? I think the fact that so many in WY are trying to remove the wild horses and with Ms. Crow’s donation, they will now be donating to the efforts to protect them. Do you think that maybe this was a well orchestrated plan by our opponents to get one of our strong supporters to perform and thus, get us sniping at one another and distracted from what we are trying to accomplish?
We all want to see animal abuse and cruelty come to an end. Whether it be puppy mills, farm animals, cats, dogs, rodeos, etc., I believe we all want to see reforms. This site is all about ending horse slaughter and ensuring our wild horses and burros are protected on federal land. I think we are traveling down a road that in the end, is going to dilute our efforts and play right into our opponents hands. We are in the mother of all fights for the horses and is bashing Sheryl Crow worth losing support that will help in passing our legislation?
Do you remember last year when Wallis posted a list of celebrities that should be boycotted because they support animal welfare and how she was chastised by many on this site? Do you think the comments on this thread aren’t being copied and circulated to the slaughter supporters and wild horse haters?
Think about what you’re posting and the ammunition you are giving our opponents….
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I completely forgot that the bashing here could be used by the real equine killers and resource sucking machine consortium’s.
Always on the big (and small) target focus…thanks, vicki.
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RT,
I posted a comment on 7/7 but it said it was moderated. Is there a way to get it posted?
Thank you
Teddi
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Never mind it just went through
Thank you
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OK, so the Cheyenne rodeo is cruel, but, not all rodeos are always that extreme. Does that make every single rodeo, whether it’s small or large, bad? That’s kind of the same mentality that a certain blogger posted about wolves. One should NEVER look a “gift horse” in the mouth, meaning we should not be so judgemental that we “cast the first stone”, & toss opportunity in the trash! We do not have to like rodeos, or like Sheryl Crow, we can choose not to attend. Let her donate to the cause that all of us hold so dear, in doing so, she is, even if “silently”, supporting the horses. People are paying to go to these rodeos, paying her to perform, let her help the horses. They say, “God works in mysterious ways”. Think about it. The horses need all the help they can get, regardless of where or how they get it. The people attending, are in effect, donating to the horses. Look at Ellen Degeneres(not sure of the exact spelling); she loves animals, & considers herself to be an animal advocate, but she promotes CoverGirl cosmetics, which use animals in testing. So yes this is being a hypocrite, but she still uses her position & money to help animals. It’s the other people, like the actual rodeo owners, trainers, handlers & “performers” that are being cruel. I think we should try to look at all sides, & not become the same as the very ones we detest.
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Hey Guys…to really help the wild ones please join us over here….https://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/breaking-news-congressman-grijalva-letter-seeks-congressional-support-for-wild-horses/
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RT, thank you for sharing this. Last year, I spoke with Don Glenn regarding the issue of the Cheyenne Rodeo using American Wild Mustangs for their Wild Horse Race. I inquired about the legality of this due to the no exploitation section of the 1971 WFRHBA. He told me that yes, there were Mustangs used by the rodeo contractor, but no it was not illegal because they were titled. I asked how it was that the Mustangs came to be in the hands of the rodeo contractor to begin with if the BLM knew who they were and what they did. My question was never answered; he sidestepped and changed the subject. I asked again several times all with the same result.
My family and I have been involved in Rodeo for most of my life. Never, not ever, have we participated in unethical rodeos. We have lost money before in the form of pre-paid entry fees because we found out after the fact that there were inhumane practices going on behind the chutes.
What happens at Cheyenne is an absolute atrocity. No amount of money or fame could persuade me otherwise. Even though I appreciate what Sheryl is doing with the proceeds, I still feel a little bit like she’s trying to justify her actions by making the donation. Of course, I don’t know the full story in the sense that she hasn’t fully explained her reasons so of course, I could be wrong – and I hope that I am.
In any case, the funds will be a great blessing to the efforts of TCF. Wouldn’t it be a slap in the face to Cheyenne if the funds from the concert turn the tide and they never get to abuse wild horses again!? Ha! I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they get that little tidbit of info!
T.
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People typically have no problem chastising at the drop of a hat those with whom they have serious philosophical disagreements. That is understandable. It gets tougher when the disagreement occurs on your own side. In those cases there are those who will be understanding in a way that would never occur with the opposition.
