Bedouin Horse Races - Jorge Novominsky Photographer

Bedouin Horse Races

Traditional Bedouin horse races in Israel. The Bedouins have a long tradition of breeding and racing horses. In Israel are Bedouin horse races every week in three Bedouins concentration: the Unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev Dessert, the city of Ramle in the center and Zarzir village in the north.
The races try to be professional, but they keep the traditional form of life of Bedouins and conditions are very precarious.
In the Unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev Dessert the tracks are improvised, the horses are english horses that were born and breed in Israel; in the neigborhood of Jawarish, a bedouin area in the mixed city of Ramle the horses are pure english; in the bedouin village Zarzir in the north the horses are arab horses, born and breed in Israel. In this village the race infrastructure is more sophisticated.
The judge of the races in the Negev marks with his foot the finish line of the race. He is the arbitrator and defines who is the winner.