Have you ever been to the "Goat Races" in Tabago?

THEY'RE THE THOUROUGHBREDS OF THE CARRIBEAN...THEY ARE GOATS WHO RUN FAST AND THE PEOPLE WHO RUN WITH THEM!

THESE JOCKIES RUN BEHIND THEIR STEEDS WHILE ENCOURAGING THEM TO KICK UP THEIR HEELS.

SOUNDS KINDA LIKE A CERTAIN RACE WE HAVE IN AMERICA EVERY FOUR YEARS BETWEEN THE ELEPHANTS AND THE DONKEYS...

In Tobago, goat racing is serious business! Introduced in 1925, goat racing as an Easter Tuesday activity, has a long history. This event is surrounded by pageantry and pomp. There are stables, owners, trainers, jockeys and of course the steeds. Racing goats are very carefully selected and trained. They must be energetic and long-legged. The training of the jockey is equally rigorous.

They must be able to match their goat's pace during an actual race over a 100m stretch of turf.

Once they are assigned to their respective lanes, the goats are paraded with commentary about the race favorites, before being taken to the box.

I remember when I was a kid my Aunt and Uncle had a big old Billy Goat named Stonewall Jackson.

He might not have been a racing goat, but I thought he was pretty fast when he chased me!

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                          photos by © Claus Qvist Jessen