SHARK tries to avoid both those tendencies, as we feel both are counter-productive. A few years ago, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo enacted a ban against shocking horses to make them buck. We applauded that move, regardless of the fact that there was so much unresolved abuse, and ignoring the fact that the ban came only after Cheyenne was publicly exposed for shocking horses for three years in a row. We applauded the ban because we felt it was proper. We also hoped it would lead to more communication between the two sides and a continued move toward humane treatment. Those hopes were unfortunately unrealized.
When people in the animal protection movement have crossed to what we call “the dark side” by resorting to violence or even threats of violence, SHARK has condemned those actions. We take no pleasure whatsoever in doing so because we are supposed to be on the same side, but it is our firm belief that a movement cannot attain nonviolence against animals by using violence against people. We try to live by our principles.
In the case of Cheryl Crow’s upcoming performances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days and the Calgary Stampede, we believe she is lending these festivals of abuse an undeserved air of legitimacy. After all, one could argue, how inhumane can those rodeos be if Sheryl Crow, the champion of horses, is playing there? She is also attracting more people, which puts more money in the pockets of promoters of the abuse. Cheyenne has in the recent past been losing money. Continued losses could force positive change. If people are paying to see Ms. Crow, change is less likely.
Anyone who follows the Cheyenne and Calgary rodeos knows the history of abuse is long and sordid. Someone stated that not all rodeos are abusive. That’s not the issue, is it? Sheryl is playing at Cheyenne and Calgary, and the record of abuse, injuries and deaths at both is well established.
Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but I find no logic giving someone a pass for performing at an event that includes clear abuse while claiming to care about animals. The donation to The Cloud Foundation is a public relations bandaid and nothing more.
If we are to accept Ms. Crow’s move, then I guess a dogfighter can give a portion of his proceeds to a local shelter. No harm, no foul? How about, as one friend suggested, holding cockfights to benefit a farm animal sanctuary? If you think those are outrageous suggestions, how is Ms. Crow’s public relations move different?
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Dog fighting is illegal so that’s not a good comparison. This is very similar to what Wallis & Co did to Willie Nelson who raised millions of dollars for farmers but added him to the boycott list when Willie supported ending horse slaughter. I applaud your work, Mr. Hindi but I personally think you are targeting the wrong people in this. Sheryl Crow is a huge advocate for our wild ones as is TCF. Sheryl hasn’t endorsed the event, she is a hired performer and I suspect her booking agent didn’t have a clue but I’ll bet she’ll be more careful in future bookings or run them past Sheryl before booking.
Let’s go after those that are committing the abuses and cruelty. Seek enforcement of cruelty laws and get laws passed where they don’t exist. Targeting Sheryl and TCF isn’t going to reform events. The event will continue and they’ll just hire a different performer next year. The message was received and Sheryl has issued a statement so let’s move on and get some work done. Let Ginger take that donation and use it for some good. Turn a negative into something positive for our equines – domestic and wild.
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A few years ago the rock group Poison was scheduled to play the Greeley Stampede which is mainly a rodeo. Drummer Rikki Rockett is an animal person, but because of the name of the event, he didn’t realize it was a rodeo. Contracts had been signed, but Rockett spoke out loudly about his displeasure with the way rodeo animals are treated, and he said he wouldn’t make the same mistake in the future.
Ms. Crow’s planned appearance at Cheyenne and Calgary, if they were an accident, could have been a platform to similarly speak out. We’ve been talking about this for weeks. Now finally there’s this from Cheryl: “I am aware of the contrasting and very passionate opinions that people have about this event, and rodeos in general.” That’s not speaking out. Nothing close to it.
As for moving on, we are doing so. In about ten days we will be at Cheyenne, as we have in the past. Again we will video document horses brutalized during the wild horse race, watch calves jerked down (a vicious, dangerous and supposedly banned form of roping), and watch steers being flipped, slammed to the ground and dragged in steer busting, etc. Some of those animals will be injured and unless history stops repeating itself, some will die. During the abuse we will hear the crowd encouraged to come and enjoy Sheryl Crow, the champion of horses. After all, if Cheryl is at Cheyenne, how cruel can it really be?
