Animal Welfare
At the Nova Scotia Stampede, we want the animals to be in as peaceful and adequate environment possible, in order to limit stress levels and ensure their welfare. We keep bands of horses in the field for most of the time in order to maintain their natural environment. The bulls are lodged in large stalls outside the venue in order to limit noise levels and interaction with visitors. They stay there for the duration of the Stampede, except when they are transported to the main arena to perform. We also operate in strict adherence to federal animal keep and transport laws, by the Canadian regulator. The event will build covered stalls behind the main arena location to keep horses and bulls out of direct sunlight or adverse weather before their performances.
The animal providers we hire are experts in their field and take their animals’ welfare to heart. They own and raise their herds of up to hundreds of heads and are proud of their animals’ physical state. They believe that just like human athletes, animals must be in perfect physical condition to perform as best they can during the rodeo events. This is why they nourish their herds the best hay and feed, which ensures that the animals develop in as balanced a fashion as possible.
When the animals turn three, the provider will test them for possible abilities in order for them to become rodeo horses or bulls. If the animals demonstrate the required abilities, they are returned to the field until the age of five so their bones and muscles can continue to develop. Subsequently, they return to perform on the rodeo circuit for the rest of their adult life. It should be noted that rodeo animals usually have fairly long intervals between their performances in order to maximize the time they have to recuperate and maintain their exceptional physical condition. Animals perform on average between 10 and 15 times per year.