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St. Louis committee hears proposal to ban rodeo "tools of torment"
Summary
An animal‑welfare advocate told the St. Louis City Health and Human Development Committee that flank straps and electric prods used in bull and bronc riding cause animal distress and public‑safety risks; the committee said it will examine options including a tools ban or an outright rodeo ban.
Matthew King, an advocate with the Christian Animal Rights Association, told the St. Louis City Health and Human Development Committee that his organization is urging the city to consider limits on equipment used in bull and bronc riding.
King presented photos and scientific citations and said the two primary concerns are flank straps and electric prods, devices he described as purposefully provoking exaggerated bucking. "The purpose of the flank rope is to produce an annoyance to the bull," King said, and he cited veterinary and welfare studies he said link bucking events to musculoskeletal and other disorders in animals.
King also told the committee that the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) event takes place annually in St. Louis at the Enterprise Center and that the Southeastern Rodeo Association will hold events in June 2025. He cited recent human injuries at rodeos — including a February 2025 incident in Florida in which a rider's neck was punctured and an April 2025 fatality — as examples he said illustrate risk to athletes and spectators.
King outlined two ordinance approaches for committee consideration: an outright ban on specific rodeo events such as bull riding and bronc riding, or a narrower "tools of torment" ban that would prohibit equipment he described as causing pain or distress, such as flank straps and electric prods (also called "hotshots"). He pointed to municipal examples including Pittsburgh (an ordinance enacted after a 1992 arena injury) and recent proposed legislation in Los Angeles and New York City as models that other jurisdictions have pursued.
Alderman Alicia Sonier, a committee member, said she appreciated the presentation and that the information changed how she viewed some rodeo practices. "I tend to unilaterally disagree with the tormenting of living life," Sonier said during committee discussion.
Committee members asked King about economic and booking concerns raised in other cities. King said pushback has varied by locality and that tools‑focused bans have tended to be less controversial than outright prohibitions in his experience; he noted San Diego experienced political resistance in one recent debate while New York City and Pittsburgh discussions faced relatively little public pushback, as he described it.
The committee did not vote on legislation at the meeting; members said they would "look into it" and consider next steps. No ordinance or motion related to rodeos was introduced or adopted during the session.
Votes at a glance
The meeting did include routine procedural votes unrelated to the rodeo presentation: a motion to approve the May 15 minutes passed (three aye votes recorded) and a subsequent motion to adjourn was moved and the meeting ended.