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Awesome! I would love to hear Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow do a rendition of “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills & Nash………….You rock! Thank you for helping our wild ones!
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I am totally shocked at Mr. Hindis’ comments and these brick wall replies. Are there no morals? Bottom line, is about money changing hands at the fate of these poor tortured, neglected , malnurished animals. Shame on Sheryl Crowe she used this as a payoff to keep the foundation from speaking out against her. She is a very clever, tricky person. Have some balls people and just say NO THANK YOU…
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Lots of feedback on this hot topic here. I’m just going to say once more:
Sheryl may very well NOT be the headliner. She may be hamstrung by contract obligations to do all the venues KID ROCK’s management books for the TWO OF THEM. Or she may not have been involved intimately with venue selection by her own mgmt if in fact, they booked this for her. Regardless of who booked it, we do not know what would be at stake, per her contractual obligation, for her to refuse to perform — it might mean she is dumped from the entire rest of the summer tour — summer just began.
Do you think you would give up ALL of your work opportunity for the rest of the summer to make a stand on this by refusing to play after the contract was signed? Do you think she might want to consider the probably dozens or hundred or so people who work for her on the road who would also be out of work if she did that? There are a lot of issues here that are apparently being ignored. I am pretty sure there is a lot more being considered in her decision here than just principle, not that principle should be ignored but sometimes things don’t work out perfectly for us to stand firmly and exactly on principle.
I do not believe for one second Sheryl would have willingly accepted this contract for CFD had she been involved in the booking details BEFORE the contract was made. But once signed, she is OBLIGATED and there are usually significant negative consequences for breech of contract, both direct and indirect (as with her employees). BUT now that she does know about this problem, I do think she is doing what she can — generous DONATION — to offset what some see as a sell out.
I fully support SHARK’s great efforts in revealing the brutality of this rodeo and I write to the sponsors each year to protest. I am not happy she is going to be there but we don’t know what happens next. She may well speak up on stage or to the media after or draft Kid Rock to also donate or take some other action that will benefit the wild horse cause we are all so invested in. This remains to be seen, and even if no other benefit occurs, I think it’s worth trying to think with a broad open mind about the complexities of this as many others have posted in the highlight clips I copied below.
PLEASE, PEOPLE! Let’s not tar and feather our own out of some intense emotional reaction. We can have the reaction., we are entitled to that. We can be disturbed, but we don’t have to act rashly, ostracize a real and reliable celebrity ally. We don’t have to demotivate other celebrity allies and potential allies – who wants to be involved if it includes a very real chance of being attacked? Let’s think about what we are doing, what we are saying and the many facets to this complex issue.
Life is not always completely black and white.
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Thank you. I may not have said it as well as you, but that was what I was trying to say 80+ posts back.
And I’m saving my tar and feathers for Salazar and a few select others….FOR MANY REASONS, NOT JUST THE WILD EQUINES!
Now can we move on to Grijalva’s letter and the Kiger tragedy currently in full, COVERT swing?
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Yeah…we have a link up to download the letter to Salazar so that you can fax it to your Representative and ask them to join in and sign the blinking thing. If we can get a majority the POS who calls himself the Secretary of the Interior will HAVE to listen.
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Bashing is not going to solve the situation for any of us and it certainly does not help the animals. All of us have found ourselves in bad situations – it is where we go from that point on that counts. Like I said before: this is the perfect opportunity for Sheryl Crow to refuse to perform and use the publicity of that refusal to expose the animal cruelty that is part of the Cheyenne festival. Each one of must walk in our own shoes … but that is what I would do. Make a good thing out of a bad situation. I hope she does.
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A few clips with some broader views on this that are worth serious consideration:
Vicki: Why not look at Ms. Crow’s donation as a donation from everyone attending to help fund the law suits? I think the fact that so many in WY are trying to remove the wild horses and with Ms. Crow’s donation, they will now be donating to the efforts to protect them. Do you think that maybe this was a well orchestrated plan by our opponents to get one of our strong supporters to perform and thus, get us sniping at one another and distracted from what we are trying to accomplish?
