This isn’t the county fair’s first rodeo. But some hope it’s the last.

At a Gaithersburg City Council meeting in March, animal welfare activists sounded the alarms on what they say are the dangers of rodeo showcases at summertime fairs and demanded local officials ban them.

Those alarms prompted Gaithersburg officials to look into their concerns, but the city’s findings told a different story, all but dismissing the issues activists raised. Now the activists plan to protest one of the largest county fairs in the state.

“I think the other side minimizes any kind of damage that’s done to animals,” said Ken Ayers, a Rockville resident working with a DMV-based animal rights activist group to shut down rodeos in the area.

Ayers and others adamantly against rodeos may be in the minority, but they’re making their voices heard — and are advocating for local governments to reconsider them.

Ayers’ advocacy group plans to demonstrate outside the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on Aug. 20-21. He and his group claim animals are unsafe and mistreated at rodeos. They’re particularly worried about the use of flank straps and electric prods, two controversial rodeo tools used to provoke cows and horses into bucking.

Gaithersburg officials say they looked into these claims and found a laundry list of regulations and inspections to keep animals safe. But that isn’t stopping the protesters.

“They view it as they’re doing nothing wrong,” Ayers said. “I just don’t like animals being used for entertainment, period.”

Supporting agritourism

Rodeos are popular in Maryland. The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in Gaithersburg added a second rodeo this year following high demand. Three Upper Marlboro rodeos set for September are sold out. Promotion for the Maryland State Fair’s two rodeos called it “one of America’s fastest-growing extreme spectator sports.”

Maryland has a storied history of celebrating its agricultural roots, including summertime fairs that support agritourism. The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair views its ticketed rodeos as an extension of that celebration.

But, for roughly the last five years, activists have stood outside the entrance with megaphones, posters and flyers detailing the cruelty they say is involved in the rodeos.

Rodeo protests in Maryland date back decades. But, as more local governments around the country place moratoriums on rodeo activities — or ban the events outright — activists are putting pressure on Maryland leaders to follow suit.

Are rodeos unsafe for animals?

Ayers and his advocacy group say they’re not industry experts, just locals who have read up on the issues and are passionate about animals.

But they’re part of a larger conversation about animal safety at rodeos statewide and around the country.

The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair inspects animals to “ensure humane treatment consistent with Maryland law” and to esnure the people involved do not use “inhumane and gratuitously harmful things like electric prods and flank straps,” Gaithersburg Council member Robert Wu told The Banner via email. He cited an investigation that his team conducted after Ayers raised concerns.

The Gaithersburg Animal Services Division conducts health and safety inspections before and during the fair and ensures that animals participating in any exhibit or show have paperwork required by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, said Courtney Davis, director of communication and public engagement for the city of Gaithersburg.

“The state’s fair and show inspectors and state agricultural veterinarians also perform unannounced inspections during the fair,” she added.

Representatives of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and Redeye Rodeo, the traveling group set to appear at the fair, did not respond to requests for comment.

Some animal welfare activists say there’s no way to put on a rodeo without causing harm to animals. But some leading veterinary experts disagree, as long as proper guidelines are in place.

The American Veterinary Medical Association supports “humane and ethical use” of animals in spectator events, which includes abiding by laws, appropriate training, transportation, care and a third-party review of the animals’ well-being before, during and after a show. The American Association of Equine Practitioners shares similar guidance.

Could local leaders ban rodeos? It wouldn’t be unprecedented.

“Heritage” was a term often tossed around during a discussion of rodeo bans at the March City Council meeting, where Ayers and six of his peers urged local leaders to install new laws to render rodeos obsolete in Gaithersburg.

“I appreciate the legacy of our agricultural heritage, and I don’t have an issue with activities going on at the agricultural fair that are consistent with our agricultural heritage,” Wu said at the meeting.

Across the country, some concerns over animal welfare have trumped agricultural history and education, though.

Several local governments have banned specific aspects of rodeos. Rhode Island banned calf roping and steer tripping. Ohio banned flank straps. Others have banned rodeos altogether, including St. Petersburg, Florida; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Pasadena and Napa County, California; and San Francisco.

In Maryland, Baltimore County prohibits calf roping and electrical prods and Baltimore banned the use of spurs in rodeos.

The Gaithersburg City Council banned exotic animals, including lions, tigers, bears and elephants, from the fair in 2020.

“I don’t see why this would be any different,” Ayers said.

The 2020 Gaithersburg ordinance made the distinction between displays of exotic animals and farm animals. The former, local officials decided, had no value beyond entertainment. The latter provided an educational opportunity tied to the fair’s agricultural purpose.

Marijke Friedman contributed to this article.