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Compass Cup Cow Races

Cow race, guess there is no explanation needed here, it is a race in which cows are used to compete, the only twist, the cows competing are totally untrained. The only place cow racing is practiced is in Australia, and is exclusively contested at the Compass Cup event. Though the event is billed as competitive, it is just pure fun, because the untrained cows have no clue as to what to do.

a running cowa running cow

The 24 cows that are used for the race are picked only on the morning of the race. Each cow has a rider and is also accompanied by four supporting crew, which they call 'urgers', who help to keep them mounted. The spectators can join in on the fun by choosing to be the rider or the supporting crew. The track is 60m long, and the entire event has three races, two heats with 12 cows each from which six cows each are selected for the final race.

The untrained cows make the race a total chaos and fun. Some cows don't budge an inch, some go in circles and other take their own course or go in the opposite direction. The compass cup event which receives over 5000 spectators is held on Jan 23 has been held every year since 1974.



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