# Who else remembers Ostrich Racing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527 "2024-11-01T01:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/1 "2024-11-01T01:48:58Z")
Specifically at the Orange Show in San Bernardino CA back in the 60’s. I remember the jockeys riding the birds and controlling them with blinders, my sister swears the jockeys rode in little carts behind the birds. I can find nothing about the riders/blinders thing or even the ostrich farm in Rubidoux and am faced with telling my little sister that she is right. Any help would be appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/2 "2024-11-01T02:05:51Z")
Both are true (though not sure about the blinders): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/k_1PxrVeTpA/maxresdefault.jpg "Canterbury Park Extreme Day Ostrich Race 7-16-16") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_1PxrVeTpA) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/5uUO5jLz0iY/maxresdefault.jpg "June 18, 2016 - Ostrich Derby") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uUO5jLz0iY) [“Those fuckers are mean.”](https://youtu.be/XAhhSDNkiHo?si=LV1gMzW243qrbC02) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/3 "2024-11-01T10:39:31Z")
I just happened to watch the 1956 _Around the World in 80 Days_ with David Niven, and there’s a scene in which Passepartout rides on the back of one, and Detective Fix follows him in a little cart pulled by one. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/4 "2024-11-01T10:41:07Z")
Well, now I’m going to have the Chocobo theme from Final Fantasy stuck in my head all day. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/5 "2024-11-01T13:06:32Z")
That’s Benny Hill in one of those costumes where the bottom half of the person is bogus. Can’t fool me! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/6 "2024-11-01T15:03:06Z")
I don’t want to spoil the fun, but I’ll do it anyway: I think people shouldn’t ride ostriches. Riding horses, camels or elephants is ok, they are all built strong enough to carry a human, but an ostrich? It also makes no practical sense, but is only done for entertainment. I don’t like seeing animals treated like that. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/7 "2024-11-01T15:14:55Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Both are true (though not sure about the blinders): I’m really surprised to learn that it is still going on, it can’t be safe for bird or man. The riders I remember did have some control over the bird because they wouldn’t move if they couldn’t see, but they would still stomp or kick any human within reach if they could. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/8 "2024-11-01T16:05:03Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Riding horses, camels or elephants is ok, they are all built strong enough to carry a human, but an ostrich? It also makes no practical sense, but is only done for entertainment. I don’t like seeing animals treated like that. Riding elephants is not “ok”; unlike horses and (domesticated) camels, elephants are not domesticated species which are readily acclimated to living and breeding in captivity. They are highly intelligent and curious animals which need to live in extended interfamily groups where they demonstrate complex social behaviors and rituals. Elephants in captivity are usually captured at a young age (often by groups accompanying ivory poachers), are chained, hobbled, or housed in small cages to control them, and are trained using shock prods and other painful implements to subdue them; elephants who are not compliant are killed, often in front of other elephants as an example. African elephants are classified as “vulnerable” with numbers of fewer than half a million, while Asian elephants are considered an “endangered” species with only 40k-50k animals in the wild. > **[If You Love Elephants, Don't Ever Ride Them. Here's Why.](https://www.thedodo.com/elephant-rides-trek-1132645600.html)** > > It's a complete nightmare for them. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/9 "2024-11-01T16:12:45Z")
Ok, I concur with everything you wrote, I’m generally always pro animal rights, but my bit about riding elephants was just a thoughtless remark about the mere fact that an elephant won’t be much weighed down by a human riding it, unlike an ostrich. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/10 "2024-11-01T16:14:51Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Riding elephants is not “ok”; unlike horses and (domesticated) camels, elephants are not domesticated species which are readily acclimated to living and breeding in captivity. And actually, [camel racing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_racing) traditionally used small children as jockeys with thousands of them trafficked to the Arab States, where they may be abused, and certainly can be injured or killed if they fall off the camels. Some countries have banned child jockeys, switching instead to [robotic jockeys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_jockey), with remote-controlled whips to guide the camels. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/11 "2024-11-01T16:18:06Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > I just happened to watch the 1956 _Around the World in 80 Days_ with David Niven, and there’s a scene in which Passepartout rides on the back of one, and Detective Fix follows him in a little cart pulled by one. Also the Disney Swiss Family Robinson (1960) had this scene: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/O3qehNT3KjY/maxresdefault.jpg "Swiss Family Robinson (1960) Trailer | John Mills | Dorothy McGuire") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3qehNT3KjY&t=198) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/12 "2024-11-01T17:02:33Z")
