Fast Forward will no doubt be among the myriad of publications promoting parties and events as the Stampede gets closer. What most people seem to forget at this time of year is that rodeo and chuckwagon racing is not a form of entertainment. Animals are injured and killed almost every year at the Stampede. This is not an appropriate expression of western heritage. Rodeo proponents say that the animals are treated like their children, but nobody I know would rope their child around the neck and pull them to the ground. Three horses were killed in 2007 at the Stampede chuckwagon races. Most of the horses injured in chuckwagon racing suffer broken bones or heart attacks before they are finally euthanized.
The best way to send a message to the Stampede and the city is to not go to the grounds at all this year. Why pay gate admission to support something that is so cruel and inhumane? Enjoy the parties and the off-grounds events, but let’s not put any more money into the pockets of rodeo and chuckwagon racing.
Ken Erickson,
Calgary
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