Alberta Tourism

At first Calgary officials said the ‘Stampede’ was cultural and historic - same argument used by ‘Seal Hunters’ in Eastern Canada. Now on TV the Stampede official was saying that the Stampede attracts 330000 + spectators, almost making the connection that the horses are collateral damage, the price of doing business. Cockfighting is cultural and historic to many people and nations around the world, it also has a large audience, there are countries where the same can be said for dog fighting (cultural, historic and entertaining) sometimes dogs die. There is no difference today between cockfight, dogfighting or the Calgary Stampede because of another common denominator - money. Specifically making money and entertaining people at the expense of animals. Money drives the Calgary Stampede, it’s big business and part of the old mindset of ‘build it and they will come’ tourism mind set. In the world of big business driven by greed, everything becomes expendable it makes no difference between people or horses. A horse dies, get another one, lot’s of horses out there. NOT all rodeo’s and stampede’s are the same, in small town Canada and USA there are rodeo’s and Stampede’s that celebrate the contribution that the horse and cowboy’s made to the wild, wild west. Places where horses are still held in high esteem and respected. The small town rodeo’s and stampede’s are for the enjoyment of people and not the pursuit of money. Perhaps the big city attitude of chasing money and …