Calgary Stampede
|
|
| Full name | Calgary Stampede - "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" |
| sport | Rodeo , barrel racing |
| abbreviation | CS |
| League foundation | 1886 (exhibition), 1912 (rodeo) |
| Website | calgarystampede.com |
The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede is an annual, ten-day agricultural exhibition in the Canadian city of Calgary .
It is considered the largest rodeo show in the world and is also known as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth" .
With around 1.5 million visitors, it is the largest open-air exhibition in the world. More than $ 2 million in prize money is awarded annually.
history
The Calgary and District Agricultural Society was founded in 1884 to promote the city and encourage farmers and ranchers from eastern Canada to move west. In addition , exhibitions were held on a site on the Elbow River .
In 1912, a time of crisis in the pasture industry, the Big Four (George Lane and Archibald J. McLean - two cattle breeders -, Alfred E. Cross - a rancher and brewer - and Patrick Burns - a rancher and meat processor -) pooled Calgary's funds and left To put aside the grief, a wild rodeo show rise - the "Stampede".
That year the Calgary Stampede was held as an independent event, since 1923 on an annual basis. In connection with the rodeo, the Calgary Western Jamboree was later introduced.
Events
The exhibition begins with a large parade and a huge pancake breakfast sponsored by various organizations. The rodeo show is particularly popular with tourists. There are also stage shows, concerts, horse races, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon races and First Nations exhibitions. The exhibition has its origins in the Calgary Industrial Exhibition, which first took place in 1886 .
parade
Every year on the first Friday in July, the parade starts just before 9 a.m. Politicians, athletes, actors and other dignitaries directed the event for years. The event features dozens of bands, fleets and hundreds of horses with participants from all over the world and combines western influences with modernity. Cowboys, First Nations dancers and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are accompanied by clowns, bands, politicians and business leaders.
rodeo
The Stampede Rodeo is the largest and most famous event of its kind in the world. There are six major disciplines: bull riding , barrel racing , bull wrestling (steer wrestling), lasso throwing , riding with a saddle and riding without a saddle. With prize money of 100,000 US dollars to the respective winners of the major disciplines and 1,000,000 US dollars in total on championship day, it is the most highly endowed tournament in the world.
Animal welfare
Since not all accidents are avoidable during the Stampede, animal welfare organizations are against this festival. However, the Stampede conducts investigations after every accident that results in the death of a person or an animal in order to increase safety.
In 1986, 12 horses died during the Stampede (most were euthanized due to injuries). Between 1995 and 2005, a total of 21 horses died at the Calgary Stampede.
The worst Stampede-related accident happened on July 3, 2005, when nine horses were killed after jumping off a bridge into the Bow River. The accident occurred just five days before the start of the Stampede while riding out of the Stampede ranch into town.
In 2010, six horses died during competition, the majority from stress-related injuries. The UK League Against Cruel Sports called on UK travel agents to boycott the Stampede and more than 50 members of the UK Parliament signed a motion calling on the Canadian government to improve the way animals are treated at the rodeo.
reception
literature
- Stefanie Schäfer: Portrait: The Calgary Stampede, in Country Report Canada. Series of publications, 10020. Ed. Ursula Lehmkuhl . Federal Agency for Civic Education BpB, Bonn 2018, p. 173
