Poll: Support growing for a rodeo-free Calgary Stampede

A new poll conducted by the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) suggests there could be support for the Calgary Stampede to do away with chuckwagon races.

Sixty-three per cent of Calgarians who were likely to attend Stampede would still do so if the organizers removed the rodeo and chuckwagon races.

This result surprised VHS Campaign Director Emily Pickett.

“Until now, we’ve assumed that the Stampede has continued to host inhumane events out of financial motivation,” Pickett stated. “These poll results prove that removing the rodeo and chuckwagons would have little impact on visitor attendance.”

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The poll also stated that 24% of those who didn’t attend Stampede would head down to the grounds if the rodeo and chuck wagons weren’t happening. That number jumps to 43% among those between the ages of 18-34.

“We have heard from many people who avoid the Stampede because of the rodeo and chuckwagon races. Dropping those events is a sustainable change that would attract new supporters and visitors to the Stampede,” Pickett noted.

This comes after the death of a horse at this year’s chuckwagon races. According to the VHS, 70 horses have been euthanized due to racing-related injuries since it started tracking this in 1986.

It also filed cruelty complaints to the Calgary Humane Society based on events they saw on Sportsnet’s coverage of this year’s rodeo.

“These high-risk and inhumane events draw growing public criticism year after year. It’s time for Stampede officials and Calgary City Council to remove these unnecessary events from the Stampede program.”

Research Co. conducted the poll of 400 people in the Calgary area.