A horse injured at the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby is now dead, officials said Sunday.
The incident happened during the eighth heat on Saturday while pulling Chad Fike’s wagon.
“Last night, there was an unfortunate incident,” said Calgary Stampede president and CEO Joel Cowley.
“Chad Fike, in the eighth heat of the Rangeland Derby, had a right-wheel horse–a horse named Rider–suffer a fracture to his left-front cannon bone, and upon consulting with the veterinarian on the track, it was decided that the most humane thing to do would be to euthanize that animal.”
“Our condolences go out to the Fike family for their loss.”
A CityNews reporter on the scene says a marshal and crew members ran toward the third corner after the chuckwagons rushed by the back stretch.
After the chuckwagon stopped, dozens of people helped the horses. Three of them were walked back along the back stretch, and the fourth was put into a trailer with tinted windows.
This makes at least 110 horses who have died at the Calgary Stampede since 1986–79 of which have died from the chuckwagons, according to the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS).
The organization is asking the Stampede to remove the rodeo and chuckwagons to “prevent more suffering and deaths.”
This is the first animal death at the 2025 Calgary Stampede. Four animals died in the previous year.
Another horse had to be taken away following an incident during the Stampede Parade. The horse was caught in a harness, falling to the ground while handlers tried to help it and calm it down.
The Blackfoot Confederacy thanked handler Justin Bruised Head for ensuring the safety of his father’s wagon team, saying he represented the Blackfoot Confederacy with “skill and leadership.”
The Calgary Stampede saw 150,974 visitors on Saturday, bringing the total to 1,348,584. The final numbers are expected to be released on Monday.