This summer, the VHS planned a billboard and radio ad campaign in Calgary to raise awareness about animal welfare issues during the Stampede. Disappointingly, just before launch, the ad agencies cancelled the campaign, blocking any messaging about animal welfare.
But the VHS didn’t stay silent. We shared with the media about the censorship of animal welfare messages, supported local advocates by providing outreach materials at protests and events around the city, and ran an in-depth online ad campaign to ensure the animals’ voices were heard.
Sadly, a horse named Rider suffered a leg injury during a chuckwagon race and was euthanized, marking 110 known animal deaths at the Calgary Stampede since the VHS began tracking fatalities in 1986.
Content warning: The following video shows footage of animal suffering in rodeo events.
Meanwhile, the VHS’s advocacy for animals used in rodeo continued in our home province. In B.C., for the second year in a row, the VHS filmed inhumane and potentially illegal use of electric prods and rough handling of animals at the Coombs rodeo. A cruelty complaint has again been filed and the BC SPCA has opened an investigation.
The VHS continues to call on decision-makers in Alberta and B.C. to end inhumane rodeo events and government funding of them.
A recent report from Vancouver park board staff includes a consideration for removing “animal-powered transportation” from Stanley Park.
For years, the VHS has called for the removal of horse-drawn carriages from the park.
The use of carriages in crowded urban environments poses a risk to horses and the public. Horses endure regular exposure to traffic, noise and pollution; long hours of standing and walking on hard surfaces; and hard labour under sometimes extreme weather conditions.
Other jurisdictions, such as the City of Montreal, have banned horse-drawn carriages due to animal welfare concerns and incidents.
Read media coverage on the report and the VHS’s campaign below. Stay tuned for updates!
Park board staff are giving commissioners dozens of options to manage traffic in the park
“Vancouver park board commissioners will be asked to weigh up dozens of possible options to reduce the number of cars entering Stanley Park each year.”
“The document includes an option for removing ‘animal-powered transportation’ in the park.”
“The Vancouver Humane Society has a campaign to have the Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours business removed from the park.”
“‘Being surrounded by motor vehicle traffic forces horses to inhale toxic exhaust and causes them mental distress, which can make the animals unpredictable and potentially dangerous to park pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles,’ the society states.”
The VHS has once again filed a cruelty complaint with the BC SPCA after new footage from the 2025 Bulls, Broncs & Barrels rodeo event in Coombs revealed troubling treatment of animals for the second year in a row.
This year’s footage captures potentially illegal use of electric prods on bulls; stressed and agitated animals being harshly handled; and an injury to a horse who rears up in the bucking chute and lands on the structure, resulting in a bloody wound.
TAKE ACTION: Join the VHS in calling for an end to inhumane rodeo events and to stop B.C. government funding that supports them.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has filed a cruelty complaint with the BC SPCA after new footage from last weekend’s Bulls, Broncs & Barrels rodeo event in Coombs revealed potentially illegal use of electric prods and other animal welfare concerns.
Footage: Suzanne Goodwin
Learn more
Repeat concerns over electric prod use
Last year’s Coombs rodeo event drew a cruelty complaint after footage showed potentially illegal electric prod use on bulls and inhumane handling of a fallen horse. Disturbingly, new footage from this year shows similar issues.
Videos show bulls being shocked with an electric prod in ways that appear to violate Canadian animal handling regulations. These regulations prohibit:
Repeated prodding of the same animal.
Prodding animals who cannot move due to barriers such as overcrowded pens or blocked chutes.
Footage from the 2025 event appears to show both of these rules being broken.
The device used—believed to be a Hot-Shot Power-Mite—can deliver shocks of 4,500 volts.
Stressed animals, injury, and rough handling
Additional footage from the Coombs rodeo event highlights visibly stressed animals. Clips show animals thrashing in tight chutes, rearing up, and resisting handlers.
A bull is seen laying on the ground following a bucking event and is then kicked and pulled by the tail and ropes until he rises.
Two horses rear up out of the bucking chute and crash into metal posts. One of the horses appears to sustain a wound, with bloody abrasions visible on both days of the event.
Show photos of horse injuries
Saturday, August 16 at Coombs rodeo event.Sunday, August 17 at Coombs rodeo event.
Calls for change at Ministry of Tourism
These recurring concerns underscore the urgent need for change.
The VHS has written to the B.C. Ministry of Tourism to express concerns about public funding, provided through theB.C. Fairs, Festivals and Events (BCFFE) fund, to events that include rodeos. In 2023 and 2024, $780,000+ and $680,000+ were awarded to events that include rodeo, respectively.
Another Ministry of Tourism funding program, theDestination Events Program, lists rodeos as an event eligible for funding.
