Chuckwagon Races #2 - Night of the Horse - Del Mar National Horse Show 2013

 

Chuckwagon races, a specialty act in which competing drivers steer wagons pulled by four horses around the arena at breakneck speed, returned to the Night of the Horse show at the Del Mar National Horse Show this year. The races are a throwback to a cowboy tradition in which the wagons — which carried supplies and usually led cowboys to prepare meals for their arrival — would race into town at the end of a run. While the races are popular to this day in Canada, Gary Sandstead, of Platteville, Colorado, said it's something of a rarity in the United States. Sandstead tours the nation, sometimes bringing the exciting races to 50 rodeos in a year. Drivers cut a figure-eight around two barrels before the sound of a horn signals the start of the race. They then run two laps around the arena, with the drivers on the inside and outside trading positions for the second lap to negate any advantage. Racing around the at speeds as high as 30 mph — sometimes inches away from one another — the drivers must be fully aware of their relative positions to avoid a collision, Sandstead said. Wagons are sponsored by advertisers, and Sandstead said things often get very competitive. But the races have an element of showmanship about them, too. "It's like NASCAR. ... They (the crowd) don't want to see you get hurt, but they want to see you almost get hurt," Sandstead said. . Websites: Del Mar National Horse Show: http://www.delmarnational.com/