There can be no denying that animals used in rodeos are exploited and abused. Horses and bulls would not buck in their natural environment, but in rodeo arenas they are forced to. But the cruelty and exploitation does not stop there. Calf and steer roping is brutal and cruel and involves terrified calves being chased down by cowboys on horseback. Terrified calves are violently thrust and wrestled to the ground, many sustain injuries so severe they have to be put down. Treating an animal in such ways would result in animal cruelty charges if carried out anywhere else but in a rodeo arena.

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/media/videos.php?campaign=8​

http://www.hsvma.org/rodeos_inherent_cruelty_to_animals?utm_source=bb011615&utm_medium=hsvmaweb&utm_campaign=advocacy​

http://www.sharkonline.org/index.php/animal-cruelty/rodeo-cruelty