I recently decided to watch the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) National Finals with my family. This event takes place each year over a 10 day period and is televised by CBS sports. What I saw during those broadcast episodes made me regret the decision to watch.

During the broadcast, CBS aired many instances of animal cruelty while claiming it was family-friendly programming. They never warned viewers of the cruelty they were about to witness.

We watched horses being punched and slapped in the head. One horse had their eyes poked and jabbed. My heart almost stopped when I saw those cowboys electro-shocking those beautiful horses to compel them to perform.

I researched the tiny device I saw in their hands and learned that it was something called a “Hot-Shot”. It looks similar to a stun gun and delivers 4,000 to 5,000 volts of electric pain to anything it touches. Horses in particular are known to be especially sensitive to electricity -- which is why these devices should never be used on them, or in any rodeo environment. The PRCA specifically bans the use of these devices.

Yet CBS aired every stomach-churning moment.

If that wasn’t enough, an animal was actually injured during one of the events -- all while the cameras continued to roll. One of the cowboy contestants broke a calf’s leg during the team calf roping exercise. Instead of stopping the event and attending to the calf’s injury, the cowboys were allowed to continue the action -- ensuring that they’d be eligible for a prize. Nobody seemed to care about the injured calf’s fate.

Well, I care. And I want to live in a world where everyone cares about all life forms. We can’t do that as long as long as this kind of animal suffering is viewed as entertainment.

Help me send a message to CBS by signing this petition telling them that animal cruelty is NOT entertaining. No more televised Rodeos in 2017!