Animal rights activists took a stand Friday night at the Manitoba Stampede & Exhibition in Morris, waving signs and handing out leaflets calling for rodeos to be banned in the province.

Protesters met along the median of Highway 75 outside the Stampede stomping grounds about 60 kilometres south of Winnipeg.

"Animal abuse has become normalized in our society. It's not normal, and it's not OK," said Cheryl Sobie, a protest co-organizer with Manitoba Animal Save.

"It's time that we stop this."

Cheryl Sobie, left, and Kristin Lauhn-Jensen, right, are among those calling for a ban on rodeos in Manitoba. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)

The Morris Stampede dates back to 1964, when it all started "with a handshake and a dream to be the largest rodeo" east of the Calgary Stampede, according to the exhibition's website. The Stampede involves a range of contests involving live animals and humans competing.

The anti-rodeo activist explained why she believes rodeos are outdated traditions that should not exist anymore.

"[Rodeos] should just be banned and made illegal because there's no reason to abuse animals for entertainment," Sobie said, while acknowledging the significance of the Stampede in an agricultural community like Morris.

"I know rodeos in Manitoba and stampedes bring communities together. And I think that's great but … it doesn't need to revolve around abuse anymore."

'What happens on a ranch'

Stampede director Norm Gauthier said the rural farming community is historically attached to rodeo events. For example, he said saddle bronc competitors are "only trying to demonstrate how they used to tame wild horses in the past."

Gauthier said the event has a big economic impact on the small town. The weekend-long exhibition, which runs from July 18-21, involves a midway, a children's activity area, a fair, an indoor concession area, food vendors, live music and pony rides.

He disagreed with the perception among some critics that rodeos perpetuate animal cruelty.

"It's a shame because it is part of the culture of our agriculture industry. This is just a showcase of what happens on a ranch."

John W. Scott, a Stampede visitor from Winnipeg, said he and his wife enjoy going to the chuckwagon races in Morris every year. He questioned the existence of animal abuse in this setting and said he believed the animals are very well taken care of.

"This is their livelihood. It doesn't make any sense why they would abuse something that they make money on," Scott said.

"If you have no animals at a rodeo, it makes no sense to have a rodeo."

The Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition, which kicked off Thursday, runs from July 18-21 in the rural community of Morris, Man. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)

Despite disagreeing with their position, Scott said he supports their right to protest.

"In a sense, that is a good thing to keep us in check because we know there are people watching," he said, comparing it to inhumane circus acts of the past.

"But [here] the animals are not being abused," he said.

Born to ride

Gauthier said the horses, bulls, cows and calves are basically bred to compete.

"These animals are all raised, bred, and trained for rodeo. What they do out there is what they're trained to do, they love what they do," he said.

"We do everything we can to make sure that we ensure the safety of all of our competitors, whether they be human or animal."

Gauthier said there are veterinarians to check on the animals before and after every event.

"When they come off, they're checked again just to make sure that nothing has happened to them," he said.

Chuckwagon racing risks

The rodeo in Morris comes on the heels of the 2019 Calgary Stampede, where six horses died as a result of rodeo competitions in the second deadliest year for chuckwagon races in the city — bringing the total tally of animal deaths to 102 since 1986.

Chuckwagon races involve multiple horses pulling buggies racing around a track. In his 11 years being involved with the Manitoba Stampede, Gauthier said he has never seen a horse die or get seriously injured during the live equestrian events involving horses led by a driver.

"We've never had a chuckwagon horse go down."

Gauthier added that the sport of chuckwagon racing in the province here differs from the races in Alberta. In Manitoba, the wagons are smaller and the number of teams on the track are limited to three so there's more space to race.

"Our rules are very simple. We have to ensure the safety of the animals and the riders, and if there are infractions on the track, we do take that very seriously," Gauthier said.

"The drivers are more concerned about their animals than they are about themselves."