The Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is making an effort to encourage more young people to participate in the Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding events. Simultaneously, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is making an effort to encourage more students to become livestock and equine veterinarians. Does that mean more young people are less interested in riding or doctoring untamed large herbivorous animals? Exactly!
In both cases the primary reasons given by the "non-interested" are: the work is too hard and the pay is not enough. American and Canadian young people, as a rule, have become more worldly, resigned to life, and content with the path most frequently traveled, i.e., team roping and pet practice.
So, we are going about it the wrong way if we think 21st century America will furnish enough youngsters to fill the needs of the PRCA or the AVMA. I would bet that the average U.S. high school student spends more time playing virtual sports and games in front of a screen than they do actually participating in real physical games and sports. A generation ago this wasn't the case. Coincidentally, back then there was no shortage of large animal vets and bareback riders, either.
I'm thinking if you want bronc riders and large animal practitioners, you need to look somewhere other than civilized America. Someplace like Iran, Tierra del Fuego, Mongolia or Louisiana. And there's hope on the horizon. Already, last year's National Finals Rodeo had more roughstock riders from Louisiana than from Rhode Island, Quebec and Kentucky, all together.
We should concentrate on luring bullriders from grittier places. Major League Baseball has done a wonderful job seeking hungry talent from countries like Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. There are probably enough baseball players from Mexico and the Caribbean in the major leagues to support their own Low Rider Bus Line.
South America has been a good source of herders for American sheep ranchers. It's an easy jump from sheepherder to bareback rider then on to dairy veterinarian.
Where do we begin? The easiest place to start would be the Mexican border. They come here to work. They want to. The work is not too hard for them ... the pay is enough. And we need them. Instead of deporting the illegals we catch, we should give each one, man or woman, a chance to ride a bronc and castrate a bull calf. If they appear to have the aptitude, we send them to a bull riding school and/or enroll them in a pre-vet major at bilingual schools like UCLA, NMSU or University of Florida. Twenty years down the road, the problem would be solved.
Author's note: It is amazing how I can see through complex problems so clearly. No wonder Condeleeza calls so often. Well, on to the next sticky wicket: Miracle Whip or Hellmann's Mayo as the National Condiment?
Baxter Black, author, cowboy poet and large animal veterinarian, lives in Benson, Ariz.
Opinion
Large animal vets and bronc riders
- Opinion
-
-
AA’s decision a blow to Tulsa
The announcement by American Airlines that it will likely lay off almost a third of its Tulsa work force is terrible news. Looking for the bright side, the huge Tulsa maintenance facility will keep almost 70 percent of its employees ...
-
Oklahoma kids rank low
Oklahoma kids continue to rank low in terms of poverty, health, child welfare, early childhood development and hunger....
-
Schools deserve best equipment, teachers
A candidate at a state Senate forum this past week repeated the oft-made comment that Oklahoma has too many school districts. We agree some consolidation is needed, and it’s happening. But the candidate went beyond that and said we don’t ...
-
Thanks from our readers
Oklahoma senators serving on the finance committee wisely killed a bill that would effectively tax newspaper and magazine subscribers. It came up on the session’s first full day of work and was quickly dispatched by a 13-1 vote....
-
Independent group needed
Editor, The Transcript: I wanted to write a letter a long time ago, but Ms. Rogers’ letter claiming that “Chromium levels in the water shouldn’t cause alarm” pushed me over the edge. As an environmental professional in Oklahoma, I have ...
-
Governor, chancellor push higher grad rates
Oklahoma has long had college students who leave campus before finishing their degrees. They leave to take jobs in order to support families, they get behind in studies and don’t see a way out, or they just need a break. Additionally, some ...
-
Quitting should be smokers’ choice
The Jan. 29 editorial “The high cost of tobacco” claimed that tobacco use costs Oklahomans a lot of money, but it did not disclose the fact that tobacco use produces a lot of money for Oklahomans, which — in the interest of being fair — ...
-
A turning point in Oklahoma’s health
The governor’s announcement of a tobacco ban on any state-owned or leased properties may be a turning point in the state’s push for better health. We’re currently ranked 48th in the United Health Foundation rankings. We made some progress, ...
-
It’s cheaper to rebuild
Cleveland County commissioners are weighing what to do with the old jail built in 1983. We hope they don’t forget the need for some type of holding area for prisoners brought to the courthouse by the sheriff’s department....
-
Concern about conflict
There is growing concern worldwide that Israel might launch an attack on Iranian nuclear plants. Is it a bluff, designed to bring about tough economic sanctions, or is this Israel’s way of preparing the world for a major ...
- More Opinion Headlines
-
AA’s decision a blow to Tulsa
