The Goshen Stampede is an incredibly cruel event that comes to Goshen, Connecticut every year. The event features a rodeo, kids rodeo, barrel racing, a petting zoo and other animal exploitative activities. 

Rodeos are inherently cruel, and injuries and death to participants and animals are common. With the use of cruel electric prods, flank or bucking straps, and spurs—all of which burn, wound, and/or dig into the animals' skin and sensitive tissue—rodeos take normally tame, docile animals and terrorize and provoke them into behavior that makes them appear to be fierce and aggressive.

Calf roping is another common activity at the rodeo. During calf-roping events, horseback riders yank calves’ necks backward while the animals are running at full speed. Countless calves have sustained broken backs and necks as a result, and sometimes ropers miss the calves’ necks and end up dragging the animals by one or more of their legs. After that, the calves are then picked up and slammed to the ground and their legs are tied together. 

Bull riding takes powerful animals, and terrorizes and provokes them into behavior that makes them appear to be fierce and aggressive. In actuality, these animals are reacting as almost anyone would who’s in extreme pain because someone is twisting their tail to the breaking point or jabbing metal spurs into their flesh. Injuries to bulls, such as deep internal organ bruising, hemorrhaging, bone fractures, ripped tendons, and torn ligaments and muscles are common occurrences at these cruel bull riding events.

Animals deserve the right to live as they please, and they are not for humans to use and exploit for entertainment. There is no good reason why this incredibly cruel event should continue, and as residents of Goshen and Litchfield County, we need to speak up and ban this event from ever returning.

Please contact Goshen First Selectman, Robert P. Valentine, at (860) 491-2308 ext. 221 or 1stselectman@goshenct.gov and let him know that you want this incredibly cruel and violent event BANNED from ever returning to Goshen. Let him know that Goshen is a town filled with compassion, and we will not stand for animal abuse. 

***************UPDATE**************

Hi all, the Goshen Agricultural Society puts this on, so let’s also pressure them to stop, as well as continuing to pressure the first selectman.

Call the Goshen Agricultural Society at 860-491-3655 or email them at gsociety@sbcglobal.net. GAS President is Scott Fraher, 860-459-5557

Thank you!