Saturday was Stampede day proper for us. Shane had lined up grand stand tickets for the Chuck Wagons so we figured we would have a good look at the showgrounds proper before the races at 8pm. It's a lot like the royal shows back home but quite a bit smaller. The primary difference is that instead of the dog trials, & equestrian, they have Rodeo events & Chuck Wagon races.
The picture above could just as easily be sideshow alley at the Ekka in Brisbane or any of the royal shows around Oz. The food is just as bad, just as expensive and the cost for the rides are as bad as back home.
One thing they do have at Stampede is mini doughnuts! Just like the normal sized ones, but so much better for some reason. Maybe because there's more sugar and cinnamon.
There's the Horn, AND THEY'RRRE OFFFF!
This shot is from the start of the race. Notice how many horses & riders are involved & they all squeeze into a standard horse track by the first corner.
Below is a great example of how close these guys get to each other. At the start, the Wagons do a figure 8 around the barrels & get very sideways until the first corner.
Unfortunately last night, not two races after this one, there was a big "accident" on the first corner where one of the drivers got too close to the one on the inside, tripped up the other team's horse & bought the whole wagon down. I won't go into too much detail, but a horse died on the scene & two were destroyed afterward. All three were from the same team.
The driver of a following wagon was thrown out of his wagon & ended up in hospital. I was quite upset by the whole thing & I don't think I was alone.
Because of one man (known as "The Chief" because he was a genuine Indian Chief once) of 30 years experience who should know better, two horses lost their lives. I'm not amused. I may be a little harsh on the Chief. He was apparently boxed in by Kelly Sutherland, another guy who should know better. I called it as I saw it.
Unfortunately it soured an exciting evening.
Stage Coach
Oddly enough, this was my highlight of the night. This stage coach wasn't that spectacular, but the 8 Clydesdale's were. I've not a big fan of horses since one bit me when I was a kid, but these were very impressive animals & the coach just topped it off.
