For the horse folks... Mexican QH racing...

So, on the way to Mitla after Monte Alban (more on that later), we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. And as they were giving us a tour of how they make mezcal (similar to tequila), I spotted a small shedrow behind the restaurant, and then a guy walking a horse... Screw the mezcal production! and made a beeline to the guy and horse. We start talking and it turns out that he is a jockey for the owner/trainer of the horses, so he introduces me to Miss Oaxaca, a 2 y.o. QH filly.

Miss Oaxaca  y ella jockete

By then Stef T. had shown up (horses are like magnets in foreign countries to us horsefolks!), and he then introduced us to Miss Columbiana, a 4 y.o. QH mare.

Love how he's on his cell, and she's just chillin'... She's won quite a few races.

And then to El Jimador, a 2 y.o. TB colt, who despite his name, was not very intimidating (he slightly jumped at the camera click! ;-)

El Jimador... the intimidated! ;-)

The shedrow is small, the stall doors metal, only 3 horses living there at the moment. The horses look short in their stalls because they have to step down into them.

The stalls and tack/ feedroom were very clean, but when we had showed up, all the top stall doors where closed so that they were in the dark :-( but we realized with El Jimador, it's because he can undo his latch!

The stalls to the left are for shavings and feed storage.

El Jimador... the escape artist (you can see Javier rushing to close the newly opened stall door!)

Not for the racehorses, of course...

Nor this...

The jockey, I think his name was Javier... I can't remember exactly!, very proudly showed us a picture of him breaking from the gate with Miss Columbiana. And at the back wall of the restaurant, there are dozens of win photos of the owner's racing Quarterhorses. Most QH racing in Mexico is match races (two horses), but is sometimes up to four at a time...

A cool experience, dare I say better than the lunch? ;-)