Link: http://www.banei-keiba.or.jp/information/banei-race%20English.htm

Ever heard of Banei-Keiba horse racing? It's a strange type of horse race enjoyed by old farmers in Northern Japan. I mentioned it briefly before in my post about Tosa fighting dogs. I mostly forgot about it until today when I caught a race on TV. In this sport really big, menacing looking horses pull sleighs weighing between 500 and 1000 kilos up hill through deep sand and dirt. A JTE of mine originally from Hokkaido first told me about Banei-Keiba a while ago and how he strongly disapproves of it. I can't say that I blame him since it certainly doesn't seem like much fun for the horses. It also makes me once again wonder what other strange animal battles the oyaji farmers of Aomori are up to.