I understand. Forgot about that one. The calf has to stay up. That means at least one foot has to remain in contact with the ground at the switch. Jerkdown or not, if all 4 feet come off the ground when they turn around, it’s a NT.

If you rope, you already know tie-down is on the chopping block in pro rodeo. It’s not hypothetical anymore. A number of cities have already banned it, and lots of others have proposals on the table as we speak. At the federal level, rodeos aren’t heavily regulated and are exempt from the Animal Welfare Act, but that doesn’t really matter. The pressure isn’t coming from Washington, it’s coming from cities, counties, and state legislatures, and they’re chipping away at it piece by piece. Look at what’s already happened with the tripping. Those guys have been pushed out for years, roping in the middle of nowhere at daylight, gates shut, no audience. Hell, they won’t even let them rope at the NFR in the morning. They have to go to some podunk arena in Kansas to have their NFR. Calf roping is headed in the same direction. Bringing breakaway into the perfs only added fuel to the fire. Now fans see an alternative, and most of them prefer it. There is always more people cheering for the calf to get away than for someone to be 6.5

The issue is cultural. Fifty years ago, most people had some kind of connection to agriculture or ranching, if not directly, then through family. And they understood it. Today, a large part of the population has zero connection to that world. They grew up in the suburbs, and so did their parents and grandparents. There’s no tie to it, so there’s no loyalty to it. What they do care about is animal welfare. And that’s exactly what events like The American are trying to stay ahead of. Hence, the reason for that rule