The Omaha City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban those two Mexican rodeo events by adding them to the city's definition of animal cruelty.

The Nebraska Humane Society hailed the decision as a victory for animal safety.

"We're very pleased that the City Council decided to step in, especially on a 7-0 vote," said Mark Langan, vice president of field operations at the Humane Society. "Now we have our work cut out for us at the state level."

The Humane Society has been working with State Sen. Abbie Cornett of Bellevue on legislation that would ban horse tripping, and possibly steer tailing, statewide. The bill is expected to be introduced next year.

Armando Pliego, a local charro, or Mexican cowboy, said he was disappointed by the council's decision. Pliego is the treasurer of Charros La Amistad, an Omaha-based rodeo club that has performed in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. He said the Mexican rodeos, called charreadas, are important cultural events and are no more dangerous to animals than American rodeo events.

Pliego said charros will continue to perform charreadas, but without horse tripping and steer tailing in the 10-event lineup. The ban eliminates any chance Omaha has of bringing in national charreadas, however, since a national contest will require all 10 events. Charreadas are increasingly popular in the United States, and several have been held in Omaha.

Pliego said he hopes to discuss the matter with Mayor Mike Fahey.

Humane Society officials and a veterinarian testified before the council last week that horse tripping and steer tailing are more dangerous and painful to the animals involved than traditional rodeo events.

In horse tripping, a cowboy on horseback or on the ground tries to lasso the front or back feet of a running horse, tripping it to the ground. The difficult event is a test of the cowboy's rope skills.

Steer tailing is an event in which a cowboy on horseback grabs a running steer's tail, wraps it around his leg or stirrup, and pulls the steer to the ground.

Opponents have said horse tripping can lead to rope burns, lacerations, broken bones and other problems. Steer tailing is very painful and can, in some cases, result in the tail being pulled off, they said.

Now that steer tailing and horse tripping are considered animal cruelty, those caught participating could receive six months in jail or a fine up to a $500. Last summer, the Humane Society ticketed nine men for suspected animal cruelty who said they had participated in horse tripping. Despite that incident, Humane Society officials said they wanted horse tripping and steer tailing to be specifically prohibited in city code so that there's no question that the events are prohibited.

Pliego said he met with Humane Society officials to discuss alternatives to banning both events, but the Humane Society decided to push forward with its prohibition.