Latest news with #WorldProfessionalChuckwagonAssociation
CBC
an hour ago
- Sport
- CBC
'Humane decision': Horse euthanized after injury during Calgary Stampede chuckwagon race
Officials from the Calgary Stampede say a horse that was hurt during a chuckwagon race on Saturday has been euthanized. A Stampede spokesperson says a horse on Chad Fike's team sustained a racing injury during the eighth heat. They say medical care was immediately dispatched, but following an assessment, the owner and the veterinary team made the "humane decision" to euthanize the horse. An entry on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association website says Fike, who lives in Cremona, Alta., is a fourth-generation chuckwagon competitor. The horse is the first reported animal death at the 2025 Calgary Stampede, which wraps today. Three horses and a steer were euthanized at last year's Stampede, and animal rights groups have long called for the rodeo portion of the event to be eliminated because of the deaths.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Horse euthanized after injury during chuckwagon race at Calgary Stampede
CALGARY - Officials from the Calgary Stampede say a horse that was hurt during a chuckwagon race on Saturday has been euthanized. A Stampede spokesperson says a horse on Chad Fike's team sustained a racing injury during the eighth heat. They say medical care was immediately dispatched, but following an assessment, the owner and the veterinary team made the 'humane decision' to euthanize the horse. An entry on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association website says Fike, who lives in Cremona, Alta., is a fourth-generation chuckwagon competitor. The horse is the first reported animal death at the 2025 Calgary Stampede, which wraps today. Three horses and a steer were euthanized at last year's Stampede, and animal rights groups have long called for the rodeo portion of the event to be eliminated because of the deaths. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Horse euthanized after injury during chuckwagon race at Calgary Stampede
CALGARY – Officials from the Calgary Stampede say a horse that was hurt during a chuckwagon race on Saturday has been euthanized. A Stampede spokesperson says a horse on Chad Fike's team sustained a racing injury during the eighth heat. They say medical care was immediately dispatched, but following an assessment, the owner and the veterinary team made the 'humane decision' to euthanize the horse. An entry on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association website says Fike, who lives in Cremona, Alta., is a fourth-generation chuckwagon competitor. The horse is the first reported animal death at the 2025 Calgary Stampede, which wraps today. Currently on hiatus A review of funny, uplifting news in Winnipeg and around the globe. Three horses and a steer were euthanized at last year's Stampede, and animal rights groups have long called for the rodeo portion of the event to be eliminated because of the deaths. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2025.
Calgary Herald
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Calgary Herald
Chanse Vigen, Jamie Laboucane, Jason Glass advance to Rangeland Derby championship heat
The championship lineup is set. Article content By virtue of finishing as the top three drivers in the aggregate standings through nine nights of racing at the Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta, Chanse Vigen, Jamie Laboucane and Jason Glass advanced to race in the Calgary Stampede's $80,000 Championship Final Heat on Sunday. Article content As the top two drivers all week, Vigen and Laboucane pretty much had their spots locked up heading into Saturday, while Glass still had some work to do to guarantee his position. Article content Article content 'They're both very strong,' said Glass, who came into the night in third spot and held onto it thanks to posting the night's second fastest time of 1:11.90. 'They've got some beautiful horses in the barn and they're both driving fantastic. All the credit in the world to both of those guys.' Article content Article content After finishing third in last year's final heat at the Rangeland Derby, Vigen immediately set his sights on making it back to the Calgary Stampede's championship dash for cash. Article content 'It's the only reason why I'm racing a wagon right now is to try to win this show,' said Vigen in early April just before the start of the Calgary Stampede Canvas Auction. 'It's that simple. It's that black and white. This is why I got into the sport. This is why I'm still in the sport. This is what I'm here for.' Article content Article content It's the fourth trip to the final for Vigen, who also made appearances in 2017 and '18 when Kurt Bensmiller won his third and fourth Rangeland Derby titles. Article content During his quest to win the ultimate wagon racing prize in Calgary, 'The Rangeland Derby Rockstar' has been a sponge for information on how to get better. Article content 'Of course, you never stop learning,' said Vigen, who has won back-to-back World Professional Chuckwagon Association Pro Tour driving titles. 'You'll learn until the day you retire. I've gathered that from people like Kelly Sutherland (the record-holding 12-time Rangeland Derby champion) and Rick Fraser that have had really decorated careers and lengthy careers and they never stopped learning until they were out because horses have a way of tricking you. Article content 'It's a very complicated game that we're playing. It looks very easy when you're just watching it on television or watching it live, but there's a lot of moving parts. You'll never get it figured out. There's no formula, so as far as the learning curve, it never ends.'
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Rangeland Derby demonstration driver gig 'dream come true' for Cruise Bensmiller
Cruise Bensmiller demonstrated just how good his driving skills are by finishing 11th in the World Professional Chuckwagon Association standings last season. Article content For his efforts, he was rewarded by being named one of the two Chuckwagon 101 demonstration drivers at the 2025 Rangeland Derby presented by Play Alberta. Article content 'This is a dream come true to me,' said the 22-year-old reinsman from Dewberry, Alta., who holds bragging rights that he's the sport's first fifth-generation driver. Article content Article content After his great-great-grandfather Wesley Smith took up driving chuckwagons in the 1940s, Bensmiller's great-grandpas Allen Smith and Allan Bensmiller followed suit and both were finalists in Calgary at the Stampede. Article content Article content His grandpa Buddy Bensmiller won it all in Calgary in 1979, 1989 and 2003, while his uncles Kurt, Chance and David Bensmiller all took up the sport as well. Kurt won four Rangeland Derby titles in five years between 2014 and 2018. Article content 'They're all champions,' said the youngest Bensmiller in regards to his talented family members — which include his mom Lisa Bensmiller and stepfather Vern Nolin — who have paved the way in the sport before him. Throughout the Stampede, Bensmiller has been splitting duties as the demonstration driver prior to the start of the nine heats of racing with Colby Stanley from the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association. Each of the drivers work the gig on alternate nights. Article content Article content 'The demonstration's super important,' said Bensmiller during a behind-the-barns tour for the media in Calgary on Tuesday morning. 'There's lots of people that haven't seen wagons before, so (it's good) for them to kind of just focus on one wagon and see what one wagon does before the craziness of all three wagons.' Article content With a pair of outriders helping him out, Bensmiller guides his horses to the starting line and then around the two barrels in a figure-eight pattern before racing around the track, all while track announcer Les McIntyre explains the action to fans in addition to describing the various penalties that could occur. Article content 'I kind of black out,' said Bensmiller when asked if he can hear McIntyre calling his race. 'I try to focus on the horses as much as I can, but yeah, I do listen to Les. And yeah, Les has been doing this a long time and for him to say my name at a venue like this is just an amazing feeling.'
