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| From farm to track: reindeer racing in Finland - a photo essay | From farm to track: reindeer racing in Finland - a photo essay |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| It is 6am and the temperature is -15C. A new blanket of snow covered the area overnight and the frozen fresh air tingles my nose. The reindeers are running around impatiently in their fenced area. “Reindeers are a very suspicious semi-wild animal,” says Antti Pätsi, a young herder and reindeer jockey from Posio in Finland. | |
| Antti Pätsi feeding reindeers in the morning | Antti Pätsi feeding reindeers in the morning |
| Antti Pätsi feeding reindeers in the morning | Antti Pätsi feeding reindeers in the morning |
| Reindeer herding is not a popular career among youngsters. Most of the herders’ children are moving to the bigger cities for work or higher education, but Antti, the son of Jouni Pätsi, a retired herder and reindeer race trainer, decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. | |
| Antti and Jouni Pätsi at home | |
| Antti and Jouni Pätsi at home | |
| I tried a few other jobs in the travel industry in other towns but a strong bond with nature in my heart drove me back to follow my father’s career – Antti Pätsi | I tried a few other jobs in the travel industry in other towns but a strong bond with nature in my heart drove me back to follow my father’s career – Antti Pätsi |
| At the age of 12, Antti started practising as a jockey in reindeer racing. When he was 15, he took part in his first official reindeer race. He has won many trophies but has never won the King Reindeer championship. I ask what it would mean to him to win. He pauses, “that would be like a dream come true”. | |
| Father and son on their morning walk, checking the track before the start of training | Father and son on their morning walk, checking the track before the start of training |
| Father and son on their morning walk, checking the track before the start of training | Father and son on their morning walk, checking the track before the start of training |
| By giving food by hand trainers are gaining trust and bonding with the animal | By giving food by hand trainers are gaining trust and bonding with the animal |
| By giving food by hand trainers are gaining trust and bonding with the animal | By giving food by hand trainers are gaining trust and bonding with the animal |
| Trainers keep a daily record of the feeding and training of their reindeers | Trainers keep a daily record of the feeding and training of their reindeers |
| Trainers keep a daily record of the feeding and training of their reindeers | Trainers keep a daily record of the feeding and training of their reindeers |
| It takes a lot of time to train a reindeer, starting when the animal is three years old. The trainer puts a leash on them and starts to walk them. This allows them to get familiar with people. After a year, the trainer gets them to increase their pace by driving a snowmobile behind them. | |
| Reindeer, which are mostly bred in Lapland for their meat, are released into the forests to forage during the spring and summer. The racing reindeers usually go with the others. In the autumn it is hoped that the they will have survived and return home for training. | |
| A treat after training, birch leaves are one of the reindeer’s favourites | A treat after training, birch leaves are one of the reindeer’s favourites |
| A treat after training, birch leaves are one of the reindeer’s favourites | A treat after training, birch leaves are one of the reindeer’s favourites |
| Each year more than 100,000 tourists head to Lapland with many visiting a reindeer farm and going on a reindeer safari. | |
| The Inari King reindeer race, arranged by the Finnish Reindeer Herders’ Association, is an energetic and exciting event that makes the Inari village come alive during the last weekend of March. It is the nature of the racing environment, the uniqueness of the event, and aspects of race that makes it traditional and appealing for both the international tourists and spectators from the north. | The Inari King reindeer race, arranged by the Finnish Reindeer Herders’ Association, is an energetic and exciting event that makes the Inari village come alive during the last weekend of March. It is the nature of the racing environment, the uniqueness of the event, and aspects of race that makes it traditional and appealing for both the international tourists and spectators from the north. |
| Beside the race course, locals gather at stalls where handmade local crafts as well as hot coffee and reindeer meat stew are available. | Beside the race course, locals gather at stalls where handmade local crafts as well as hot coffee and reindeer meat stew are available. |
