Horse at Fort Worth Stock Show dies after hitting wall
FORT WORTH, Texas - A bucking horse at the Fort Worth Stock show died over the weekend after running into a wall.
The 9-year-old horse named Treasure of Patience crashed head-first into a wall at the Will Rogers Coliseum just seconds after being released for the saddle bronc event on Sunday, Stock Show spokesman Matt Brockman told the Star-Telegram.
A fan recording the rodeo on Facebook Live captured the accident. The horse fell to the ground after hitting the fence, and its legs were kicking. It was rushed away to receive medical treatment.
Brockman told the Star-Telegram that Treasure of Patience suffered a spinal cord injury and died. He told the paper another horse had died from a similar injury at the rodeo two weeks ago.
In a statement to FOX 4, a PETA spokesperson said Treasure of Patience’s death is the latest in a long line of “cruel, unnecessary and preventable deaths.”
The spokesperson added, “It's 2017—a time when animal circuses are shutting down and SeaWorld is on the skids. Rodeos are way out of step with public opinion, and it's time for them to be relegated to the pages of history books.”
Jed Pugsley with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association told the Star-Telegram that animal deaths in the rodeo are ““very, very rare, especially to have two at the same rodeo.”
The PETA spokesperson encouraged people to stay away from rodeos and to support legislation that would protect animals from abuse.