These tenacious little bareback horsemen take to the race track without the protection of helmets or boots to wave the Lombok flag in the face of the better known child jockey traditions of Sumbawa island and Sumba island in the neighbouring province of East Nusa Tenggara.
The action peaks at Praya’s old field (lapangan tua) between around 10am and noon when hundreds of people come to a standstill as the little jockeys arrive with their mounts.
The Sunday event is a horse lover’s picnic with owners showing and racing their favourite horses and displaying a good selection of the small horses used to pull cidomos – the colourful traditional pony carts used on Lombok as taxis.
One recent Sunday, about 20 horses were presented for participation in two main categories of events. In the senior class, the determined little jockeys test their dexterity and the speed of their older horses on a two-kilometre track.
The junior class is a horse-only training session at which small horses without jockeys are expected to follow the lead set by one or two more mature horses.
But it’s a serious competitive event. Horseshoes are diligently checked and among the hundreds who line up for the spectacle are diehards who place bets on their favourites.
Praya’s little jockeys have often had a year or two to practice their bareback riding skills before they ride competitively at age 5 or 6.
On Sundays, their day off from school, they hit the track with enthusiasm. They have no compunction about spurring their horses on towards a win and a blasé acceptance that their hobby may bring injuries.
Five-year- old Martin, born in Praya, emerges from a training session with his face covered in mud and his horsewhip welded to his right hand.
Introduced to horse-riding by his father at age 4, Martin participates in every amateur jockey event and competes against little jockeys from West Lombok, North Lombok and Sumbawa as well as his home regency of Central Lombok.
Martin exudes confidence before any race. On the track, the crowd erupts in cheers as his agile little fingers dance along the reins to manoeuvre his horse.
The capital of Central Lombok regency, Praya was once the home of important royals in the society of Lombok’s indigenous Sasak people. Sasak kings are known to have kept horses.
Throughout Lombok, ornately decorated small horses are still used to pull carts to provide traditional cidomo taxi transport for many residents and often for tourists too.
Even today, most Lombok communities keep a horse. Prices for horses vary widely from Rp8 million to Rp100 million, depending on the animal’s performance on the racetrack.
People are fond of naming their horses according to their dexterity and other attributes.
One local horse hero is not a local, however. Skardio is a 2.164m-high white stallion bought about eight years ago in Jakarta by Iwan, 30, of Sobirin in Praya.
Foaled on 10 October 2004, to sire Hanoman II and dam Mustika Dupont, Skardio has won tournaments in Praya and Sumbawa. He was a major attraction at an equestrian event in association with southern Lombok’s Bau Nyale festival.
Well known in Praya and beyond, Skardio’s speedy performances on the track have attracted offers of millions of rupiah from would-be owners.
If you are on Lombok on a Sunday, don’t miss the excitement and wonder of Praya’s tenacious little jockeys and other displays of traditional horsemanship.
source:http://www.enchanting-lomboksumbawa.com
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