Three horses were killed during the chuckwagon races at this year’s Calgary Stampede. The deaths occurred despite the implementation of new safety measures. Obviously, not enough is being done.
The Vancouver Humane Society is calling for the event to be stopped. According to their spokesman, “We think that there’s something more fundamentally wrong with the race and we’re calling for a suspension of the chuckwagon races and a full and fundamental safety review to be conducted.”
The Calgary Human Society has been working with organizers to improve horse safety. However, the nature of the races – speed, tight turns, and limited space – means that it’s hard to eliminate the risks to horses’ lives. Furthermore, many of the horses have weak legs due to selective breeding.
This is not the first year that horses have dies; six horses lost their lives during the 2010 event.
Is our entertainment more valuable than the lives of these precious creatures? Please share your opinion.
We the undersigned are horrified to hear about the deaths of three horses during this year’s chuckwagon races.
It is clear that the new safety measures are not sufficient and that more needs to be done. We support the call by the Vancouver Human Society for a “full and fundamental safety review to be conducted.” If there can be no way of eliminating the risks of injury or death to horses than the races should be stopped.
It is impossible to justify the loss of an innocent animal’s life for entertainment purposes. These horses deserve to be treated with more respect; they are valuable and precious creatures.
Thank you for your attention.