Valarie: One should NEVER look a “gift horse” in the mouth,…. not “cast the first stone”, & toss opportunity in the trash! ….. People are paying to go to these rodeos, paying her to perform, let her help the horses. They say, “God works in mysterious ways”. THINK ABOUT IT. The horses need all the help they can get, regardless of where or how they get it. The people attending, are in effect, donating to the horses.
TexasMustangProject: In any case, the funds will be a great blessing to the efforts of TCF. Wouldn’t it be a slap in the face to Cheyenne if the funds from the concert turn the tide and they never get to abuse wild horses again!? Ha!
Vicki: Sheryl hasn’t endorsed the event, she is a hired performer and I suspect her booking agent didn’t have a clue but I’ll bet she’ll be more careful in future bookings … The message was received and Sheryl has issued a statement so let’s move on and get some work done. Let Ginger take that donation and use it for some good. Turn a negative into something positive for our equines – domestic and wild.
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Ms. Crow pledges to help wild horses by donating monies earned at a venue which is brutal to all animals and oftentimes ends up injuring or killling horses that are forced to perform in them for human entertainment. Tell me what sense this makes. You cannot claim to love horses and at the same time support rodeo. Rodeo kills and maims them. Also, the human participants dish out their share of abuse and cruelty to the animals. I have been fighting for rodeo’s demise for years. I abhorr cruelty of anykind. Ms. Crow is trying to throw a carrot to those who decry her appearing at these terrible places of animal abuse. She should be ashamed. The Cloud Foundation should reject her contributions and in no uncertain terms they should tell Ms. Crow why they are doing so. You cannot claim to love horses and then turn around and support something that kills and injures them.
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Everyone here, pro thru con (I’m shades off gray on this) has spoken out.
Everyone has a right to speak out.
But right now, the wild ones facing sterilization, roundups and extermination and domestic headed to slaughter NEED OUR HELP.
Get that letter Grijalva has circulating thru the House and send it to your rep….NOW!!!!!! Read the post about the Kiger equines……outrageous!
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I need to jump in, here, too. I see both sides of the fence but feel that I might be able to give a little bit of an inside perspective.
Folks, the battle to save the wild horses is a bloody one and extremely costly. Terry and I jumped on the bandwagon a year ago when we just got so pissed, as private citizens, that the BLM was doing just what they are doing today so we decided to look at stopping the BLM in the courtroom. We went to The Cloud Foundation to ask for legal recommendations and they turned us on to Valerie Stanley, who we already knew well, and Bruce Wagman. It took a LOT of persuasion to bring Bruce on board with us because he had been approached by many and few have ever been kind enough to pay. Well, away we went with the Zeroing Out cases, West Douglas and Piseance. All the love, passion, commitment and justice in the world will not drive that BLM fighting machine without money, and it only took Terry and I about a month to figure that out.
Our plaintiffs are the Cloud Foundation, Habitat for Horses, Front Range Equine Rescue, Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Coalition, the ASPCA and several individuals. We were happy that they would sign on as our plaintiffs as Terry and I have no standing with the horses in Colorado…and we were committed to not financially burden these fine groups with additional costs. Both Front Range and the ASPCA donated to the legal fees but still, to this day, we are in the hole. Likewise Laura’s case where poor Gordon Cowan has been working his butt off for nothing, hence our coming together to support these groups, and Laura, in legal litigation through the funding of our Wild Horse Freedom Federation.
Now I have told you all of this for a reason as it rips my heart out to NOT be funding TROs to stop all of the stupidity that is the BLM…I firmly believe that it is my life’s mission to do so but we cannot nor should not because we simply do not have the funds. SO, what would I do if Sheryl Crow offered a chunk of change to the Wild Horse Freedom Federation…I’m telling you, it’s a balancing act.
I started this dialog and actually posted the story before it hit the AP because I thought it was a good thing, TCF can do so much good with the proper funds but I now know of the abuse that happens at the rodeo. But what about the abuse that is happening to tens of thousands of wild horses?????…does that not carry some weight? And we have been supported by Ms. Crow in the past in a pure and unbiased manner, does that not count? To me there is almost an ironic justice in taking money from those who promote abuse and using it to stop abuse on a much grander level…especially in Wyoming.
I don’t know folks, with a little funding we could stop the bloody roundups so looking at this from the inside out, I for one, would have a hard time saying no to a means of helping thousands and thousands of horses.
