LOS ANGELES — He’s a compassionate cowboy. Randy Savvy loves his horses.
“It’s all about being gentle with them because if you love them, they’ll love you back,” Savvy said.
The Compton native competed on horseback in dozens of rodeos as a little boy.
“Rodeo saved me and my friends’ life as kids in these Compton streets,” Savvy said. “We looked forward to going to practice and waking up early in the morning on Saturdays and putting on our uniform and getting on our horses and go ride and try to win.”
As the creator of Compton Cowboys, he trains kids to perform in rodeos.
But rodeos, bull riding and other similar events may happen a lot less in the city of Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles City Council is considering an ordinance that would ban certain items used in rodeos. Rodeos and similar events would not be banned, but a coalition of western sports says some items are essential to operating these events.
Proposed by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, the ordinance would ban the use of flank straps, spurs and lassos. Electric prods are also on the list, which can send an electric shock to the body to get the animal to move.
Many events like Professional Bull Riders, which is coming to LA in February, have already banned the use of electric prods and other devices that can harm animals.
But some animal activists say they don’t do enough.
Chris DeRose, founder and president of Last Chance for Animals, placed more than 20 billboards across LA urging the council to ban the items.
“Now it’s time for the rodeo to take a hike,” he said.
DeRose supports the proposed ordinance because he feels the devices break animals’ bodies and cause unnecessary harm.
“These animals are used just for entertainment and for the suffering to continue for entertainment reasons is ludicrous,” he said.
Savvy has seen some of these items used at rodeos and doesn’t think they harm animals.
“It’s more of a mental cue,” he said. “It’s not necessarily like I’m hurting you because if we were hurting them, they would react and they would respond to that and they wouldn’t allow it.”
He wants rodeos to continue to operate in LA to give kids the outlet he had.
“We love the animals so much, and the whole reason we love the rodeo is because it gives us the opportunity to come together and be with the animals and have that energy and have that love and nature altogether,” Savvy said.
The city council’s personnel and animal wellness committee will schedule a vote within the next few months.
Other Southern California cities have similar bans, including Pasadena and Chino Hills.