In just four days of competition at the 2024 Calgary Stampede, officials say three animals have died after being injured during chuckwagon races and the rodeo.
In the latest incident, a steer injured during the steer wrestling competition on Monday had to be euthanized.
The Calgary Stampede says the animal was assessed at the scene by a veterinarian, who then made the decision to euthanize it.
Stampede officials did not have any information about what happened, but called it “a highly unusual and unfortunate incident.”
“We do everything possible to evolve our programs to minimize risk,” an emailed statement read.
Stampede officials also confirmed the death of an outrider horse that was injured during the chuckwagon competition on July 6.
“The nature and severity of the injury was not determined until the animal left the track, at which time medical care was immediately dispatched,” said the Calgary Stampede in a statement.
The horse, which was a part of Chance Thomson’s team, was thoroughly examined and a decision was ultimately made to euthanize the horse.
Stampede officials said another horse, a member of Danny Ringuette’s team, was injured during an incident of “wagon interference” during the sixth heat on July 5.
“Medical care was immediately dispatched. Following veterinary consultation, the humane decision was made to euthanize the horse,” officials said.
Stampede officials shared their condolences with the families of both Thomson and Ringuette on the losses.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS), which has been in opposition to the Calgary Stampede rodeo events for some time, said the death of the steer illustrates exactly why the competition should end.
In a Tuesday news release, VHS said the incident occurred during Stetson Jorgensen’s run during the steer wrestling event.
It said Jorgensen twisted the animal’s neck backward and the steer fell to the ground, “remaining stiff and motionless.”
The agency also heard about Thomson’s outrider horse shortly after the incident took place.
“We did receive an anonymous report from a member of the public who attended the event on Saturday. They said they witnessed the horses collide with a gate after the driver fell out and one of the horses appeared visibly injured,” said VHS campaign director Emily Pickett in an email.
“Stampede coverage didn’t show the heat in question, but we know that one driver, Kirk Sutherland, received a no time score in that heat.”
The VHS said it reached out to the Calgary Stampede about both incidents but has not received a response.
Prior to media requests on Tuesday, the Stampede did not publicly disclose any information about the deaths of these animals.