NOW, let’s warm up that fax machine and get on over to the Letter to Salazar that we need so desperately for your Representatives to sign….
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So what right? Torture a few to save 1,000. Why did she not just donate before all of this controversy started? Why should you have to get money from her this way? It’s a pay off. We are not going to stop the pressure on Sheryl Crow just because you guys cower down to her. There are better ways of getting money than this. Take the blinders off people your killing horses when accepting this blood money.
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PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT CRUELTY TO HORSES AND CALVES BY ACCEPTING ONE CENT OF THE PROFITS SHERYL CROW HAS ACCEPTED FROM SINGING AT THE CFD RODEO. HELPING SOME ANIMALS BY SUPPORTING THE ABUSE OF OTHERS PUTS YOUR CAUSE IN A BAD LIGHT. I WISH I COULD UPLOAD THE PHOTOS I HAVE TAKEN OF THE ANNUAL RODEO HERE ON THE GOLD COAST AUSTRALIA. HORSES ARE INFLICTED WITH OPEN BLEEDING WOUNDS MADE BY FLANK ROPES WRENCHED TOO TIGHT BY COWARDLY COWBOYS. THE RSPCA OPPOSES ALL RODEOS, PARTICULARLY THE USE OF FLANK ROPES, SPURS AND ELECTRIC PRODDERS. IT IS A LITTLE KNOWN FACT THAT STALLIONS ARE NEVER USED IN RODEO, BECAUSE A STALLION WILL TURN ON HIS TORMENTOR AFTER HE HAS BUCKED OFF THE COWARD. THESE COWBOYS ONLY PICK ON BABY CALVES, GELDINGS AND MARES. THEY THINK THEY ARE PROVING THEIR MASCULINITY IN THIS MANNER, BUT ONLY COWARDS TORMENT SIMPLE BEASTS OF BURDEN. THE CRUELLEST IS THE CALF ROPING, WITH CALVES SUSTAINING BROKEN RIBS, PUNCTURED LUNGS AND MASSIVE INTERNAL BLEEDING. PLEASE TELL SHERYL CROW YOU DON’T WANT HER BLOOD MONEY BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE ALL ANIMALS ARE WORTHY OF PROTECTION FROM CRUELTY, NOT JUST THE ANIMALS YOUR CHARITY PROTECTS. ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HELP THE GOLD COAST RODEO HORSES PLEASE TELL MAYOR CLARKE TO CANCEL HIS RODEO: mayor@goldcoast.qld.gov.au THANK YOU
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Yes, we’ve all had a turn at the microphone. The blogophone?
As humans, we can each speak for ourselves. We can decide for ourselves what we’re going to embrace, what we’re going to walk away from, what we’re going to tolerate, what we’re going to refuse to accept.
The horses in the Cheyenne Frontier Days bronc-bucking, wild horse race and chuckwagon race events, all of whom are brutalized on every part of their bodies and terrorized emotionally, cannot make those choices.
Neither can the still-free horses who are being threatened with unnecessary, costly, cruel roundups and extermination of their herds.
Nor can the horses already confined to holding pens in the West and Midwest.
All these horses face, at any moment, the threat of slaughter. And they have no say-so in the matter.
Each of us has the ability to make choices that help determine the fate of these animals. Each of us can use our inborn moral courage, our innate integrity, to decide what is right and what is wrong. What will hurt the horses most—and least. And each of us can, and does, back our thoughts and our words with actions, including financial contributions to various organizations dedicated to saving horses.
The trouble is, we’re each coming up with a different answer as to what we think Sheryl Crow should do and what we think The Cloud Foundation should do.
We haven’t been privy to Sheryl’s contractual arrangements, much less to her true motives for pledging to perform at the CFD rodeo. Nor have we been flies on the wall able to listen in on the conversations between Sheryl and Kid Rock and their managers or between Sheryl and Ginger Kathrens. We don’t even know the timing of these conversations. And we don’t have a clue as to whether Sheryl intended from the beginning to do the CFD gig for the purpose of raising money for TCF.
