A horse has died after hitting a fence at the Rodeo National Finals in north Canterbury today.
Animal rights group SAFE and the Animal Justice League were protesting at the Rodeo National Finals, saying another season of animal cruelty and deaths nears its end.
The protest, which was supported by World Animal Protection, HUHA, and Farmwatch, took place outside the events at the Mandeville Sports Grounds this morning.
The groups say they are highlighting the continued abuse of animals across the country every summer, and this season four animals were killed at the hands of rodeo cowboys.
SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe says animals are being killed, abused and bullied, and rodeo cruelty needs to be urgently banned.
He says the fact of the matter is that rodeo events are animal cruelty, and if they took animal welfare seriously, there wouldn't be deaths like this.
Appelbe says rodeo sends a message to young children that animal abuse is fun.
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If pain, suffering and deaths were happening like this at dog and cat shows, or even at an A&P show, there would be an outcry. It's just not acceptable for this to continue. Rodeo kills animals and inflicts cruelty and it has to stop. And refusing to let cameras in isn't going to make the ugly facts go away.