Chuckwagon Racing Under Fire Again as 4 Horses Euthanized During Calgary Stampede
By: Brittany Bevis
Chuckwagon Racing is coming under fire again following the deaths of four horses at the 2015 Calgary Stampede event that concluded over the weekend.
Two of the horses (injured on July 11th and 12th) suffered similar injuries. According to statements made by The Calgary Stampede, one horse, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred named “Russian,” suffered an “untreatable breakdown injury in the left front leg, and the horse was humanely euthanized. There was no contact made with another horse or wagon.” This injury occurred during the first heat of the July 11th race. The animal was an outrider horse in Layne Bremner’s group.
The Official Veterinarian for the Calgary Stampede, Greg Evans, made the following statement: “This injury – suspensory ligament rupture – is most commonly seen in race horses and occasionally seen in other types of sport horses.” It was determined that no post-mortem exam will be performed because the injuries were self-evident.
On July 12th, “Ezzy,” a 16-year-old Thoroughbred from Dave Galloway’s team, suffered a nearly-identical injury, “unrepairable breakdown injury in the left front leg.” Again, it was reported that no contact was made with another horse or wagon.
It was reported that the July 6th death of another horse was the result of human error, when one wagon made contact with the lead horse of another team. The horse was later euthanized. Under the CS Chuckwagon Racing Rulebook, a $10,000 fine will be assessed against a driver whose actions cause the death of a horse. It was determined that both drivers were responsible and thus shared the penalty.
“Although driver error is rare, we know that the Stampede, the two professional associations and the drivers themselves are working together to ensure these incidents are not repeated,” says Stan Church, chair of the Chuckwagon Safety Commission.
On July 4th, a horse suffered a fractured cannon bone in its right hind leg during a race. The horse was “Duke,” a 10-year-old Thoroughbred on Layne Bremner’s team.
“The Calgary Stampede will undertake a thorough review to determine if there were any contributing factors to this incident that could have prevented it. The injury appears to have been sustained due to the contact with another wagon.”
In 2011, the Calgary Stampede instated new rules in an effort to make Chuckwagon racing safer. One of the changes was to the Rangeland Derby heats, which limited teams to two outriders instead of four. Also, vets are required to do health checks of horses before the competition and track maintenance was enhanced.
Only time will tell if this unfortunate round of deaths will result in even more changes for future races.
Click here to read more from CTV News in Calgary.