What all of us seem fixated on is money. It appears to be dictating our decisions, one way or another. Those who call rodeo payments blood money say Sheryl should refuse to accept it, if even she does play. They think TCF should never accept a penny that has been earned off the backs of the rodeo’s animal victims. Others think Sheryl should give her entire CFD proceeds—not just a portion—to TCF. Those same folks conclude that even money tainted by the rodeo’s obvious animal abuse can be purified—“laundered”?—by putting it to good use to help other wild horses in jeopardy.
Beyond the money issue, we’re all concerned with whether the examples being set so far are uplifting or destructive. Some think Sheryl could prove her integrity and draw needed attention to the plight of rodeo horses (particularly CFD-exploited wild horses) if she withdraws from the show. Others think that if she can not or will not break the contract (a move that would be of questionable integrity, in some minds), she should use her CFD show microphone to speak to the crowd about the wrongness of removing horses from the range and subjecting them to unspeakably cruel rodeo events.
Tonight I hauled out my tattered copy of the book Moral Courage: Taking Action When Your Values Are Put to the Test by Rushworth M. Kidder, founder of the Institute for Global Ethics and author of How Good People Make Tough Choices (which I haven’t yet read).
Moral courage is, quite simply, the courage to be moral. It involves five core values: compassion, fairness, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
More often than not, moral courage is tested on matters of right versus right, rather than on questions of right versus wrong, according to Kidder.
I’ll quote from the book a bit:
Right versus wrong. Ethical issues emerge when a core moral value has been violated or ignored. When it’s clear that honesty is a central, shared value and yet someone is found to be acting dishonestly, we have no qualms about saying, “That’s unethical!” In such cases ethics is (as my dictionary describes it) “the discipline dealing with what is good and bad or right and wrong.”
Right versus right. Ethical issues also emerge when two of our core values come into conflict with each other. When one of our values raises powerful moral arguments for one course of action, while another value raises equally powerful arguments for an opposite course, we find we can’t do both. Yet we must act. In such cases, ethics is a matter of right versus right.
Kidder then gives an example of a clash between right and right, which takes place at a homeless shelter in Omaha, Nebraska. The shelter, Siena/Francis House, offers assistance to a range of men who share one key attribute: addiction.
In the late spring of 2001, the shelter’s board appointed a new executive director, Mike Saklar. He had previous experience guiding people to resist what Kidder calls “the aggressive presence of alcohol and drugs on the streets” and knew when he joined the shelter that its mission statement encourages sobriety through a 12-step recovery program.
Like most nonprofits these days, Siena/Francis House fights hard for its funding. It relies heavily on money raised from an annual spring walk, which is sponsored by individuals’ gifts, walkers’ and friends’ donations, and corporate giving. Saklar was responsible for organizing the spring 2002 event. At the last moment, its major sponsor pulled out. That company was Enron, whose roots ran deep in Omaha even after it moved its headquarters to Houston. We all know about the Enron scandal and resulting implosion.
So the homeless shelter’s board met to consider what steps to take next. Before it could wring its collective hands too long, though, a local distributor for a major national brewery offered to fill the gap left by departing sponsor.
Uh-ho. Board members realized they could make a powerful moral case for accepting the funds, based on compassion (a core value) for the guests who would otherwise be left on the streets. But they saw it as their responsibility (a core value) to avoid harming those same clients by sending mixed signals and appearing to compromise on a key aspect of the shelter’s mission.
Kidder then lays out four interwoven paradigms basic to all moral conundrums:
1. Truth versus loyalty
2. Individual versus community
3. Short term versus long term
4. Justice versus mercy
He notes, “In Mike Saklar’s dilemma, the paradigm that most clarifies the opposing forces is probably short term versus long term. It was surely right to hold to the organization’s long-term vision and refuse the proffered funding. Yet it was entirely possible that Siena/Francis House would have to close its doors if that stand were taken. Unless it accommodated the short-term needs, in other words, the board might have no long-term prospects at all.” He also fleshes out the other paradigms – in too much detail to include here.
A final element to consider in making a decision based on moral courage is the necessity of picking from one of three guiding principles: the ends-based principle of utilitarianism (the greatest good for the greatest number), the rule-based principles (which disregards consequences and embraces a universal standard upon which everyone should rely in a similar situation), and the care-based principle (a principle of reciprocity rooted in the Golden Rule, it asks us what we would want others to do to us in the same scenario).
