The death of a nine-year-old Alberta boy during a rodeo practice session is raising questions about whether the sport is safe enough for children.

Braeden Chamberlain died Friday after being trampled by the steer he was riding during a rodeo practice session.

Chamberlain of Spruce View, Alta. had been one of about 10 children taking part in the practice at the Benalto Agriplex, about 20 kilometres west of Red Deer in central Alberta. He was about three seconds into his ride when he fell off.

Although Braeden was wearing a helmet and chest protector at the time, it appears the 225-kilogram steer stepped on the boy's abdomen just below his chest protector and above his belly button.

"It looked like the wind was knocked out of him to start with," said family friend Elbert Koster, adding, "He's a cowboy with a grown man's heart at nine years old."

The boy tried to get up after being stepped on, then collapsed. Observers began CPR and called an ambulance but the boy was declared dead at the scene.

Sylvan Lake RCMP Const. Nick Reijnen described it as an unfortunate accident.

"He was bucked off, the steer did a slow turn back and just stepped on him ... it was nothing violent," he told the Edmonton Sun.

Koster told the newspaper that Braeden had only been steer riding for about a month, but had fallen in love with the sport.

At Spruce View School, principal Mark Crawford said: "We certainly had our share of tears here at school today."

Crawford notes that in central Alberta, rodeo is a way of life. Benalto is home to a major rodeo every year that is viewed as a warm-up before the famous Calgary Stampede.

"Definitely, with it being a rural area, rodeo is a big event," Crawford said.

Jeff Whitlow of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association sees the incident as a freak accident that probably couldn't have been prevented.

"I mean accidents happen, and he had all the protective measures that you could take," Whitlow told Canada AM, adding he doesn't remember another steer rider ever being fatally injured.

"When I rode, which is about 20 years ago now, we used to get on little bulls that would weigh up to 1,200 pounds. We never had vests or helmets or anything and now they all wear that, which is good. It's come a long ways."

Bob Phipps, also of the CPRA, says they don't recommend having kids riding steers until age 11. Until that age, Phipps says sheep-riding is a safer alternative.

Whitlow notes that rodeo schools try to teach children the right way to fall off an animal and how to get out of the way.

"It's very important getting off and even when you're getting bucked off, to know how to land and stuff like that.

"It's easy to say when you're sitting here, but when you're actually doing it, it's all speed and you can't control the situation because it's an animal."

With a report from CTV's Sarah Galashan