Photo: Reddit user thicketcosplay
- During a Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby chuckwagon race on July 11, 2026, a horse suffered serious injuries when two teams collided while attempting to round the barrels.
- Stampede representatives state “an initial exam revealed no fractures but the injury is considered serious”. The incident again highlights the inherent risks of the chuckwagon event.
- The chuckwagon races are by far the deadliest animal event at the Calgary Stampede, accounting for 79 of 110 known animal fatalities since the VHS began tracking deaths at the Stampede rodeo and chuckwagons in 1986.
- Animal deaths happen almost every year at the Stampede. In 2025, a horse named Rider suffered a fracture to his left-front cannon bone during a chuckwagon race and was euthanized.
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Horse seriously injured after two chuckwagon teams collided
A horse has reportedly been seriously injured following a collision during the Calgary Stampede’s chuckwagon races on July 11.
The Calgary Herald reported that Chance Flad’s Bar L5 Ranch wagon and Wade Salmond’s De Havilland Aircraft of Canada wagon failed to finish Heat 3 after their horses collided while rounding the barrels. Witnesses said two horses went down in the crash.
One was eventually able to walk from the track, while the other remained down and was lifted into a trailer behind a privacy tarp.
CTV News Calgary reported that the horse is considered seriously injured and is undergoing evaluation.
Nearly every year, there are animal deaths at the Calgary Stampede.
This incident is another reminder of the inherent risks that the chuckwagon races pose to horses due to the extremely high speed, tight turns, close proximity of wagons and horses to each other, and use of thoroughbred horses who are bred for speed rather than skeletal strength.
At least 110 animals have lost their lives at the Stampede rodeo and chuckwagons since 1986, when the VHS began keeping track. 79 of these deaths were horses used in the chuckwagon races.
In 2025, a horse named Rider was euthanized after a catastrophic leg injury during a chuckwagon race. The 2024 Stampede was the deadliest since 2019, with 4 animal fatalities during the 10-day event. 3 chuckwagon horses suffered unrecoverable injuries and a steer’s neck was broken during a wrestling event.
Injuries and deaths may also be underreported, as it can take up to 48 hours after an incident for an injury to present.
Public polling in recent years reflects growing opposition to the use of animals in rodeo.
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.
A majority of Albertans oppose the use of animals in rodeo.
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.