Indonesia's smallest jockeys
On Sumbawa Island, the stakes are high, the races are fast, and the riders are very, very young
Panda racetrack, Sumbawa Island.
(Putu Sayoga) These races do not call to mind those at iconic American tracks such as Churchill Downs, though. There are not even saddles for the riders — and helmets? Hardly. The jockeys loo
Adriansyah, 10 years old, poses for a portrait.
(Putu Sayoga)
Riders compete at Lepadi racetrack.
(Putu Sayoga) Photographer Putu Sayoga, 29, spent more than a week with Indonesia's smallest jockeys, during the annual races that take place after the rice-harvesting season ends, usually so
Mohammad Amin helps his son Aldin, 9, remove his gear after a race at their house in Lepadi Village.
(Putu Sayoga)
Aldin Amin carries a sack of grass that he will use to feed his horse.
(Putu Sayoga)
Aldin Amin feeds his horse before a race.
(Putu Sayoga) Sayoga shadowed several of the jockeys closely, and he says he was especially struck by how quickly they must grow up in order to compete at the tracks. Aldin Amin (pictured abo
A man walks his horse toward the river.
(Putu Sayoga)
Caretakers bathe the horses at Kalaki Beach.
(Putu Sayoga) The races themselves are wild — a cacophony of gamblers shouting bets, horses thundering around the track, and, at the center of it all, the tiny jockeys, captured in their dust
Adriansyah, 10, rides during a free practice at Lepadi racetrack.
(Putu Sayoga)
Adriansyah rides his horse at Lepadi racetrack.
(Putu Sayoga) **See more of Putu Sayoga's work via his website, and follow him on Instagram**
