Back in March we went to the Ras Al Khaimah camel racetrack to see what was going on. ❓ The season was coming to an end, and not starting again until the fall, so we wanted to catch a glimpse of the jockeys and their mounts.

Camel racing, as you know, is one of the greatest pastimes of the local population. I am not sure if many women attend these sporting events, but since they are broadcast on the local TV, why go and risk getting your feet covered in camel pxxx?

A month or so previous to this event, the UAE hosted a major international camel racing event down near Abu Dhabi. One of the main attractions was the camel beauty contest, with the winner taking home something in the order of $200,000. |-|

We tried to mingle with the crowd, but in our plain old sandals and sunglasses, we were rather obvious amongst the regulars.

Most intriguing were the jockeys. We could have been in a Star Wars movie. They were lined up along the fence watching the competition. I didn’t want to disturb their concentration.

This one seemed like something of a rebel, with his hat turned backward.

As we stood along the fence with the jockeys, we were awed by the range of colours and styles of the jockey uniforms. Each stable has its own distinctive dress to distinguish them from others.

This jockey is going for the streamlined look, removing his own head to cut down on wind resistance.