Horse Injured In ‘Suicide Race’ Euthanized

One horse had to be euthanized after sustaining an injury in the controversial Suicide Race at last weekend’s Omak Stampede.

B.J., owned by Gwen and Tommy Waters, injured a leg in a preliminary round of the race, where riders on horseback gallop down a steep embankment and into the Okanogan River. Two other horses were pulled from the final race when they experienced soreness after a preliminary round.

Two horses had to be euthanized after last year’s race.

“I know how people want to stop this,” said George Marchand, who rode the winning horse. “But this is ours. This is our glory.”

Animal rights activists contend the race is inhumane. Event officials originally planned to limit the number of times winning horses would have to race from four to two for this year’s Stampede.

“We didn’t want to have as many races because we are hurting too many horses,” stampede president Ed Thiele said last month.

But officials backed down when riders threatened to boycott the two-day event if the number of races was limited.

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