Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo was so lucky that no one was killed during one event | Opinion
What happened at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Friday night at Dickies Arena nearly made what is a niche event national news because someone nearly died. How no one was killed is a miracle.
In one of the chuckwagon races on Friday night, the second-to-last “act” before the bull riding finale, a level of hell broke loose that can only happen at a rodeo. One rider was thrown from the wagon, while one horse “wiped out” and fell to the ground. Another driver was knocked down as he tried to stop his horses from continuing on.
For those of us inside Dickies Arena who watched this terrifying sequence play out in a matter of seconds, we’re not forgetting this one.
The second driver did not suffer any injury, and walked off the rodeo floor under his own power. The horse required a stretcher, the aid of nearly a dozen people, and a tractor to pull him off.
The first driver who was thrown, Reed Rosencrans, lay motionless on the rodeo floor for several minutes as he was attended to by medical staff. Anyone who was there feared that he died, and that the horse would be destroyed.
According to the Fort Worth Stock Show, Rosecrans was taken to a local hospital and suffered “muscle injuries to his shoulder.” And, “the horse was immediately examined by on-site veterinarians and did not sustain injuries.”
How these type of accidents don’t occur more frequently in this event demonstrates the talent and skill level of the people/animals involved, the emergency crews, and plenty of luck.
Just about 101.5 percent of a rodeo is inherently dangerous, but keeping the chuckwagon race around has firmly entered the territory of, “Do we need this?”
No, and the “Rodeo Rundown” is not going away.
“We review everything every year, from the format to the specialty events like this to make sure what we offer is appealing to the fan base,” the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo of director of communications Matt Brockman said in a phone interview on Monday morning.
“We’ve had the chuckwagon races for decades, and this is a perennial favorite. I can’t recall the last time we had a chuckwagon accident. Our show is not the only one they do this for.”
The crew that runs the chuckwagon race perform these competitions at rodeos and stock shows all over the United States, and Canada. These aren’t some young guys looking to have a little fun, and make a quick few dollars.
FWIW: As someone who has lived in Fort Worth for more than 25 years and makes it a point to attend the event once a year, the chuckwagon race is a favorite. Because they are fun. They are also just as dangerous, if not more so, as the idea of a person who tries to ride an angry bull for eight seconds.
A chuckwagon race involves two wagons, and four horses each that pull them for multiple laps in a figure eight pattern to “win” ... nothing.
Unlike the other events in the rodeo where there is a cash prize, or the results count towards “team standings,” the chuckwagon race is listed as a “specialty;” it’s there for fun, and for entertainment. No one wins anything, not unless a fan places a side bet with a friend, even though sports gambling is strictly forbidden in the great state ‘a’ Texas, according to our fearless leader, noted liberal Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
According to rodeo lore, the chuckwagon race started with a pub crawl, more than 100 years ago. That’s a fun legend.
The more widely accepted point of origin was the early 1920s, at the Calgary Exhibition. The chuckwagon race was a hit, and the popularity steadily grew and became a part of professional rodeos ever since.
Fort Worth added the event to its rodeo in 1989. Like nearly every other event associated with the rodeo, there is an inherent danger to the chuckwagon race even if it looks wholesome, cute and fun.
There are eight big horses pulling wagons while they all run fast in a figure eight towards a finish line. You do the math.
Eventually something like what those inside Dickies Arena witnessed on Friday night was going to happen. It’s only a miracle no one was more seriously injured.
Which is the real reason why the chuckwagon race will come back when the stock show and rodeo returns next year.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 3:27 PM.
