
Calgary Stampede rodeo safety to include shaded pens, heart monitors for horses
CALGARY — Tents are being set up to provide shade for bulls and broncs and some chuckwagon horses are to be fitted with tiny electrocardiograms at the upcoming Calgary Stampede.
Based on scorching heat at the rodeo last summer, Ed Pajor, a professor of animal behaviour and welfare in the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine, says the animals could use a break.
“We saw things like increased respiration rate in some of the bulls. We saw some bulls drooling. These are signs that the animals might be experiencing some discomfort due to the heat,” Pajor said at a news conference Tuesday.
The university is working with the Stampede to study some of the animals this year. They’ll specifically look at whether bucking bulls and broncos will be happier and healthier if they have a shady place to hang out right before the competition.