Picture Sundays: Doberman Chariots

Doberman harness racing

“Ready for the race! Brutus of Quintre and his charge are ready for the sulky races, a regular feature of some of the South African sporting events.” Photos via The Doberman Insider.

Now that we are without a car, it’s time for us to figure out alternative forms of transportation. Our late dog was a Doberman and I remembered a book we used to have about the breed that showed some unusual events that used to be held in South Africa in the 1970s: harness racing with Dobermans and kid jockeys!

Remembering just how powerful and fast our Doberman was, I imagine these races were quite a thrill for the kids in those carts.

doberman race

Try this in the US and, no doubt, child protective services would shut down the fun in no time. For the adult version I imagine we’d need a team of Dobes to pull our cart. Practical transportation and the start of Los Angeles’ answer to the Iditerod!

Leave a comment

6 Comments

  1. “child protective services would shut down the fun in no time”

    Well, of course some sourpuss would. Take a look at these things: no helmets, no safety belts, no fawning adult supervision, just plain ol’ fun. Some well-meaning do-gooder would have this shut down right away and the kids’ parents would be prosecuted for something or other.

    Makes me wonder how all of us baby boomers (and older) managed to survive childhood.

    • omg. Those are gorgeous carts. If we still had our Doberman, I’d be tempted. I would have hitched him in the Trader Joes parking lot.

      And I know he could have pulled my weight — he pulled me down the street many a time, the gravel sliding under my shoes– with me fighting back!

  2. You dont need a team. My male was clocked at 20 mph while pulling me in a cart. My husband was following on his harley. My bitch was almost as fast but I dont have a speed for her.

Comments are closed.