I rode an elephant in Zambia. The elephants had been orphaned, they claimed, by other people. (And in one case by lions.) But also, one of their elephants left when she reached menarche, and lived with a wild herd for two years. And then she returned with her son. The elephant handlers rode the calf for part of the trip, but mostly he just hung out with us, ripping up small trees and playing with water. Maybe I’m naive, but i don’t think they were torturing the elephants. And the elephants were clearly living in a small herd, with other elephants. The elephant with the calf had become the matriarch, by virtue of being the oldest female and having a child. They said when they wanted to teach the elephants a new trick, they taught her, and if she did it, all the others would, too. Enslaving elephants is problematic, but the “carrying a person on their back” clearly isn’t, any more than carrying a small pack is a problem for humans. I have no clue about ostriches. But in large part because they are not as smart and not as social as elephants or horses, I’d think they would be dangerous to interact with. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/13 "2024-11-01T17:39:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And actually, [camel racing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel_racing) traditionally used small children as jockeys with thousands of them trafficked to the Arab States, where they may be abused, and certainly can be injured or killed if they fall off the camels. I’m really not fan of any competitive animal racing, even of domesticated species like dogs and horses, because it creates all kinds of perverse incentives for inbreeding, abuse, and not caring for animals (or jockeys) that are past their racing years. Racing ostriches is obviously a novelty act, and yes, ostriches are potentially dangerous animals, although they aren’t nearly as mean as Canada Geese: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Xv9UZEOFsVw/maxresdefault.jpg "Geese: Peace Was Never an Option") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv9UZEOFsVw) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/14 "2024-11-01T17:42:08Z")
I’m just amused by the idea and the sight of the robotic jockeys. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/15 "2024-11-01T19:41:01Z")
Having grown up in San Berdoo, I can confirm for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/16 "2024-11-01T20:00:20Z")
Oh hurray, settle the argument! Carts or riders? If it was either depending on the year, lie and tell me that it was always just riders cause I would hate to have to tell my little sister that she was right about something for once, LOL! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/17 "2024-11-01T20:09:23Z")
Mentioned in this article on the 1964 Orange Show. > **[Citrus was king at 1964 Orange Show](https://www.sbsun.com/2012/05/24/citrus-was-king-at-1964-orange-show/)** > > Clint Eastwood, Eartha Kitt and a very young version of the Osmond Brothers were among the headliners at the 49th annual National Orange Show held March 12-22, 1964, in San Bernardino. It was my fi… I really don’t remember if it was riders or carts. We went for the stock car races. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/18 "2024-11-01T23:44:26Z")
I keep reading “ostrich racing” as “Ostereichring.” > **[Red Bull Ring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Ring?wprov=sfla1)** > > The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from 1970 to 1987. It was later shortened, rebuilt and renamed the A1-Ring (A Eins-Ring), and it hosted the Austrian Grand Prix again from 1997 to 2003. > When Formula One outgrew the circuit, a plan was drawn up to extend the layout. Parts of the circuit, including the pits and main... ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/19 "2024-11-02T02:15:25Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I really don’t remember if it was riders or carts. We went for the stock car races. Oh, that’s funny. I don’t remember the stock car races at all, LOL! I guess I’ll have to tell my sister that it is possible that she is right, but more likely that I am because I was older and paid better attention then she did. ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2024, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527/20 "2024-11-02T22:45:32Z")
You read what you read and believe what you (choose to) believe. I’ve read a lot about captive elephants and talked to a retired bull man or two, and there’s always the thread of the deep relationships between tame elephants and the humans who work with them, with the elephants being loyal and affectionate, even protective toward and eager to please their human keepers. Any captive elephant could easily demolish a person it was mad at, and they usually don’t; that right there should cast some doubt on the PETA-colored narrative of oppressed, brutalized, enslaved elephants. Again, you’ve read what you’ve read, and believe what you choose to believe, but do try to remember the fact that a lot of these animal protection groups are more about controlling humans than they are about helping animals. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-remembers-ostrich-racing/1009527.md?page=2)