Visitors to Qatar have a wonderful opportunity to see these haughty beasts in action at the camel race track in Shahaniya where young jockeys, trainers, owners and spectators can draw almost as much attention as the camels. Located east of Shahaniya roundabout and about a 30 minute drive out of Doha on the Dukhan Road, the oval race track can be clearly viewed from the large stands; be wanted, however, that the most popular way of viewing a race remains driving alongside the track to urge the animals on! It is there that you can see trainers driving alongside their protégés, shouting instructions to the young jockeys through megaphones, or using hand signs to indicate a required change of pace perhaps with the use of - or even just then showing of – the jockeys which is similar to a whip. The halter or neck rope, stick and feet are all the jockey has at his disposal to control these willful beasts.
Camels have what is called a “caravan instinct” – they tend to walk in single file rather than as a herd grouping; they can be reluctant to start a race and sometimes even more reluctant to finish, so it is quite common to see them being chased off by trainers as the starting gate goes up and a jockey may have to use all his abilities to prevent the animal from stopping, turning round or wandering off before the finish! Having said that, camels return average speeds of around 35 kph during a race, which can be over distances of 5 to 10 kilometres according to their age. Good times would be 11 minutes for a 6 kilometer race, 18 minutes for 10 km. It’s not just the prestige of winning either, the two major races held in Qatar each year have prize money totaling QR. 5.5 million.
At Shahaniya you have not only the opportunity to watch the racing, but also to wander round the camels pens rented by trainers nearby. Trainers and jockeys live alongside their animals and it provides a good photo opportunity as well as the chance to find out more about these “ships of the desert” the early forms of which migrated from the north American continent about 3-4 million years ago, moving across the land bridge that is now the Baring Straits into Europe and Asia. You’ll find that there are two main breeds being raced, the Omani and Sudania which differ in colour – the Omani being very light and the Sudania more of a tan colour. Don’t, however, expect to be given much specific information on the special diets or training methods used. Traditionally, a racing camel was fed on dates, honey, alfalfa, milk and seeds. They were never allowed to drink the day before a race and were prevented from feeding for the 12 hour prior to a race. (Left to their own devices, camels are browsers feeding on the sparse desert vegetation, with a natural tendency to return to water every 4 to 5 days). Now, as with most animal management, the camels are fed partly on special formulation pellets – but that is just about as much as you will be told!
Jockeys are young riding at a minimum weight of 225 kg; invariably they are from the families of the trainers or the camel herders and are totally unphased by their obstinate mounts. Riding without any kind of stirrups or root rest, these boys have the art of balance to perfection. For the uninitiated, even staying on a camel as it rises to its feet is a major accomplishment since the multi-stage procedure usually comes as a surprise! Camels amble at walking speed, lifting both legs on one side at the same time, so rocking from side to side. Running or galloping is something else to behold! You won’t often see a jockey unceremoniously “dumped” by his camel, but the boys are required to wear crash helmets and will be banned from a race or disqualified for failure to comply.
A day at the races is something, which is not to be missed. But one last word of warning if you wander around amongst these animals.
Camels are ruminants and they have a far from endearing habits of spitting the foul-smelling chewed contents of their stomachs at their adversaries so don’t do anything to annoy them!