Five horses have died in separate incidents at this year's Calgary Stampede in Alberta, Canada. The annual event features rodeo-style competitions and livestock exhibitions. Veterinarians have attributed the deaths to cardiac episodes and fractures.

Stampede spokesman Doug Fraser said that on Sunday, July 11, a Quarter Horse suffered an apparent cardiac episode and died during a team cattle-penning event. The horse's rider suffered a broken shoulder blade and head injury in the incident. She was hospitalized and remains under treatment for her injuries.

On Monday, July 12, two Thoroughbreds used in the Stampede's GMC Rangeland Derby chuckwagon race also died in unrelated incidents. The race pits four teams of horse-drawn wagons against each other in a series of elimination races over several days. Each team consists of four wagon horses and four horses carrying outriders. One horse died after suffering an apparent cardiac episode during a routine training session. The other, an outrider’s horse, was euthanized after breaking its shoulder during the race, said Fraser. A bucking horse was also euthanized on Monday after breaking his its back when it continued to buck after its rider came off in the saddle bronc riding event.

On July 14 another horse died after competing in a chuckwagon race. Its cause of death has not yet been determined, Fraser said