Kidder admits that the application of any of these three principles “does not automatically produce an answer.” He observes that in the case of the homeless shelter, “it would probably appear that ends-based thinking is pulling us one way and rule-based thinking another—and that the care-based principle may permit us to support either choice.”
Ah, what to do?
The board was deeply divided and spent a lot of time debating the merits of each position. Finally, the majority determined that the board’s “only right course of action was to decline the funding from the beer distributor.” Rule-based thinking prevailed: the board members, writes Kidder, “felt they had to live by a principle they would want everyone else to follow, regardless of the immediate consequences. And so, with no prospect of sponsorship in hand, they bid their potential funder farewell in a salient act of moral courage.”
Kidder notes that two core values stood out: the responsibility that required them to be unwaveringly protective of their guests and the challenges they faced, and the intellectual honesty that required them to remain true to their founding mission.
The board members realized that if they were to give up their responsibility to their founding principles, there would be no real substance left to sustain the organization.
So, what happened after that?
The author of Moral Courage shares the good news: “As though to reinforce the rightness of their determination not to rely on a merely consequentialist philosophy, they got a phone call a week later. It was from a local business leader. He had seen a small news item, buried deep in the local paper, about the board’s decision to forgo funding on a matter of principle. Saying he was proud of their action, he agreed to sponsor the entire event.”
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In reading all of the well-thought out comments here, I see that we are in agreement on most everything. We all abhor animal abuse and cruelty and we are all involved in working to put a stop to it. It is IMPERATIVE that we remain a UNITED FRONT….especially at this time. We have to FIGHT SMART and stay focused. This is a David and Goliath battle.
There is probably a lot that we DON’T know about Sheryl Crow’s circumstances and/or her obligations to other people who work with her. Artists/entertainers often don’t have 100% control of their careers or their finances. Wouldn’t it be great for one of our organizations to hold a concert and have Sheryl perform. She might be willing to donate her talent and in that way help raise a great deal of money to benefit even more Horses.
That being said, Sheryl probably hopes that she comes down with a sore throat on the day of the performance.
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Well said Louie! There are no absolutes in the world, much as we would like. Staying focused and united is most important, without getting off of our primary goal–real protection for our wild horses.
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Ever watched the “Wild Horse Race”? Sorry, Sheryl needs to give her head a shake.
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Sheryl Crowe a lover of horses? NO. Sheryl Crowe a lover of money? YES.
Every single dollar she and Kid Rock made from their performances and memoribilia should be given to the Cloud Foundation and a public apology for being associated with this disgusting torture of innocent animals. To see a horse or foal or calf or bull die for their sick “sport” is disgusting and should never be tolerated in this country. Even third world countries like Africa are appalled at the way the Great US of A allows the treatment of our animals. Fact is she was sent a video back in May before her performance so she could see what she’d be endorsing…she makes me Ill and so does Kid Rock for their educated performances inspite of all the info given them.
GIVE THE CLOUD FOUNDATION EVERY RED CENT YOU MADE ON THIS DISGUSTING DISPLAY OF CRUELTY AND TORTURE ON THE VERY ANIMALS YOU CLAIM TO LOVE.THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR HUMAN’S ENTERTAINMENT THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS HELP BY GIVING UP THE CASH AND NOW BECOMING A VERY OUTSPOKEN PERSON AGAINST THESE “RODEOS”. ADMIT YOUR MISTAKE AND DO THE RIGHT THING,SHERYL AN KID ROCK,,,,SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE ATROCITIES AND INHUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS, WHETHER HORSES, DOGS, CATS, LIVESTOCK OR MARINE ANIMALS. JUST HOW MUCH REGRET CAN YOU LIVE WITH…AND YOUR CHILDREN WILL ONE DAY KNOW TO WHAT HAPPENED…MAKE RIGHT THE WRONG….
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Ms Crow, your stating that some of the proceeds will go to the wild horses. Well I guess the abused , injured, dieing, and dead animals at this rodeo, will really appreciate that. I know that, that fact alone will more than ease their pain and mend their broken bodies . What do you think. Your attending this rodeo will only serve in aiding further abuse to the animals that are there. What about them Ms Crow, What about them?
