Officials with the Calgary Stampede say they’re not happy with this year’s animal safety record, especially after another chuckwagon horse, the fourth in 2015, had to be euthanized.
On Sunday, the final night of the Rangeland Derby, an outrider horse with Dave Galloway’s team was injured at the end of the first heat.
The rider did not make any contact with another horse or wagon during the stretch.
The horse, a 16-year-old thoroughbred name Ezzy, was immediately transported for examination by veterinarians, who determined that the injury, a ligament tear to the horse’s front leg, was irreparable.
The animal was humanely euthanized soon after.
Officials say Ezzy was thoroughly examined before the Stampede’s events as well as on a regular basis throughout the Rangeland Derby.
“This horse was examined before the Stampede as well as each night before it raced and it was examined tonight and it was examined before the race track so there is no indication this was going to happen,” Greg Evans, a veterinarian with the Calgary Stampede said on Sunday night. “Even in clinically sound horses, it can occur during racing.”
Officials say the injury was virtually the same as the one that resulted in one of Layne Bremner’s outrider horses being euthanized on Saturday.
They say it is a very common injury seen among race horses and occasionally other types of horses.
Galloway says that everyone on his team loved Ezzy. "He was calm, he was our fastest horse. Everyone called him Fuzzy Ezzy. I know it's pretty somber back at our barn right now and we spend our lives taking care of the lives of these horses, showcasing them and what they can do. Racing for Ezzy was effortless."
He says that racing made Ezzy happy and he would always come out and run his lap. "He'd be upset in the barn if you didn't saddle him. It's a huge, huge loss to our team. It's a consolation that he got to do what he loved and he got to do it until he was 16 years old."
Kurt Kadatz, Director of Corporate Communications with the Stampede says that the organization is not happy with their record. "We're very proud of our Fitness to Compete program but we're certainly not proud of our safety record this year. It's very disappointing for us as an organization.
"Four horses this year, two in an outrider position and two wagon horses. Previous years, I believe in 2014 we had one horse and in 2013, one horse. Certainly you can see, by these numbers were are not happy."
Kadatz says the organization has taken some advances forward, it seems they've fallen behind in other areas. "We are really going to look hard and find out what we can be doing differently to achieve a better result because we certainly do take it very seriously."
Two other horses have been euthanized during this year’s Stampede.
On July 6, Shane Nolin’s wagon made contact with the lead horse of B.J. Carey’s team, seriously injuring the animal.
Officials euthanized the horse the following day.
On July 4, during Heat 6 of the Rangeland Derby, one of Layne Bremner’s horses made contact with another wagon.
The horse broke its leg and needed to be euthanized.
Following that incident, animal rights groups have been scrutinizing the Stampede’s safety measures, saying they’re not enough to prevent animal deaths.
