Govind Tekale
At a first-time college rodeo event in California’s redwood country, spectators watched horses fall repeatedly and break legs — and the competition carried on. The Outlaw Rodeo College Invitational took place Saturday at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds in Ferndale, a venue built on the grounds of a former racetrack. During bronc-riding, at least two bucking horses suffered broken legs or serious leg injuries.
Witnesses described a pattern of collapse and trauma across multiple runs. Spectators reported horses “slamming into gates” and falling repeatedly—some animals going down two, three, or four times each. One attendee, Krista Catlett of Eureka, described the animals as “just wild, wild from the get go… bucking and rearing.” She watched one horse collide with a fence and saw another “hopping on three legs, and his leg was just dangling.” After suffering injuries during competition, at least one horse was loaded into a trailer while the event continued.
An anonymous witness who attended the event raised concerns about what caused the injuries. “Whether it was the ground, whether it was their feet, whether it was their equipment, something was glaringly wrong,” the witness told observers. The exact cause of the multiple leg breaks remains unclear.
This is not the first time horses have been seriously injured at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds. Two years ago, two racehorses were euthanized following injuries sustained at the same venue during the Humboldt County Fair. A separate karmactive report on a horse-meat recall in Australia touched on equine welfare oversight in a different context, but the Ferndale pattern of injuries has raised questions about facility conditions or management protocols at the California venue.
College of the Redwoods issued a statement to the Lost Coast Outpost on August 17, referencing a “tragic loss of two” animals in connection with the rodeo. The college did not provide additional details about the circumstances, the animals’ conditions, or what decisions were made regarding their care. The Lost Coast Outpost first reported the injuries at the rodeo on August 16.
The Outlaw Rodeo College Invitational was a debut event. Fairground operators and the college have not publicly addressed whether safety measures for horses will be reviewed or modified for future events at the venue.
Two horses were injured at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds during Saturday’s rodeo event. Witnesses documented falls and breaks during bronc-riding. The college acknowledged the incident, and questions remain about facility conditions and event protocols. Animal injuries at the same venue have occurred in prior years.
