A different Kind

Horse racing in Ooty is a big deal each summer. The track is opened, horses and jockeys are brought in from around India. This is normally a man’s sport. The jockeys are men, the race officials are men, most of the spectators are men. The only women you see at the track are women doing track maintenance. They water the turf during the week, and pound down divots after each race, smoothing the track for the next race.

One day though, I went to watch a race. That day, I was surprised to see that one of the horses was ridden by a female jockey. I wondered how that would be taken by the spectators. Did they not think she could win? What was it like for her to be in such a man’s world?

Talking to men at the track though, many of them were betting on her to win. They would ask me who I thought would win, and I said the number 1 horse would. That was the one with the female jockey. I expected laughter, but I usually got nods of agreement, and impressed looks as they thought I knew what I was talking about. Honestly though, I had no clue.

She was treated differently before the race than the men. Rain began as the jockeys were mounting, and instead of having her mount in the rain, they gave her an umbrella and let her remain on the ground, dry, while the male jockeys rode in the rain. She did not mount until just before the race.

The race was started, and as the horses came around, number 1 was far in front of any other horse. They won by a few lengths.

And again I wonder about culture, and about what people think. What do the women fixing the divots think of this woman? Not only does she participate in a man’s world, but she is highly successful. She does not hold back, and she blows the others away.

Photos by Laura Webster. Ooty racecourse, May 2012