Karapan sapi
The bull races of Madura Island, Indonesia, in which pairs of bulls pull a jockey on a wooden sled.
Also: kerapan sapi, Madura bull race
Karapan sapi is the traditional bull race of Madura, an island off north-eastern Java. Two bulls are yoked to a light wooden sled on which a jockey stands or crouches, and pairs race over a straight course of about a hundred metres in a matter of seconds. The bulls, of the Madura breed, are carefully fed and groomed, and are paraded with ornamented yokes and music before the races. Heats are held in districts across the island through the dry season, leading to a final at Pamekasan. The use of spiked goads has been criticised, and some organisers have banned them.