Bad 24 hours at the Calgary Stampede -- 4 horses dead, 1 rider injured
at 02:21 on July 13, 2010, EDT.
The Canadian Press

CALGARY - Calgary Stampede officials say they are upset by the deaths of four horses and a serious injury to a rider in the first few days of the annual rodeo, but at least one animal welfare organization says it's all "depressingly predictable."

Three horses died on Monday alone.

The day started when a horse in a chuckwagon team suffered a fatal heart attack while doing routine training exercises. Just a few hours later, during the novice saddle bronc event, a horse without a rider bucked so hard it broke its back and had to be euthanized.

"It is unusual and it is unfortunate," said Stampede spokesman Doug Fraser. "The death of the bucking horse was really a chance phenomenon."

Horses buck in the field every day and don't get hurt, Fraser said.

"It's what they call an empty buck. The rider was already off the horse and literally he bucked so hard, he suffered a major injury and had to be put down humanely."

Then on Monday evening during a chuckwagon race, a horse being ridden by an outrider for rodeo legend Kelly Sutherland pulled up with a shoulder injury and collapsed.

A veterinarian determined the animal needed to be euthanized.

Peter Ficker of the Vancouver Humane Society said he was not surprised to hear of the animal deaths.

"There are animal deaths of one sort or another at the Stampede almost every year and the Stampede continues to make various excuses for these deaths, but it is part and parcel of what happens at rodeos," said Ficker.

His organization had taken out a full-page ad in a Calgary newspaper this year calling the Stampede a cruel spectacle of animal abuse.

"There have been over 50 chuckwagon horses die since 1986 at the Stampede," he said. "We feel that event is putting the horses under unnecessary stress."

A growing number of animal welfare organizations have taken the Stampede to task for what they see as cruelty masquerading as entertainment.

The protest spread this year to Britain, where an group called League Against Cruel Sports called on Ottawa to end "the immense cruelty" inherent in rodeos and suggested British travel agencies boycott the event by refusing to offer vacation packages to the Stampede.

In addition, more than 50 members of Parliament signed a motion in the British House of Commons asking the Canadian government to improve how animals are treated during the event.

Riders also get hurt at the Stampede. On Sunday, Amy Carver was competing with her father and her brothers during a team cattle penning event when her horse had a fatal heart attack and collapsed on top of her.

Her family issued a news release Monday through Alberta Heath Services saying that she was in intensive care in hospital with a traumatic head injury and a broken shoulder blade.

The family said they were cautiously optimistic that she would make a full recovery but noted it was too early to know for sure.

Fraser said heart attacks in high-performance horses are "not necessarily unusual."

"Last year we have three chuck horses go down; two of them were because of heart attacks," he said.

"We're upset by the situation but we remain confident in our approach. We're constantly reviewing our practices and we're going to continue to review and make those improvements."

He said the horse that suffered the broken back, named Sinder Mountain, belonged to the Calgary Stampede and was from its "Born to Buck" program at a ranch in Hanna, Alta.

The others were privately owned horses — one by Sutherland, one by Carver and the third by Doug Irvine, one of drivers in Rangeland Derby.

"To lose an animal regardless of the circumstance is difficult for the Calgary Stampede and the owners," Fraser said.

Last year, four animals died during the Stampede, three chuckwagon horses and one steer.

Fraser said he firmly believes the Stampede's animals are treated humanely and every effort is made to avoid injuries.

"We know some people have different views about animals and we respect their right to hold those opinions," he said. "But we trust that they will respect the opinions of the millions of Calgarians, Canadians and international visitors who admire and respect the Calgary Stampede."