Horse injured during chuckwagon races but X-rays show no fractures: Stampede CEO

Rangeland Derby, Calgary Stampede (file photo)

A horse fell during the Rangeland Derby at the Calgary Stampede Saturday night.

Stampede CEO Joel Cowley delivered an update on the injured animal Sunday morning at a press conference.

“In third heat last night, there was a collision between two wagons. A horse was injured,” Cowley said. “It received immediate medical care in the arena. It was transferred into an ambulance and it was transported to a local veterinarian clinic, the best veterinarian clinic in Alberta .

“An initial exam revealed no fractures but the injury is considered serious,” Cowley said. “It’s undergoing ongoing evaluation and we’re hopeful that that horse will be OK.”

Cowley said he witnessed the disturbing incident.

" I was actually standing on the bucking chutes and watching this," he said.

“It appeared to me – and this is my own speculation, be mindful of that because it’s under review with regard to the driver-- that one of the horses acted up and bucked and had a line underneath one of its legs, meaning the driver had no steering.

“And so equipment problems are probably the most common thing with regard to collisions,” he added. “We certainly don’t want to see those.”

He said the Stampede is hopeful that the animal recovers.

“I can’t give (any further) update on the animal other than X-rays indicated no fractures,” he said. “And it is now being cared for at one of the finest veterinary clinics in Alberta and we’re hopeful that that horse will be OK.”

‘High-risk rodeo event’: Animal Justice

An animal rights organization called for an end to chuckwagon racing in a media release Sunday afternoon.

“No amount of rule changes or safety measures can eliminate the deadly risks of this event—horses are pushed to their physical limits, packed tightly together at speed, and the consequences are often fatal," said Animal Justice PR director Josh Lynn.

The organization said that when the province passed the Animal Protection Amendment Act in spring, it created a carve-out to the province’s animal cruelty laws for chuckwagon racing and rodeo, “shielding the event from the kind of legal scrutiny Animal Justice and others have previously pursued by filing complaints with law enforcement.”

“It’s time for the Stampede to end chuckwagon racing for good,” said Animal Justice lawyer Alexandra Pester.

The Vancouver Humane Society also weighed in on the incident in a Sunday afternoon media statement.

“The VHS is calling for the rodeo and chuckwagon races to be removed from the Stampede program to prevent more suffering and deaths,” said VHS campaign director Emily Pickett.

Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the Rangeland Derby Saturday night.