You must see that the people that operate this rodeo have no care for the
victims that are unlucky enough to be there. We can not have the cake and eat it to. One is either against Animal Abuse or they are not. Making money off the pain and suffering of the animals, in this rodeo say that all the people there are more concerned about their pocket books than about the abuse. You can not say one thing and do another, it doesn’t work that way and if you do go ahead and preform at this offal place I’m fairly sure it will prove to be one of the worst career moves, you’ve ever made. please do yourself and the animals a favor. Get on the net and pull up everything about this rodeo, especially the material tha Shark has supplied. Then see if you can in good conscience do that rodeo, or any rodeo. Thank you.
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Apparently The Cloud Foundation thinks money is more important than the abuse of horses. I am sad to say that I will never support them again. http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/sheryl-crow-criticized-for-wild-horses-donation-following-rodeo-performance/
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I understand that Ms. Crow has entered into contractual obligations with various parties to play at this rodeo. That alone is very disappointing and makes a mockery of her claim to be a champion of horses. However, since I do appreciate that it would be messy and probably litigious to get out of this engagement, she should pledge to not ever again be associated with events that injure horses and donate ALL her proceeds from the gig to organizaton(s) that HELP horses. Actually, it would be a show of good faith if she donated more than she earns from this exploitation, disregard and harm of horses.
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I challenge Sheryl Crow and Gingers Kathrens to attend and watch the abuse that goes on at thie rodeo that in many cases the end results is the death of horses and other animals. From this day forward I will save this information and speak out against The Cloud Foundation every chance I get. This will NOT be forgotten and for me is an ultimate betrayal. It sickens me that Ginger would say the following
Ginger Kathrens, executive director of the Colorado-based group, said she and other activists consider Crow a true champion of wild horses. Crow has adopted a wild horse and contributed time and money to the cause of keeping them on public lands, she said.
SHARK’s criticism is unjustified because rodeos are prohibited under the 1971 federal Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act from using mustangs removed from the range by the government, Kathrens added.
“I think it’s important for people to know the wild horse act prohibits the activity they’re concerned about,” Kathrens told The Associated Press. “They are not using wild horses off our ranges in that race.”
I do believe that Habitat For Horses is 100% correct when they state on their web site that
http://www.habitatforhorses.org/rescues/reportcruelty.html
There is never a valid excuse for abusing a horse. Never.
Abuse and Neglect in Texas
According to the Texas Penal Code Ann. § 42.09 (Vernon 2002), Cruelty to Animals, the following is considered cruel or inhumane treatment of animals and warrants investigation, seizure, and filing of charges:
– torturing an animal
– seriously overworking an animal
– failure to provide necessary food, care, or shelter for an animal
– abandonment of an animal
– killing, injuring, or administering poison to an animal
– causing animals to fight
– using live animals as a lure in dog racing
– horse tripping
I believe the above to be true in every situation including rodeos and regardless of the laws in each state where some DO NOT protect the horses.
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Ms. Kathrens and Ms. Crow know exactly what goes on at rodeos and specifically, this one. To presume otherwise is ridiculous…check out their bio’s. To know what goes on, to perform at an entertainment venue where a rodeo is held, to accept funding from a source that does believe in the wild equine cause does not equate into an animal abuse endorsement. You apparently do not believe the same and that it does endorse cruelty. I don’t.
Be careful people…be very, very careful condemning or knowing better than the parties involved.
I defer to Ms. Kathrens. I could NEVER presume to know the entire story, much more the motivations of a filmographer and advocate of wild equines that I could NEVER begin to emulate or duplicate, especially when it comes to wild equine issues; at one point it becomes NONE OF MY BUSINESS.
And exactly how many more “blood money”, they are wrong, don’t take the money posts will ALL readers here have to endure?
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It appears that several of you have had enough…in good faith we have not said much but if you have had enough and would like to put this to bed, in other words, agree to disagree; then I will close the comments and we can move on.
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Let’s close up shop and move on RT. I think everything that could be said on both sides has been said. Onward and upward!
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Please…and Amen to RTs suggestion and Morgan’s endorsement.
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