"An animal welfare group wants the chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede halted after a crash that killed three horses and injured another," was the lead sentence in a story filed by the Canadian Press on Friday afternoon.
That's actually not news, for two big reasons.
The Vancouver Humane Society and several other animal welfare groups have wanted the chuckwagon races (and calf roping) banned for years, never mind after Thursday's tragedy. Their opposition is not a sudden development.
It's also not news because, based on their website, there isn't a single member on the staff or the board of directors at the Vancouver Humane Society that is a veterinarian or an expert in animal biology and/or psychology.
The Vancouver Humane Society is not in a knowledgeable position to argue whether wagon races are good or bad for horses, particularly not their journalism diploma-wielding spokesperson quoted at length in the story.
Just because someone loves animals doesn't make one an expert on caring for them.
Meanwhile, the Calgary Humane Society lists a stable of animal welfare experts and vets affiliated to the group on its website.
That leads to the real story, buried halfway through the Canadian Press piece.
While the Vancouver Humane Society opposes these races, the Calgary Humane Society is an active participant in the Stampede.
Calgary Humane Society officers attend all events involving animals during the Stampede and give organizers suggestions to improve animal safety.
"I believe honestly that the Calgary Stampede has worked diligently to make these events as safe as possible," said Calgary Humane Society spokeswoman Christy Thompson.
The deaths and injuries of the horses were not due to a crash or unsafe racing conditions. Although the autopsy results won't be released until today, it appears the lead horse collapsed during the race, taking the others down with it.
Heavy animal vets examine all Stampede animal participants both before and after events to see if they are fit enough to compete. An apparently healthy horse suddenly collapsing and dying is no more or less rare than a young and fit human being collapsing and dying. It's unusual and it's tragic but sometimes it happens.
The owners and riders of the horses aren't even mentioned until the very last sentence of the story, when a Stampede official is quoted as stating: "These horses are cared for. They are loved by the drivers themselves and there's no question it's a tragedy for these families."
Horse owners don't wake up in the morning, hoping one or more of their horses are painfully killed in a racing accident. Neither do chuckwagon racers. Both the wagon driver and the outrider were sent flying through the air after the lead horse collapsed but neither man was seriously hurt.
It's not an exaggeration to say the horses were loved and the accident is a tragedy for the families.
Horses are naturally fearful of humans, so riders and owners looking for a peaceful relationship with a horse must develop a deep bond that goes both ways. From the horse's perspective, that trust has to be earned.
The Calgary Stampede has made great efforts to earn the trust of local animal welfare advocates and its relationship with the Calgary Humane Society is clearly far more than a public relations exercise. Furthermore, Stampede organizers want to put on a family-friendly, fun and entertaining event, not an exhibition on euthanizing animals with horrific injuries.
There's no denying the people at the Vancouver Humane Society care deeply for all animals but their attention (and anger) would be better directed at the people who neglect and outright abuse their animals, as well as providing adequate resources to care for those animals when they are saved.
-- Managing editor Neil Godbout
