Calgary Stampede touts new chuckwagon safety measures after 4 horses died in 2015
Changes to track design, move to invitational format said to reduce risk to both animals and humans
After four horses died in last year's Rangeland Derby, Calgary Stampede officials are trying to reassure the public about the level of animal care that goes into the chuckwagon races and rodeo events ahead of this year's competitions.
Mike Piper, who chairs the Stampede's chuckwagon committee, said organizers have made several changes to improve the safety of the event for both horses and drivers.
Those include new wagon inspections that test the welds of the vehicles, a rebuilt inner rail of the track to prevent erosion during rainstorms and "minor tweaks" to the barrel placements to better align drivers as they come out of the opening figure-eight turns and reduce the chance of collisions.
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The races have also moved to an invitational format.
"The older method, which we used to employ, was based on qualification of how those drivers did on the tour," Piper said.
"We actually now look, obviously at their sportsmanship, but their safety record is certainly the No. 1 factor. How they conduct themselves on and off the track is also a major factor in those invites."
Piper acknowledged that the Stampede has its critics but maintained organizers are doing everything they can to make the event safe.
The Stampede ensures a team of veterinarians is on the grounds full-time and grants all-access privileges to the Calgary Humane Society and Alberta SPCA.
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Vet checks before competitions
Dr. Greg Evans, the Stampede's head veterinarian, helps examine the chuckwagon and rodeo animals to ensure they are fit and are prepared for competitions.
"Essentially, it's like checks and balances to make sure that no animals are competing if they're not in a condition to do so," he said.
If an animal is found to be unfit, it is withdrawn from an event.
While it won't prevent "chance happenings," Evans said the policy has helped keep many animals with pre-existing health conditions from getting into risky situations that could have resulted in serious injuries.
"In my opinion, we already have avoided some preventable scenarios," he said.
'Open dialogue' with Calgary Humane Society
Sage Pullen McIntosh with the Calgary Humane Society (CHS) said the group "opposes the use of animals for any form of entertainment in which they are placed at risk of suffering undue stress, pain, injury or death."
But, at the same time, she said the CHS believes the best way to ensure animal welfare is to work with the Stampede, rather than protest against it.
"While other organizations may wish to intervene to change rodeo and the Stampede through protest or other advocacy means, CHS has found it can best protect the interests of the animals involved by working with organizations that put on such events," she said in an email.
She noted CHS peace officers do random monitoring of the Stampede grounds to ensure Alberta's Animal Protection Act is being respected and respond to public complaints if they have reason to believe an offence has been committed.
The humane society also "maintains an open dialogue with the Calgary Stampede Board regarding animal welfare," Pullen McIntosh added.
"Through these discussions, CHS has planted seeds of awareness and an understanding of animal welfare in hopes of a Stampede that is as fun and safe for animals as it is for people."
Humane societies elsewhere have taken a harder line against the Stampede, particularly the Vancouver Humane Society, which has questioned the authenticity of the cowboy heritage of chuckwagon races and described the rodeo events, in particular the calf roping, as a "spectacle of animal abuse."
with files from Colleen Underwood