Goat Racing
Buccoo Goat Race Fest (2022)
Goat racing originated in the city of Buccoo in 1925 by Samuel Callender. He was a barbarian naitive, and the game that he created was a poor mans version of horse racing. Horse racing festivals usually happened on the Monday after Easter which was called "Easter Monday". The Tuesday after Easter was also called "Easter Tuesday" and was dedicated to Goat racing and the entertainment of the "lower classes."
One of the first recorded Goat Races
While there are currently stadiums dedicated to Goat Racing in Trinidad and Tobago, originally the people of "lower status" would race their Goats on the streets. That road was called "Chance Street". They had to relocate after the road was under construction for paving and development. They began to use a place called "Battery," but it wasn't very popular at all. The primary cause of this is thought to be that the finish line was close to many overhanging cliffs. Twenty one years ago, they changed locations for the last time. This place which they still use is a stadium located in Bucoo. Even though Easter Tuesday is 'officially' Goat Racing day in Trinidad and Tobago, Goat racing also regularly happens on other holidays like the Tobago Heritage Festival.
Goat Jockey with his Goat
An important component of Goat Racing is the jockey. The jockey is the person who races next to the goat. This person is responsible of training the goat and training with the goat. The reason the jockey is so important is because if they train their goat too much and don't train themselves enough they might get disqualified because if the goat outruns the jockey, the team is disqualified. A good racing goat is needed to win as well though. With the hard work and dedication of the owners, the goat can become strong and fast. The training of the goats and jockeys and other preparations for the competition usually begins two months before the competition. The way they train is to go for runs while the goat is held on a rope that is held by the Jockey. This is a way to simulate how they would race. They also swim to strengthen their legs. When picking the breed of your goat, Nanny goats are thought to be fastest but they don't live very long. Billy goats may not be as good runners as Nanny's but they live much longer. Billy goats live up to 13 years.