| A Sámi decoration made from reindeer bones and fur; most of the hats for sale are made from arctic fox and seal fur; a spectator wearing traditional Sámi shoes. | A Sámi decoration made from reindeer bones and fur; most of the hats for sale are made from arctic fox and seal fur; a spectator wearing traditional Sámi shoes. |
| A Sámi decoration made from reindeer bones and fur; most of the hats for sale are made from arctic fox and seal fur; a spectator wearing traditional Sámi shoes. | A Sámi decoration made from reindeer bones and fur; most of the hats for sale are made from arctic fox and seal fur; a spectator wearing traditional Sámi shoes. |
| Reindeer trainer Erkki Orre and Nils Johannes, a Sámi child, attending a race with his family | Reindeer trainer Erkki Orre and Nils Johannes, a Sámi child, attending a race with his family |
| Reindeer trainer Erkki Orre and Nils Johannes, a Sámi child, attending a race with his family | Reindeer trainer Erkki Orre and Nils Johannes, a Sámi child, attending a race with his family |
| The championship weekend is a good excuse for the reindeer herders to meet up with others and catch up after the long winter. Most of the reindeer owners are native Sámi people and it is important for them to keep their culture and traditions alive. Aside from the racing, there are other events on over the weekend such as lasso-throwing contests. | The championship weekend is a good excuse for the reindeer herders to meet up with others and catch up after the long winter. Most of the reindeer owners are native Sámi people and it is important for them to keep their culture and traditions alive. Aside from the racing, there are other events on over the weekend such as lasso-throwing contests. |
| More than 100 reindeer, jockeys and trainers arrive to the competition site, just outside the village of Inari. The racetrack is on the frozen, snow-covered surface of Lake Inari and depending on the race, is either 1 or 2 kilometres long. | More than 100 reindeer, jockeys and trainers arrive to the competition site, just outside the village of Inari. The racetrack is on the frozen, snow-covered surface of Lake Inari and depending on the race, is either 1 or 2 kilometres long. |
| Even well-trained reindeer can run half the course and then jump off the track or run back in the opposite direction | Even well-trained reindeer can run half the course and then jump off the track or run back in the opposite direction |
| There is a fenced area to keep reindeers in one place before and after races but sometimes a reindeer escapes | There is a fenced area to keep reindeers in one place before and after races but sometimes a reindeer escapes |
| There is a fenced area to keep reindeers in one place before and after races but sometimes a reindeer escapes | There is a fenced area to keep reindeers in one place before and after races but sometimes a reindeer escapes |
| Twenty-four of the season’s best reindeers compete in the Kings race championship. On the first day, they race on a 1km track in a group of four. On the final day, they race on a 2km track, one by one, against the clock. | Twenty-four of the season’s best reindeers compete in the Kings race championship. On the first day, they race on a 1km track in a group of four. On the final day, they race on a 2km track, one by one, against the clock. |
| The jockeys wear a downhill ski race suit on cross-country skis (for men) or downhill skis (for women) behind one reindeer. The reindeers are trained to run in a harness trailing a rope which the jockey holds onto and tries not to fall. | The jockeys wear a downhill ski race suit on cross-country skis (for men) or downhill skis (for women) behind one reindeer. The reindeers are trained to run in a harness trailing a rope which the jockey holds onto and tries not to fall. |
| All jockeys must weigh over 60kg to compete and they are weighed before each race. | All jockeys must weigh over 60kg to compete and they are weighed before each race. |
| Jockey Hanna Mikkola on the scales; jockeys chat with the reindeer owners before the start of a race | Jockey Hanna Mikkola on the scales; jockeys chat with the reindeer owners before the start of a race |
| Jockey Hanna Mikkola on the scales; jockeys chat with the reindeer owners before the start of a race | Jockey Hanna Mikkola on the scales; jockeys chat with the reindeer owners before the start of a race |
| Only the wildest and fastest reindeer are chosen for racing and they can reach speeds of up to 60km/h (37mph). | Only the wildest and fastest reindeer are chosen for racing and they can reach speeds of up to 60km/h (37mph). |