Chuckwagon racer in Saskatchewan sues Husky Oil over death, injury of horses

“As a result of Husky’s negligence and breaches of contract, the plaintiff has suffered psychological injuries including, without limitation, anxiety, grief and mental anguish.”

Statements of claim contain allegations that have not been proven in court.

A spokesman for Husky said the corporation had not been served the legal documents and it has not yet filed a statement of defence.

The claim says the deaths and injuries have saddled Knight with expensive bills for veterinary care, clean up of his land and the cost of buying and training new horses for the racing team.

The process of training the horses to work together can take years and the performance of his team has been reduced, he alleges.

“The racing team’s reduced performance caused it to lose its entry into the Calgary Stampedes’s Rangeland Derby, a showcase event that draws international attention and is highly important to sponsors,” reads the statement of claim.

Knight declined to speak about the lawsuit.

The Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association website calls him one of the most accomplished and competitive horsemen in chuckwagon racing.

“Dedicated to the love of the sport, Wayne prides himself in breaking and training new horses, working with them to achieve their full potential and creating that unparalleled mutual respect between horse and human.”

On his Facebook page, Knight says he has been racing chuckwagons for 32 years after learning the sport from his dad.

He says most of the horses he uses are former racetrack thoroughbreds that he retrains for the chuckwagon circuit. Knight refers to his horses as superstar equine athletes.

“We love these horses with all our hearts and are blessed to call them ours,” he says on the website.

Knight was the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association champion in 2015.

The statement of claim says Husky had done seismic work on his land in the past and Knight allowed the company to continue the work in 2015 in exchange for a fee.

— By John Cotter in Edmonton

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Chuckwagon racer in Saskatchewan sues Husky Oil over death, injury of horses

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