At more than 2,200 meters above sea level, on the high plateaus of Semonkong, unspoiled nature is perpetually immersed in mist. The impressive Maletsunyane Falls, among the largest in Africa, creates a permanent mist with waters falling 186 meters into a spectacular gorge.
It is here, under the pale midday sun, that the Sotho shepherds, the largest ethnic group in the landlocked country of 2.2 million inhabitants, have decided to pit their powerful horses against each other. Equines arrived in the 19th century with European settlers in the former British protectorate, independent since 1966.
Shepherds have adopted these mounts, renowned for their endurance, to drive sheep and goats up the mountainside. The breed was dubbed “basotho pony”, although these horses are of medium height.
In the spiraling green mountains with landscapes punctuated by stone houses with thatched roofs, men travel everywhere on horseback in the stony paths. Some villages with steep access are not accessible otherwise. Donkeys carry goods.
“It’s an absolute necessity in everyday life. There are places where you can’t go otherwise,” says Motlatsi Manaka, a 45-year-old herder.
Wrapped in bright traditional blankets, groups of several dozen men flock. The animals are brushed, their manes braided, sometimes trimmed. Some chant litanies extolling the merits of their trained mounts for months, even years: “My horse will be victorious, no adversary can resist him”.
– Not shy –
The most prestigious race is organized in July, for the birthday of King Letsi III, a powerless monarch in the small constitutional monarchy.
But in the mountains, excluding Covid times, the races take place throughout the dry season corresponding from May to September to the southern winter.
“The announcement of an upcoming race has spread like wildfire from village to village,” said Jonathan Halse, 52, who runs an inn in this area where a lot of things work by word of mouth.
He put the equivalent of 280 euros on the table to sponsor the competition, divided into several categories according to the age of the horses. Prices range from 72 to 135 euros, plus stakes. In the crowd of a few hundred people seated on large stones, packets of banknotes pass from hand to hand, the bets are going well.
In Lesotho, one of the poorest countries on the planet where the average salary is less than 150 euros, these races are a good source of income for breeders.
Most horse owners are shepherds who earn their living by selling wool from their herds. The annual mowing season has just begun. The wool is sorted in a local barn, on wire-mesh tables, according to the length and thickness of the fiber. Shepherds receive on average the equivalent of 3 euros per kg.
The jockeys are selected from young boys in the villages. Most of them are under 20, light-bodied and not shy.
“I can go fast, very fast,” says 17-year-old Tsaeng Masotsa defiantly before heading to the starting line. He is paid just over 5 euros by an owner to run on a three-year-old mare.
Launched at breakneck speed, the silhouettes of the horses lengthen in the distance, on the curved course. The riders whip, some strike the neck of the hand. The route on a dirt road is just over a kilometer long.
Behind the finish line marked by a pile of stones, the elated crowd whistles and shouts.