Provincial government must protect animals used in rodeo
The VHS has also raised concerns with provincial decision-makers about the overall lack of protections for animals used in rodeos, pointing to previous footage of various rodeos across B.C. and to the failure to enforce animal protection laws that prohibit causing distress.
The VHS is calling for an end to inhumane rodeo events and urging B.C.’s Ministry of Tourism to exclude rodeos from publicly funded grant programs.
By investing in compassionate and inclusive community events, the province can ensure public funds are directed toward celebrations that bring people together without putting animals at risk of harm.
Public opposition to rodeo events & funding
Research Co. pollingshows a growing majority of British Columbians are opposed to the use of animals in rodeo events and to taxpayer dollars being used to support rodeo events.
Take action: Help end cruel rodeo practices in B.C. by contacting the B.C. government today.
The City of Surrey recently announced the permanent closure of the Fraser Downs horse racetrack, citing plans to develop housing, a hospital, and new public spaces on the land.
The decision aligns with the VHS’s call for an end to horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse, where at least 14 horses have died since 2023.
A recent VHS report shared with the City of Vancouver in June outlines the high racing-related fatality rate and the long-term decline in attendance and revenue at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse.
The report recommends ending horse racing at Hastings Park when the current Operating Agreement expires in 2026.
SIGN THE PETITION: Urge the City of Vancouver to follow Surrey’s lead and end horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse.
Hastings Racecourse has seen a concerning pattern of horse deaths, including eight in 2023, four in 2024, and at least two between April and June 2025. In 2024, the rate of horse deaths at Hastings was 1.78 per 1,000 starts—much higher than the industry average of 1.11 and nearly double that of tracks under stricter safety rules (0.90).
Early start, lifelong harm
Most horses start training and/or racing at just 2 years old, before their bones are fully developed. This puts them at high risk for serious injuries and early decline. Thoroughbred horses are often overbred for speed rather than skeletal strength, making their legs susceptible to fatal injury.
Painful & stressful practices
Horses often endure harsh training methods and uncomfortable equipment, like whips and tight mouth bits, that can cause stress and pain.
Screenshot: Incident on October 19, 2023 from ElementsCasinoSurrey.com
Last week, Surrey’s Fraser Downs Racetrack announced its immediate closure.
The move follows a wider trend of waning public support for horse racing, plummeting revenues, and increased knowledge around animal sentience and well-being.
The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) welcomed the decision by the City of Survey to terminate the racecourse’s lease, and called for the City of Vancouver to follow suit with Hastings Racecourse.
A recent VHS report shared with the City of Vancouver in June outlines persistent animal welfare concerns and the long-term decline in attendance, revenue, and race days at Vancouver’s Hastings racecourse. The report recommends ending horse racing at Hastings Parks when the current Operating Agreement expires in 2026.
The Fraser Downs Racetrack announced there would be no more horse racing “effective immediately” after the City of Surrey, which owns the land, decided to terminate its lease.
“The Fraser Downs Racetrack announced there would be no more horse racing ‘effective immediately’ after the City of Surrey, which owns the land, decided to terminate its lease.”
“The Cloverdale Fairgrounds track is one of two in B.C. and the only one that hosts standardbred harness racing.”
A groom at the Fraser Downs racetrack said the abrupt announcement of the harness racing track’s closure last week is a blow to her childhood memories.
“The Vancouver Humane Society welcoming the city’s decision, calling horse racing ‘outdated’ and ‘harmful’ entertainment.”
“‘While the closure at Fraser Downs marks an end to racing at that site, it is emblematic of a wider, long-overdue shift away from horse racing,’ the society’s campaign director, Emily Pickett, said in a statement.”
“‘Horse racing inherently subjects horses to pressure and danger, debilitating injuries, early physical decline, and at times fatal outcomes.'”
VANCOUVER, August 18, 2025 – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) welcomes the announcement that horse racing is coming to end at Surrey’s Fraser Downs Racetrack. This development offers a meaningful opportunity to reflect on and accelerate the transition away from outdated and harmful entertainment traditions that put horses at risk.
“While the closure at Fraser Downs marks an end to racing at that site, it is emblematic of a wider, long-overdue shift away from horse racing,” said VHS Campaign Director, Emily Pickett. “Horse racing inherently subjects horses to pressure and danger, debilitating injuries, early physical decline, and at times fatal outcomes.”
The VHS has been advocating for an end to horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse, pointing to horse fatality rates that are significantly higher than the industry average. The organization has tracked at least two horse deaths at Hastings so far in 2025, four in 2024, and eight in 2023.
