Omak Stampede claims second horse in a week

For the second time in a week, a horse in the Omak Stampede has died, reigniting the long-running debate over whether the event's "suicide race" is cruel to animals.

Elvis, a 12-year-old gelding, died Friday night just 50 yards from the end of the suicide race, a controversial event in which horses and riders charge down a steep 200-foot hill, splash across the Okanogan River and sprint for the finish.

Last Sunday a horse named Dry Grass Maverick was injured in a pileup at the bottom of the hill during a qualifying round for the suicide race and was later euthanized.

Omak Stampede treasurer Jack Miller said Elvis collapsed during the race Friday night for unknown reasons and was then struck by another horse named Duck. Miller believes the collision killed Elvis, possibly breaking the animal's neck.

The number of horses killed over the years at the Omak Stampede is disputed. People with the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which opposes the race, claim 14 have died since 1983. Miller said 11 have died since 1983 and about 30 have died since the race's inception in 1935.

"It is far and away the deadliest horse race in North America," said Richard Huffman, spokesman for PAWS. "We're asking officials to stop the race."

Miller, who is used to such criticism, says the race is part of Omak's heritage.

"It's been a number of years since any have died," he said. "But unfortunately that sometimes happens in this world. We have a little difference of culture over here."

The Omak Stampede concludes tonight with a final suicide race.

Eli Sanders can be reached at 206-748-5815 or esanders@seattletimes.com.