Stampede faces its greatest fight on chucks, rodeo

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth faces an existential fight in the years to come.

No, the Calgary Stampede itself isn’t in any danger of disappearing: far too many people have far too much fun for that ever to happen. Future Calgarians will be yah-hooing with giddy enthusiasm long after I’ve shuffled off this mortal coil.

But the entire “greatest outdoor show” marketing hype rests primarily on the broad backs of the daily afternoon rodeo and the evening chuckwagon racing. Those events truly cement the cowboy culture that permeates the entire 10-day celebration in our city. Lose them and then try selling the rest of the world on why they should visit Calgary in early July for a parade, a big fair and a bunch of free breakfasts, all with a rocking country music soundtrack, of course.

And make no mistake; those two key events are under threat as never before. The Stampede brass are smart enough to see how the winds of change are blowing, which is why they banned chuckwagon driver Chad Harden for life after his rig was involved in an incident in which a fellow competitor’s horse died. Harden was deemed responsible and thus became the victim of changing public sensibility.

That horse was one of six to die in this year’s event and while a decade ago that would have rated a brief mention in most newscasts and a desultory protest from the PETA zealots, things have altered dramatically.

Polls among Calgarians themselves show folk are close to split about the chucks, when asked if the event should be done away with. Gone are the days where animal rights supporters could be dismissed as fringe loons from B.C. who didn’t get our western way of life. Nope, now it’s

The chucks are the most exciting event on the grounds

your neighbour.

And those people against the chucks won’t stop there. If that event goes, then focus will shift to the rodeo — using animals as a form of entertainment is increasingly viewed as immoral.

Please, don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating such protests or any ultimate shutdowns. I’ve killed enough pigs and sheep working in a slaughterhouse as a young man to have a more practical view of animals. Plus the chucks are the most exciting event on the grounds.

But the trend is not the Stampede’s friend. Animals have long held a special place in human hearts. The IRA’S biggest blunder, back in July 1982, wasn’t killing two members of the Household Cavalry in a Hyde Park bombing but that shrapnel slaughtered seven horses as well. The next day photos of the tarp-covered equine bodies proved a publicity disaster.

Such emotions have heightened. Our local vet now advertises help for emotionally stressed pets or those going on vacation. North American companies make millions on natural foodstuffs for dogs, while young men, hoping for a social media-inspired date, pose with cats because it’s shown to increase chances of a human mate.

It isn’t just in Canada. The cruel jokes about Koreans will soon be a thing of the past. Dogs are increasingly being nabbed as pets in that country rather than as the main meal ingredient.

Is this because we’re getting richer, having fewer kids to dote over, are removed from past farm life or that we’re more consciously aware? Take your pick.

But for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, this is the biggest problem they’ve faced. Such heartfelt issues move fast and history can be swept away in a symbolic “six dead horses” heartbeat.

The Stampede is doing its best to show it cares about animal safety and welfare, as are the competitors whose livelihood rides upon the critters’ legs and backs. But perhaps, as we lose trust in humans and their various groupings, we find ever more solace in the relative innocence of animals, so using them for our sport seems wrong.

Unless this mood lifts, the chucks could be gone in five years, the rodeo a dozen.

Chris Nelson is a regular columnist for the Calgary Herald.