As the VHS recently highlighted in a report delivered to Vancouver City Council, horse racing no longer justifies the reliance of public subsidies, especially given declining attendance and rising welfare issues. The report advocates for an end to horse racing at Hastings.
The Fraser Downs closure opens a path to reimagine how communities can thrive without putting animals at risk of suffering, injury, and death.
“There’s been a lot of conversation as of late about the future of Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse. We’re hopeful decisions-makers in Vancouver will come to the same conclusion and move away from horse racing at Hastings as well,” commented Pickett.
The VHS is urging municipal and provincial leaders to refrain from supporting or renewing horse-racing operations elsewhere, recognizing the inherent risks and public welfare concerns.
The VHS is also encouraging individuals to reflect on the ethics of animal-based entertainment and to take the VHS pledge to avoid attending horse races.
Rider, a horse who suffered a serious leg injury during the chuckwagon races, was euthanized; another tragic loss in an event that claims the lives of horses nearly every year.
Rider’s death marks 110 known animal fatalities at the Calgary Stampede since 1986, with 79 from the chuckwagon races alone. Last year, three horses and one steer also died during Stampede events.
Beyond the headline tragedies is the routine cruelty of rodeo: fear, stress, and force inflicted on animals for entertainment.
This year’s Stampede footage lays bare a painful truth: for the animals, rodeo is terror, not tradition. It’s time to end the suffering.
Take action
Use the quick action tool to send a message to government decision-makers, urging them to remove the deadly chuckwagon races and inhumane rodeo events from the Stampede program.
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to the use of animals in rodeo events.
Use the template email below to send a message to Calgary City Council and Alberta decision-makers. If you live in Alberta, the message will also be sent to your MLA.
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to the use of animals in rodeo. The number of signatures will be shared by the VHS in engagement with decision-makers.
Photo: Sportsnet
What happened at 2025 Calgary Stampede?
A horse named Rider suffered a fracture to his left-front cannon bone during Heat 8 of the Saturday chuckwagon races and was euthanized.
Clips show the risk of injury to animals, such as a steer who was flipped over and whose neck was repeatedly twisted. Last year, a steer used in steer wrestling was euthanized due to a serious neck injury.
Footage also shows people at risk of injury, including children.
Animals are hit and roughly handled. In one clip, a handler uses a rope to agitate a bull’s neck while another person behind the scenes calls the bull obscene names.
Animals show signs of fear and stress, including widened eyes, tense open mouths, excessive salivation, thrashing in chutes, panicked behaviours, and resisting handlers.
Content warning: The following footage shows a fatal incident and animals showing signs of stress and fear.
The 2025 Stampede once again resulted in the tragic death of a horse used in chuckwagon racing. Footage from this year’s rodeo events also shows the risk of injury to animals and people, the rough handling of animals, and signs of fear and stress.
During a Calgary Stampede chuckwagon race on Saturday July 12, a horse named Rider suffered a leg injury and was euthanized.
This marks the first animal death of the 2025 Calgary Stampede and brings the total known animal deaths to 110 since the VHS began tracking deaths in 1986.
Animal deaths happen almost every year that Stampede. The 2024 Stampede rodeo and chuckwagon races claimed the lives of four animals. Three horses died in the chuckwagon races and one steer died after their neck was broken during a wrestling event.
TAKE ACTION: Use the quick action tools to call on government decision-makers to work with organizers to remove these inhumane and deadly animal events from the Stampede program.
Use the template email below to send a message to Calgary City Council and Alberta decision-makers. If you live in Alberta, the message will also be sent to your MLA.
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to the use of animals in rodeo. The number of signatures will be shared by the VHS in engagement with decision-makers.
Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media
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The Stampede confirmed that a horse named Rider suffered a fracture to his left-front cannon bone during Heat 8 of the Saturday evening race and was later euthanized.
Since the VHS began tracking fatalities in 1986, at least 110 animals have died in the Calgary Stampede’s animal events, 79 of which were in chuckwagon racing.
Despite minor changes attempting to improve the safety of the chucks over the years, horses have continued to die at an alarming rate. The VHS points to the fact that these changes, like reducing the number of horses on the track, fail to address the inherent risk factors of the sport: the close proximity of horses and wagons, the extremely fast pace, and the use of thoroughbred horses, who are typically bred for speed rather than skeletal health.
Public approval of chuckwagon racing continues to fall in the wake of near-annual incidents and a growing awareness about animal well-being. 59% of Canadians and 54% of Calgarians disagree with the use of horses in chuckwagon races, according to a Research Co. poll commissioned by the VHS in July 2024.
The 2025 Calgary Stampede will be held from July 4-13. With it comes the controversial rodeo and deadly chuckwagon races that result in animal fatalities nearly every year.
