Animals Australia, representing 40 societies and thousands of supporters, said rodeos were "blood sports" providing entertainment for people while inflicting horrific injuries - and sometimes death - on horses and cattle.

Last week Queensland Premier Anna Bligh announced up to $50,000 for a feasibility study into the promotion and expansion of the Mount Isa Rodeo.

Consultants would attend next month's rodeo as part of the study, due to be completed this year.

Animals Australia executive Wendy Parsons said rodeo animals were tormented into "bucking frenzies" by spurs, electric prods and tight straps.

The Premier "should be ashamed at promoting such cruelty".

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland media and community relations manager, Michael Beatty, said the society opposed rodeos but they were legal.

"We would prefer the $50,000 came to the RSPCA rather than to any rodeo," he said.

Mr Beatty said calf roping and wild-horse racing should be outlawed immediately. Both will feature at Mount Isa.

"Under the [Animal] Care and Protection Act, if an animal is being mistreated we can charge people but we don't have the resources to get to every rodeo," he said.

Jeanie Walker, whose grandfather, uncle and cousins were rodeo competitors, became an anti-rodeo activist after attending a South Australian event in 2004.

"I was shocked by the blatant cruelty and that rodeos are promoted as family entertainment," she said.

The single mother of three said she had spent $50,000 lobbying against rodeos and had attended four Queensland events to gather evidence which she would send to Ms Bligh and Tourism Minister Desley Boyle.

Australian Professional Rodeo Association manager Steve Hilton said he had seen animals injured so badly they had to be put down.

"We usually try to get them out of the arena before we put them down because it looks bad in front of an audience," he said.

He said the association had appointed an animal welfare officer to enforce its code of practice.

"Animals buck because it's bred into them not because they are being mistreated," he said.