In Worcester, rodeos are kicking up a lot of dust. They have been for some time.
Last November, the Worcester City Council tasked City Manager Eric Batista with drafting an ordinance to limit equipment that causes pain to rodeo animals. The issue reached the body as a result of an order placed by Worcester City Council Vice Chairman Khrystian King.
At the council meeting, many Worcester residents spoke up in support of the ordinance. Several months have since passed, however, and the draft remains elusive, all as rodeos continue to come to the city.
According to a statement given by a City Council aide, Vice Chairman King believes that “rodeos are well within their rights to continue visiting Worcester now and in the future.” The municipal employee went on to explain that the official’s “goal is simply to make them safer for everyone involved by considering restrictions on tools that can cause animals to have adverse reactions in crowded settings.” The statement emphasized a focus on restricting “tools of torment” used in rodeos, rather than the rodeos themselves.
Protesting the rodeo
Karen Bacon, an animal rights activist who started Positive Change for Animals Social and Volunteer Group in 2015, is actively protesting rodeos in Worcester, along with members of other likeminded groups from Massachusetts and beyond.
“An organization called Christian Animal Rights Association for Pennsylvania has been basically going to different parts of the country trying to awaken people to the harm of rodeo,” Bacon said. “They reached out to my organization back in September 2025, and from there they helped us sort of launch this initiative in Worcester.”
In February, Bacon’s group protested a Beer, Bulls, & Barrels event taking place at the DCU Center in Worcester. They distributed pamphlets and spoke to rodeo attendees about their fears regarding the sport.
“With the ordinance, the goal of it is not necessarily an outright ban on rodeos, although we would think that would be appropriate,” Bacon explained. “We’re not doing that. What we’re asking is to ban the tools of torment. That tends to be a more successful approach traditionally.”
Contentious rodeo practices
Bacon noted the specific equipment and practices that animal rights activists hope to ban: “Electric prods are used to shock them […] They use a flankstrap, and that’s something that’s tied tight around the groin and the abdomen area, and it makes them panic.”
Beer, Bulls, & Barrels did not respond to a request for comment, but the company’s website lists a no-tolerance policy for any mistreatment of animals. Under a section on animal welfare, it states: “There is a misconception in the sport of bull riding that a rope is tied around the bull’s testicles. That is not true at all. The art of bucking is bred into them from a long line of bucking bull genetics.”
Bacon pushed back on that explanation: “Some companies will deny that. They don’t do it in the arena, the floor, but believe me, they do it behind the scenes. … [The animals] can’t speak for themselves. So somebody’s going to have to do it. People are going to have to do it.”
Timeline for the torment memo
Along with the city manager, Councilor King met with the group behind the proposed rodeo ordinance on the first Friday in March. His office said it hopes to present a draft ordinance to the full council for review later this year.
Bacon expressed gratitude for efforts to support the ordinance: “The city councilors have been fantastic. … [King] brought forth the legislation … and many of the others have also been supportive. I’ve had residents write in and say that they got good responses back.”
City of Worcester Media and Public Relations Administrator Tom Matthews, who works in the office of the city manager, stated that he didn’t currently have any updates on the ordinance to share.
With more rodeo action likely coming to Worcester later this year, animal rights activists said they will continue to hold protests, especially with any ordinance remaining in a state of limbo.
