VANCOUVER, July 12, 2026 – A horse has been seriously injured during the July 11th chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede, prompting renewed calls from the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) to remove the dangerous event from the Stampede program.
The horse suffered a serious injury when two teams collided while attempting to round the barrels during heat 3 of the races. Stampede representatives shared that an initial exam revealed no fractures, but the injury is considered serious. The incident again highlights the inherent risks of the chuckwagon event.
For the VHS, the news lands as familiar and disheartening. The organization has tracked animal injuries and deaths at the Stampede since 1986, with 110 known animal deaths to date and 79 of those in chuckwagon racing alone.
“Every year we hope this won’t happen again, but nearly every year there are horse injuries and deaths during the chuckwagon races,” said Emily Pickett, Campaign Director at the VHS. “The chuckwagon races are dubbed ‘the half-mile of hell’ for a reason. They simply aren’t safe for the horses and the track record of injuries and deaths reflects this reality.”
The VHS says the risk to horses is built into the event itself. Wagons and horses race in close proximity and take tight turns at high speed, and the horses used are typically thoroughbreds bred for speed rather than skeletal health. Track and equipment adjustments made over the years, such as reducing the number of horses per heat, have not changed this underlying risk.
At the same time, public concern around the use of animals in rodeo events continues to grow. Research Co. polling from 2024 showed a majority of Calgarians oppose calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc riding, and chuckwagon racing. Similar polling from 2022 found that removing rodeo and chuckwagon events would have little to no effect on Stampede attendance.
The VHS is calling for the rodeo and chuckwagon races to be removed from the Stampede program to prevent more suffering and deaths. The organization is encouraging people to sign a pledge not to attend the rodeo and chuckwagon races and send a message directly to government decision-makers as part of its Rodeo Truth project, run in collaboration with concerned Calgarians.
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SOURCE Vancouver Humane Society
For more information, contact:
Emily Pickett
Campaign Director, Vancouver Humane Society
604-416-2901
emily@vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca