Tragedy on Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby track
Posted July 13, 2012 7:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (NEWS1130) – Three horses have been died following the fourth heat of the chuckwagon competition last night at the Calgary Stampede.
It appears one of the lead horses of Chad Harden’s outfit suffered a fatal attack and collapsed, which led to three other horses crashing to the ground.
Two of the horses had to be put down because of the severity of their injuries. A fourth horse was injured and will require surgery, but is expected to recover.
A full investigation has been launched.
Neither Harden nor outrider Dustin Gorst was seriously hurt; Gorst’s horse clipped the wagon, while trying to get out of the way in the backstretch.
Harden shed tears as he talked about the horses, which he called family pets; he says he was going to retire one of them after this year’s Stampede.
Shortly after the tragedy, the Vancouver Humane Society renewed its call for a suspension of chuckwagon races at the Stampede.
Since 1986, more than 50 horses have died in the Rangeland Derby.
