Year after year horses are killed during the chuck wagon racing at the Calgary Stampede. Despite changes to the rules to make the event 'safer' horses are still being killed. It is time to eliminate this event from the stampede. Horses lives are at risk.
Since 1986 there have been over 50 (reported) horse deaths during this event at the Calgary Stampede alone. This number is unacceptable.
While many claim how much the owners of these horses care about them, they continue to enter them in an event that has an extremely high chance of the horses being severely injured or killed.
Another tactic of people is to make it seem that the only life for thoroughbreds after the race track is chuck wagon racing. This is not true. Many ex race horses go one to much safer careers suck as pleasure horses, eventers, dressage, show jumpers ... the list goes on and on.
Please let Calgary know that this antequated event needs to be ended.
The Calgary Stampede, while an excellent event to celebrate the heritage of Alberta and Canada, needs to catch up with the times. These events were created before there was animal welfare. And they were created based on daily tasks of the time. But over the years these events have grown in to nothing more than a way to entertain people and to feed their competetive nature. With that comes the need to make these events faster and harder. Now these events bare no resemblance to what they were originally based on.
Animals are being injured and killed more and more frequently. And the chuck wagon racing is the worst offender. Every year during the Calgary Stampede horses are being injured and killed. Despite attempts to make this event safer for both the horses and the handlers, horses are still being injured and killed.
Because of this fact we, the signers of this petition, implore you to end this event. We believe that there are ways to continue to entertain people and be competetive that do not put any animals in undue danger. We understand that there is inherent risk in any event, especially those involving animals. But this risk needs to be at the lowest level. When horses die every year this is a very high risk event.
Please do the right thing and end this event now before more horses lose their lives. The Calgary stampede has claimed way too many lives already.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.
