JOCKEYS OF ACCRA

Ghana is one of the last African countries to be considered when thinking about equestrian sports. Nonetheless some enthusiasts came together and founded the Horse Racing Association at the beginning of 2021, a move towards the process of gaining international recognition. Africans have always been connected to the horse historically, but in the horse industry of today's age, they are underrepresented. Equestrian sports on both international, but also national and local levels are intertwined with class. The majority of top sports horses have a well-developed and success-proven pedigree which reflects in how they’re being cared for and how they perform based on genetics. In Ghanaian jockey culture, racehorses can only be purchased for a minor percentage of the above-mentioned figures. These Ghanaian jockeys hope to rebuild the racing culture in their country and are proud to do it on their own without depending on western people and institutions.

The story was published in National Geographic.