Last year’s events were the deadliest since 2019, with 4 animal deaths in 2024, bringing the Stampede death toll to at least 109 fatalities since the VHS began tracking in 1986.
Polling shows significant and growing opposition across Canada to the use of animals in rodeo and chuckwagon events, including amongst Albertans.
Polling also shows that removal of the rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Stampede program would have virtually no impact on attendance rates and would bring in new crowds.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Stampede organizers and government decision-makers to remove these inhumane and deadly animal events from the Stampede program.
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to the use of animals in rodeo. The number of signatures will be shared by the VHS in engagement with decision-makers.
Use the template email below to send a message to Calgary City Council and Alberta decision-makers. If you live in Alberta, the message will also be sent to your MLA.
Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media
Learn more
Dangerous & stressful for the animals
Rodeos and chuckwagon events are fast-paced, timed events that put animals’ safety at risk. The chuckwagon races are promoted as the “half-mile of hell” and involve teams of horses attached to wagons that are pulled at high speed and in close proximity to each other.
Beyond the risk of injury and death, animals used in rodeo events are also subjected to stress and suffering during rodeo events. Many rodeo activities, including bucking, roping, and wrestling events, use tools and methods like spurs, flank straps, and rough handling to provoke “fight or flight” responses.
These events rely on the use of fear, stress, and discomfort to make animals flee and buck.
Near-annual deaths
Nearly every year, there are animal deaths at the Calgary Stampede. The 2024 Stampede was the deadliest since 2019, with 4 animal fatalities during the 10-day event. 3 chuckwagon horses suffered irrecoverable injuries and a steer’s neck was broken during a wrestling event.
At least 109 animals have lost their lives at the Stampede since 1986, when the VHS began keeping track. Most deaths occur during the chuckwagon races due to the fast pace and close proximity of the horses and wagons.
Injuries and deaths may also be underreported, as it can take up to 48 hours after an incident for an injury to present.
Growing public opposition
Public polling in recent years reflects growing opposition to the use of animals in rodeo:
2022 poll: Removal of the rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Stampede program would have virtually no impact on attendance rates and would bring in new crowds.
2024 poll: A majority of Calgarians oppose calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc riding, and chuckwagon racing. In addition to this, 67% of Calgarians oppose government funding of rodeo events.
CALGARY, June 30, 2025—Animal protection organizations are raising the alarm about mounting censorship efforts by major advertising companies and media groups in the lead-up to the Calgary Stampede.
While the Stampede is heavily promoted across Canada as a national celebration, the darker side of its animal events is increasingly hidden from public view. When animals are inevitably injured or killed—a grim annual tradition—the live broadcast quickly cuts away, leaving announcers to fill the silence while the arena is cleared.
Increasingly, animal welfare advocates say that corporate advertising companies are going further to block even mild criticism from reaching the public.
This year, the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) attempted to run a billboard with Astral Media Outdoor, owned by Bell Media. The billboard would have been placed along the Stampede parade route, pointing out that distressing moments—like when a rope tightens around a calf’s neck—are typically edited out of rodeo highlights. Sharing this fact proved too much for Bell Media, despite initially approving the sign.
Design originally accepted for Astral Media Outdoor billboard ad.
Just days before launch, Bell Media abruptly demanded last-minute changes before cancelling the billboard altogether. The company rejected the VHS’s photo-based ads in 2024, while Pattison Outdoor Advertising, another major ad company, refused all “animal advocacy advertising.”
After Bell withdrew, other approved ad campaigns began to unravel. Rogers Media, which had sent radio ad contracts and collaborated on script development, reversed course, stating that the ads would “diminish the value of the Rogers’ brands.” The Calgary Stampede is one of Rogers Sports & Media’s properties, a representative noted.
RedPoint Media Group, which had agreed to place online ads in Avenue Calgary, also rejected designs mentioning animal welfare concerns and offered to run general ads about the VHS instead. Their production team said they do not accept “political” messaging—despite one of the rejected ads stating only: “Like dogs, calves suffer stress and injuries from rough handling.”
“We’ve been advocating for an end to cruel practices at the Calgary Stampede for decades, but this year we’ve had three advertising companies backtrack on ads with signed contracts,” said VHS Communications Director Chantelle Archambault. “We’re extremely concerned that companies are keeping animal welfare messaging from reaching the public.”
“These moves to silence even mild criticism show an alarming imbalance, where an event that routinely sees animal deaths and injuries is shielded from scrutiny by powerful corporations,” said Alexandra Pester, Calgary-based staff lawyer at Animal Justice. “Frankly it’s also insulting to Calgarians, suggesting they can’t be trusted to make up their own minds about controversial events.”
