The Calgary Stampede has announced it will be conducting a “thorough review” of its chuckwagon racing event.
A total of six horses died during the Stampede’s nightly races in 2019, including three on the weekend.
"During the chuckwagon races on Sunday, July 14, the right lead horse on the wagon of Evan Salmond sustained a running injury,” states organizers in a press release.
“An immediate veterinary assessment determined the horse had a fractured left hind cannon bone. As a result of that event, two other horses on the wagon team sustained serious injuries. They were cared for immediately on the track and we are saddened to report that the veterinary medical team determined there was no option for treatment. All three horses were euthanized.”
As a result, organizers have launched a thorough review process on the event’s safety, but have yet to determine what form that process will take.
The six deaths mark the highest number of fatalities that the event has seen in one year since 2010, when another six chuckwagon racehorses died during the Stampede.
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