A horse used in a saddle bronc event at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo was humanely euthanized after sustaining a back injury on Sunday (July 24).

The annual Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) in Cheyenne, Wyo., features rodeo-style events, living history demonstrations, and music concerts. The event made headlines earlier this month when Steve Hindi, president of the Illinois-based animal advocacy group Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), criticized singer Sheryl Crow for donating proceeds from her July 22 CFD concert to a wild horse advocacy group on grounds that some rodeo events are inhumane.

In a written statement, CFD Media Director Bob Budd said that on July 24, the horse injured in the Rookie Saddle Bronc performance was sedated in the arena and removed by animal ambulance. The horse was later examined by a veterinarian who determined the animal had sustained a back injury and was euthanized.

"All of us who work on CFD, our General Committee, our staff and hundreds of volunteers, and our contestants are saddened by the serious injury sustained (on Sunday)," the statement said