TORONTO – Debate surrounding the effectiveness of new safety rules implemented in recent years at the Calgary Stampede resurfaced after three horses died Thursday during a violent chuckwagon race crash.
In an attempt to halt horse fatalities at the Stampede and rodeo, officials enforced a string of safety measures to protect the lives of animals, but animal rights groups are once again calling foul on the festival, insisting that the changes aren’t sufficient.
“Horses keep dying. Obviously the changes that have been made over the past couple of years haven’t been sufficient. They haven’t worked,” said Peter Fricker, communications director of the Vancouver Humane Society.
The organization has criticized the stampede’s contentious events, including chuckwagon racing and calf-roping.
What is chuckwagon racing?
Chuckwagon racing includes a team of thoroughbred horses racing around a track led by a driver and two to four outriders who are riding on horses that follow the wagon. Each race typically involves three to four teams, leading to overcrowding, critics say.
“Something is fundamentally wrong with the race itself. It’s too dangerous because of the high speeds, the tight proximity of the wagons and the horses, and the very tight turns that they have to make,” Fricker said.
“It’s just inherently dangerous because of the nature of the race.”
An audience of tens of thousands watched Thursday as a driver suddenly fell forward, bringing down two horses that had to be euthanized on the track due to their injuries. Another horse collapsed in a “fatal event,” stampede spokespeople said. A fourth horse is undergoing surgery.
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Fricker says more than 50 horses have died in chuckwagon races since 1986. The organization has documented Calgary Stampede deaths here.
What safety measures are in place for horses?
By June 2010, officials enforced rodeo rule changes to encourage animal safety, specifically to chuckwagon races and rodeo events.
Changes were made to the track to reduce injuries, vet checks became mandatory for horses before and after each race, and equipment was replaced. Barrels, for example, were no longer made with hard wood and are now collapsible.
The Stampede officials also allow fewer chuckwagon outriders per heat – there are now two compared to four per team.
Rest days are also mandatory now for all competing horses.
“The safety of all participants in the Calgary Stampede – both animal and humans – is our number one priority and always has been,” officials said in a 2011 statement.
While media relations spokespeople have commented on Thursday’s fatal incident, calling the tragedy a “sad situation,” they have not responded to calls, emails and even a text message from Global News asking about the effectiveness of these new rules.
In 2010, four chuckwagon horses died; in 2011 another three died.
“Nothing the stampede has done has succeeded in making the race any safer,” Fricker said.
The VHS is urging Stampede officials to suspend the race and conduct a comprehensive review to determine what is causing these deaths.
In an appeal for help, the society has reached out to the event planners, businesses and other animal rights jobs in an attempt to build opposition against the Stampede since 2009. After a decade-long campaign, Fricker said they successfully overturned calf-roping, steer-wrestling and wild cow-milking events at B.C.’s Cloverdale Rodeo in 2007.
The Stampede on a global stage
Contempt for the wildly popular Calgary Stampede has crossed international waters.
The United Kingdom-based League Against Cruel Sports launched its campaign against the Stampede in 2009. It called on U.K. travel companies to stop promoting package tours to Calgary during the Stampede.
“Canada is a beautiful country with so much to do, there really is no need to be abusing animals in this way for entertainment,” LACS said in a statement.
Prominent animal rights activist and TV game show legend Bob Barker suggested the Stampede celebrate its centenary by shutting down.
“I would like very much to see them celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede by saying that is enough animal cruelty,” Barker said.
“I doubt seriously if they’ve made any great strides in making rodeo safe. I don’t know how they could and I would imagine they talk about it more than they actually do.”
In 2010, Stampede officials said 1.2 million people attended the festivities, with tens of thousands of visitors crowding stadiums to watch events while millions more watched on television.
SOUND OFF: Do you think officials are doing enough to look after the wellbeing of horses and other animals partaking in Calgary Stampede and rodeo events or do you agree with animal rights activists that the events need to be suspended and reviewed for safety? Tell us what you think on Facebook.
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