Forget the Grand National - farmers celebrate the end of harvest in Cambodia with wheel-to-wheel OX cart racing

It's not quite the Grand National, but this ox cart race in Cambodia to mark the Khmer new year looks every inch as exciting.

Hundreds of locals gathered in a village on the outskirts of Phnom Phen with their animals and tore across the terrain being dragged along in carts.

The traditional gathering marks the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labour before the rainy season begins.



Cavalry charge: Oxen drag their riders and carts in a race to mark the start of the Cambodian new year





They're off: Oxen charge through a village just outside the Phnom Phen, as hordes of villagers look on excitedly





Full pelt: A rider out in front in the yearly ox cart race, which can be a strain on the animals

The ox cart has been a traditional mode of transport in Cambodia for hundreds of years.


It is made from Cambodian wood, including Thnoung, Chakrom and Chek, and measures up to four metres-long and 1.73 metres-wide.

Despite the popularity of the race, traditionalists fear the art of riding the ox cart among farmers will soon die out as they turn to more modern modes of transport, like tractors.

Ox cart racing also takes place in Europe, including every April in Chieuti, Italy, prompting calls from animal welfare groups to have the practice banned.



Race to the line: The field streams past interested locals as the contest hots up

In the race, the animals are raced for almost three miles, through the town, out into the country, up and down hills, then back down the main street to the church.

They are watched by large crowds of spectators, and chased by riders on horseback, who spur on the oxen using lances with sharp spikes.

The animals can be severely injured by the lances and often collapse from exhaustion during the race.