farmers ride their bulls through muddy fields for white-knuckle sporting challenge

The thrilling harvest festival race, which sees the jockeys bite the beasts’ tails to make them run faster, is a far cry from Ladies Day at Ascot...

Mud slide: The thrill ride helps farmers market their bulls

Adrenalin junkies take note – there’s an extreme sport you may not have tried yet.

The event is a homespun chariot race which sees brave farmers dragged at speed through their muddy paddy fields.

The barefoot riders, standing on flimsy wooden boards, cling onto their bulls’ tails for the terrifying race.

Bull speed ahead: It’s a chariot race that would scare Ben-Hur

Dirty work: The riders get spattered with mud on the course

They even bite the beasts’ tails to start them off running and make them go faster along the 30m course.

Winners are judged on the bulls’ teamwork and willingness to run in a straight line along the course, with riders taking it in turns.

If the animals separate, the jockey inevitably takes a tumble and is out of the race.

Heavy going: The bulls hurtle through the muddy paddy field

Rawhide ride: A farmer hurtles past the spectators

It’s part of the Pacu Jawi harvest festival in Indonesia, which celebrates the end of the rice season.

“Pacu” translates as “race” or “speed” and “Jawi” means “cow” or “ox”.

The annual race is a highlight of the year in the Tanah Datar regency of West Sumatra.

Tumble: A farmer comes a cropper as his bulls run apart

Sales pitch: A good race can improve a stud bull’s asking price

One of the aims of the 400-year-old tradition is to show the strength of their bulls which are later auctioned to buyers for breeding.

A good performance in the race can lift the asking price for the bull, with up to 700 taking part in the event.