One horse died instantly and two others were put down by veterinarians after this crash at the Calgary Stampede's GMC Rangeland Derby in 2012. We see five chuckwagons racing on a dirt track. In the middle of the horses and in the middle of the track we see a horse and wagon completely collapsed.

One horse died instantly and two others were put down by veterinarians after this crash at the Calgary Stampede's GMC Rangeland Derby on in 2012.
Photo Credit: CBC

The Calgary Stampede–the rodeo that makes many cringe

The Calgary Stampede, the event that some critics call organized carnage and that supporters maintain is just good old-fashioned fun, is in high gear and running until Sunday.

The Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival that bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.”

It attracts over a million visitors a year, including plenty of politicians wearing cowboy hats and looking for votes.

A horse had to be euthanized after it broke a leg during this chuckwagon race in 2009. We see four teams of horses racing amidst clouds of dust.
A horse had to be euthanized after it broke a leg during this chuckwagon race in 2009. © CBC

Everybody seems to have a very good time.

Except, of course, the animals.

There are art shows, concerts, lots of good food, and–increasingly–an annual war of words between Stampede defenders and animal rights groups.

At issue is the treatment and the death of the animals used in the rodeo, especially the chuckwagon races.

Animal rights groups and human societies say 90 animals–horses and cattle–were killed or euthanized at the Stampede between 1986 and 2014.

Add two more horses to the list. Both had the misfortune to be pulling chuckwagons in this year’s rodeo.

On Tuesday, the national animal-rights organization Animal Justice called on the Calgary Humane Society to prosecute “inhumane rodeo practices” at the Calgary Stampede.

Anna Pippus is director of farmed animal advocacy for Animal Justice. She spoke with RCI by phone from her home in Vancouver.

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