The History of Ostrich Racing: From Tradition to Modern-Day Entertainment

Different sorts of animal racing have been an active part of the world of sports for quite some time. Often attacked by animal rights activists and defended by fans of the discipline, such activities are also obviously popular among bettors.

While horse racing takes first place for being famous and having more participants, there are other sports as well.

This article aims to describe the history of ostrich racing briefly yet demonstratively. Being a popular sport in South Africa, the U.S., and some other countries, the roots of such a tradition go back a long way.

And while betting on ostrich races exists, we won’t cover it in detail in our article. If you’re looking for wagering tips, look at other sources. For example, BetsBest.ke offers enough information to help one succeed in betting.

What Is Ostrich Racing?

Ostriches are flightless birds native to Africa. These animals can reach high speeds when running, sometimes up to 70 km/h. That means that before the creation of cars, they were among the ways to move quite fast. While they aren’t the means of transportation, mainly due to the impracticality and difficulty of riding, their racing is a popular attraction for people in some parts of the world.

When Did It Become a Thing?

In the US, ostrich racing started growing in popularity by the end of the 1800s. For example, in Chandler, Arizona, the birds were brought by the city founder, Dr. Alexander J. Chandler, in the 1880s. He started an ostrich farm there, although riding became the town’s attraction several decades later.

That town isn’t the only one in the States to have ostrich racing features in its festivals, but the modern tradition usually traces South Africa. In its Western Cape region, to be precise. And even that’s not where ostrich riding appeared for the first time. The oldest known evidence leads us to a Sumerian city, Kish, 3000 years ago, and it’s far from the only ancient place where people ride ostriches. But South Africa seems to be where it gained popularity and spread to other countries. 

Modern Ostrich Racing

Ostrich racing has become a popular attraction, and while it’s now not at its highest point, it’s still common in many places where it was a tradition. For example, in Chandler, Arizona, as mentioned in the article, ostrich racing is present. The town even holds an annual ostrich festival. It’s relatively new, having been held for just over 30 years, but it’s based on the town’s rich history of farming these animals.

Various ostrich riding attractions exist in other parts of the US, as well as in other countries, such as Vietnam, South Africa, and even the United Kingdom. For example, Jacksonville, Florida, is another place where one can ride ostriches, and the tradition lives on after a hundred years. Unsurprisingly, the activity gets a lot of criticism from animal rights groups, although some establishments exist that work on improving ostriches’ well-being, as well as the salary of workers.

What’s more interesting is that the sport isn’t as popular in Australia as one would have thought. Despite being a common animal in the country,  multiple attempts to introduce the sport into the country were met with different levels of success. Still, it didn’t become a popular attraction like it did in South Africa or the U.S. for some reason.

Conclusion

Ostrich racing is a discipline that has managed to remain prevalent throughout all of the years. The sport is enjoyable for bettors, starting as a tradition and continuing as an attraction.

In this article, we looked at this activity, its history and origins, and how it works. Ostrich racing still lives on as a continuation of tradition in South Africa and some towns in the United States. Still, its popularity has declined, and animal abuse allegations affect it. The activity is also dangerous for riders, involving a significant level of skill and coordination.