Chuckwagon racing

Chuckwagon racing is an equestrian rodeo sport in which drivers in a chuckwagon led by a team of Thoroughbred horses race around a track.

The sport is most popular in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the World Professional Chuckwagon Association and the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association are the two major racing circuits. The most famous chuckwagon race in the world is held the "Half-Mile of Hell" annually at the Calgary Stampede, where the total prize money for the ten-day event tops C$2 million ($1.5 million USD). The WPCA submits 25 drivers to the Calgary Stampede, while the CPCA submits 11 drivers. The sport is controversial with animal rights groups, as horses and drivers have been injured or died, prompting some to call for it to be banned.

In 1986, adapted versions of the sport were adopted in Central Arkansas, and have evolved into a semi-popular spectator sport in the Midwest and MidSouth, USA. The National Championship Chuckwagon Races are held over Labor Day Weekend in Clinton, Arkansas on The ōf Ranch, owned by Dan and Peggy Eoff. The event is widely regarded as one of the largest equine events in the USA. With over 6,000 horses and mules on the ranch throughout the weekend, and over 20,000 campers and spectators, the National Championships have grown into a yearly tradition and celebration of old Western culture. The Arkansas format of wagon racing has branched out into The Arkansas Chuckwagon Racing Association, which sanctions over a half-dozen weekend racing events across Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. Races are captured and broadcast through The Chuckwagon Channel.