A horse from Layne Bremner’s rig was injured during the first heat of the chuckwagon races on Saturday afternoon and had to be put down by a Stampede veterinarian.
Stampede officials say the horse named Russian pulled up during the race and injured its front, left leg.
They say there was no contact made with another horse or wagon and Russian was immediately evaluated by vets on scene.
The 13-year-old thoroughbred was humanely euthanized after vets determined that the injury was untreatable.
“This injury, suspensory ligament rupture, is most commonly seen in race horses and occasionally seen in other types of sport horses,” said Greg Evans, Official Veterinarian for the Calgary Stampede.
The Stampede says Dr. Evans inspected Russian earlier in the week and also before the race.
Officials say a post-mortem will not be done because the injuries were self-evident and further investigation is not required.
Russian was acquired by Bremner in Saskatoon about five years ago after a previous career as a racehorse.
