Horse deaths have many questioning Stampede Chuckwagon races

CALGARY—A chuckwagon driver fears the demise of his sport in the face of mounting pressure from animal rights groups and urbanites shocked at the deaths of horses at the Calgary Stampede.

Six horses died in the first nine days of the 10-day
http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/837399

No need for animals to die in the name of sport.

This has happened before, it will happen again.

Animal rights peeps pretty much stopped circuses... they probably will stop rodeos too.

How can a horse break its own back bucking a rider?

too many steroids? dont know.. old age maybe.

My grandfather owned a horse that was used in chuckwagon racing. He bought him when the guy went to retire his team. I was..hmm.. 3? maybe 4 at the time?. We ended up taking the horse with us to our farm we purchased in Sask when I was 6. He was with us there for 6 years until we moved. We actually left him there and he turned "wild" running with a pack of horses. My auntie moved to a larger piece of property about 13 years later and they went and picked him up. Kept him for a few years before he passed away from old age. Horse must have been 36 or so at the time. Great times, great horse, most of the grandchildren learned to ride on that horse.


But if "animal rights activists" existed 45 years ago and did the sh1t they do and complain about crap that they are blowing out of their a$$hole, none of that would have happened. Very few horse owners involved in the rodeo's mistreat their animals on purpose. Target the people that do, not that people that dont. Horses love racing even in the wild.

JTF wrote:How can a horse break its own back bucking a rider?

It didn't break its back bucking a rider.

The rider had already been thrown off, the horse bucked again and bucked too hard bending his back to far around (basically trying to kick himself in the head with his back feet over his back).

Because the rider was off...the horse's effort was too extreme...think of Charlie Brown trying to kick a football anticipating contact...but Lucy yanking the ball out and Charlie goes flying.

Just so you know...a horse bucking is not typically trying to "throw" the rider...it IS actually trying to kick him off...but since the horse can not actually get his legs up there...it ends up just jumping around and kicking wildly.

I'm definitely not the PETA type, but I have to question the what the point of having a rodeo is to begin with. The whole thing just seems stupid to me since it apparently increases the likelyhood of injury to the animals for no reason other than to entertain some people who get off on the whole "cowboy" thing. What exactly is the point of placing the animals that apparently "part of the family" into harms way just for entertainment and to make a buck. I'm sure most of these racers and cowboys could find another way to make a living around the farm if they wanted to. They are stuck trying to live a lifestyle that was left behind 100 years ago and refuse to move on.

I don't buy the argument that these horses would have been put down if it wasn't for racing. How about not racing horses to begin with? Then there'd be no need to breed horses for racing just to put them down when their racing days are over.

I just don't see the point in any of this stupidity.

Heh....I think the same about hockey.

I saw a documentary some time ago, about people that raised horses and bulls for rodeo. They seemed to suggest that the animals loved their roles, saying that they could see the animals change just before their events, really getting into it.

"What exactly is the point of placing the animals that apparently "part
of the family" into harms way just for entertainment and to make a buck."

The cowboys and girls are in harms way too. It is pride in yourself and in your animal that the cowboys and girls compete for. Its no different then any sport. Lifestyle that is 100 years ago is a weak argument. It may be 100 years ago to you, but to many of us it is current.

and yeah the argument about them being put down is very weak. As you rightly point out they would not exist to be put down.