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.If an outriderlifts the stove before the horn goes off, the team earns a 2 second penalty;a 1 second penalty applies if a pole is off the ground or if the fly is notstretched.An outrider must continue straight ahead at the sound of thehorn, may not assist the driver after the race starts, must follow the properfigure eight pattern, must not miss a barrel or knock over a barrel, cannotforce an injured horse or finish ahead of the wagon team.Every one of theserules targets infractions that will be penalized.And outriders have to work intandem, recognize one another s body language.The wagons and drivers too face a particular set of measurements.Strin-gent controls test drug and alcohol abuse.And the equipment must meetcertain criteria of weight and size.On the track, potential penalties abound.Wagons that start ahead of the horn or line up ahead of the barrel are penal-ized.Creating a false start, missing a barrel or knocking over a barrel (themost common penalty), interfering with another wagon or with otheroutriders, failing to cooperate with the starter or moving out of an assignedlane, are all subject to penalty.With wagons moving at speeds of more thanARITHA VAN HERK 245sixty kilometres per hour, the need for rules is understandable.Largely dueto its history of accidents and even fatalities for both man and horse, thishas become a much-regulated race.In truth, spectator sports both abhorand scream for blood, and the chucks do not disappoint.Chuckwagonshave overturned, drivers and outriders have been dragged or ejected, horsestoppled or injured.In July 1986 one chuckwagon cut off another, leadingto a spectacular pile-up and claiming the lives of six horses.Even onlookershave been injured and killed.Since 1960 four men have died, and manymore have suffered injuries.The animal rights movement is vocal and vociferous, arguing every yearabout cruelty to the horses.It is true that the races are dangerous.Six horseswere killed in 1986, one in 1999, six in 2002, one in 2004, two in 2006,and three in 2007.There is some compromise: the Humane Society and theSPCA together inspect the horses, observe the races, and keep a watchful eyeon the sport.The Stampede officially contends that it has always worked toprotect animals, and that part of the ethos of this celebration is the relation-ship between humans and animals.Yet, the races are called cruel and insensi-tive, and the controversy surrounding their enactment is fierce and ongoing(see any Internet site for endless discussion about the subject).In response,the drivers argue that thoroughbreds that have been culled from the race-track face certain euthanasia, and becoming chuckwagon horses gives thema second lease on life.Mikkelson reports Jim Nevada s riposte to accusationsof reckless endangerment: We don t pay four or five thousand dollars fora horse and try to kill it.You don t win money if you don t take care of yourhorses.We re drug tested, both us and the horses.Those horses would be in15a dog-food can or on a plate in France, if it wasn t for wagon racing. Thattoo is a truism.Good wagon racing horses are treasured, even pampered.Horses are the body of the sport, and it is horses that give the races theirexcitement.They need, for this particular challenge, to have a certain char-acter and drive.These animals are hooked together in a four-horse hitch intandem.The leaders, lighter and faster, are in front.The right-hand leader iskey to the team: that horse has to be able to carry a line, has to be quick turn-ing, with a will to run and a ready intelligence.On the outside of the firstturn, that lead horse must be able to run faster to make the U around the topbarrel, must be prepared to turn sharply on the bottom barrel.Only one intwenty horses make good right-hand leaders.The pole team or wheel teamclosest to the wagon are the muscle, pulling the load behind them.Wheelersare chosen for their size and stamina, while leaders are chosen for speed andleadership.This combination is difficult to configure and even more difficult246 THE HALF A MILE OF HEAVEN S GATEto measure.It requires careful attention to each horse s skill, training, andability, a genuine equine knowledge.And it takes practice and patience, thedrivers hooking their horses in different combinations in the spring whenthey begin to train, observing carefully their animals talents and responses.Most of the horses now are thoroughbreds, pure blood, although somecold bloods are still used.Some are culled racehorses, saved from the gluefactory to enjoy a distinctive and longer life.And they are coddled and caredfor, through winter and summer, a chuckwagon family s most valued assets.Some horses stay with individual families for ten to twelve years.Their job isto train in the spring, to run something like a minute every few days in thesummer (most horses do about twenty-five to thirty races each year), and torelax in the fall and winter.And it is obvious that the horses love to run: therace is as exciting for them as it is for humans.Outriders mounts must befast as well, good saddle horses with speed and dexterity
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