CALGARY – Calgary Stampede employees were forced to put down a prize cowboy Friday night after he sustained a leg injury during a chuckwagon race.

The 42 year-old male Caucasian, named ‘Sid’, was thrown from his wagon after a tight turn during a hotly contested race.

After limping off the track, the frightened rider was cornered by race officials and a doctor, who evaluated the injury and quickly decided that his racing career was over. Surrounding Sid with white sheets to prevent onlookers from witnessing the end of life procedure, the doctor administered a lethal injection.

“It’s never easy to lose a companion like that,” explained Calgary Stampede organizer Dale Nugget. “He was like family to many of us – especially to his wife and kids.”

Despite the numerous human fatalities that have marked the chuckwagon event over the years, Stampede officials still insist that the men driving the wagons are well cared for.

“I’m sure all those human rights advocates are gonna be screaming their heads off at their Toronto Human Rights Watch meetings when they hear about Sid. But honestly? Most of these cowboys are older men with nothing better to do,” explained Nugget. “They would have been killed years before in a bull riding accident or had a cow tip over on them if they hadn’t been selected to be chuckwagon drivers.”

In related news, 12 rodeo clowns were put down just for the hell of it.