Historic Big Hitch of horses to ride again in Calgary Stampede Parade

Is it that time again for the deadly Calgary Stampede? And this Big Hitch thing. What is the fascination with these types of things? Ah yeah, it’s man’s ego again. That’s all this is about. Notice the title too. It sounds like the horses are riding instead of pulling. How far and for how long? Please don’t say it doesn’t bother the horses or they enjoy it. —Ed.

REPORTED BY GLOBAL NEWS
By Reid Fiest, Alberta Correspondent

Albertans call it the Big Hitch and when you see it, it’s easy to understand why.

Crews hooked up 30 Percheron horses to eight wagons Monday, all under the control of just one man: Neil Dimmock.

“This is the semi truck of today,” Dimmock told Global News in Strathmore, Alta.

“Back then (in the 1920s) if you wanted to move large and bulk items, you used many horses and many wagons.”

Dimmock and his volunteer crew are now trying to re-create history with the animals.

In 1925, Slim Moorehouse made history driving a hitch of 36 horses and 10 wagons in the Calgary Stampede Parade.

The horseman broke a world record for the ride. Read full story »

I just noticed in comments to this article — “Weren’t they doin’ something similar to this a few years ago and a bunch of horses panicked and went off a bridge and drowned?” They are referring to the horror story below. Another one of those commemoration things. Disgusting.

Here’s what they are referring to.

The CBC reported the following on July 4, 2005:

“At least nine Calgary Stampede rodeo horses died Sunday after becoming spooked while galloping across a city bridge. They jumped from the bridge and plunged 10 metres into the Bow River.

“Ranch hands had been guiding about 200 horses on a six-day, 206-km journey from the Stampede Ranch near Hanna, Alta., to the exhibition site near Calgary’s downtown.

“The event was organized to commemorate the province’s centennial.”

WHAT WE SAY

The Calgary Stampede is a festival of horse abuse on a massive scale where death is a regular occurrence.

RELATED READING

• Open Letter to Calgary Stampede Parade Marshal Jann Arden; by Heather Clemenceau; June 21, 2016

• Calgary Stampede: Why horses die on the ‘half-mile of hell’; BBC News Canada; by Micah Luxen, 14 July 2015.

THIS WE CAN APPROVE

This is the only use of horses in rodeos we approve of.

FEATURED IMAGE

Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
A cowboy is tossed off his horse in the rodeo at the Calgary Stampede on July 11, 2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten day event, drawing over one million visitors, is Canada’s largest annual rodeo and is billed as the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.’

3 thoughts on “Historic Big Hitch of horses to ride again in Calgary Stampede Parade”

So horribly sad for these innocent horses. It seems that all of the signatures on the previous petitions do not matter? So pathetic here! Once again, what century is this? Many tears for the innocent ones who have no voice. For those who care, NEVER GIVE UP!!!

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