Thousands of tourists recently gathered in central Thailand to witness an annual buffalo race, this year believed to the best games in the event’s over 100 year history.
Thousands of people packed benches along a dusty 200 metre-long track in the tourist city of Chonburi, some 100 kilometres to the east of Bangkok, on Wednesday, to watch the annual water buffalo races.
Over a hundred buffalos took part in the day-long racing bonanza, competing in three categories: small, medium and big.
At the sound of the whistle, the buffalos darted out of their starting pens, with barefoot jockeys furiously using their whips to urge them on.
Without the comfort of a saddle, simply hanging on for dear life took priority over riding style and form for many of the jockeys. Some didn’t manage and inched further and further along the animal’s back until they slid right off its rump — to the delight of the crowd.
Sayan Suksajjatam, a provincial officer and one of the organizers of the event, said this year’s games were the best, because a lot of buffalos took part in the racing.
The event originally started as an informal celebration for buffalos’, once their work was done. Today, the buffalo races were just one part of three days of festivities, which concluded Friday. The event also featured a fun fare, a livestock market and a beauty contest, although it seemed none of the other activities could steal the show from the buffalos.