[ICYMI] Lesotho's mountain jockeys race in the mist eNCA DStv403
At more than 2,200 metres above sea level, the high plateaus of Semonkong in central Lesotho play host to a nationally famous racetrack.
Races are held here throughout the dry season from May to September with the most prestigious one marking King Letsi III's birthday in July. A few hundred people, mostly wrapped in bright traditional shepherd's blankets, gathered Saturday to watch dozens of riders square off under the pale sun."The news spread like wildfire from village to village," said Jonathan Halse 52, who runs a lodge in the area and is among the race's sponsors.The horse came to Lesotho with European settlers in the 19th century and the local Basuto pony is the result of crossbreeding over time.
"It's an absolute necessity in everyday life. There are places where you can't go otherwise," said Motlatsi Manaka, a 45-year-old herder.They have undergone months, or sometimes years of training.Gambling is rife with bundles of cash being passed among spectators seated on large stones.Most horse owners are shepherds who make a living selling wool. The annual shearing season has just begun and shepherds receive about $3 per kilogram of the fibre.
The dirt track, about one kilometre long, is enveloped in mist from the nearby Maletsunyane Falls, among the largest in Africa.
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