Ban or not, Mongolian child jockeys stay in the saddle

This picture taken on March 5, 2017 shows a Mongolian child jockey (C) preparing to compete in the “Dunjingarav 2017” spring horse race on the outskirts of Ulan Bator.Mongolian courts banned them, human rights groups slammed them and the labour ministry demands they cease, but none of that has stopped Mongolia’s politicians from letting child jockeys saddle up. Despite the outcry, coaches still hire child riders to race at breakneck speeds across the freezing steppe in high stakes contests with powerful backers. / AFP PHOTO / BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR / TO GO WITH Mongolia-jockeys-social-children, FOCUSMongolian courts banned them, human rights groups slammed them and the labour ministry demands they cease, but none of that has stopped Mongolia’s politicians from letting child jockeys saddle up. Despite the outcry, coaches still hire child riders to race at breakneck speeds across the freezing steppe in high stakes contests with powerful backers. / AFP PHOTO / BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR / TO GO WITH M

Tsagaan Hutul (Mongolia): Mongolian courts banned them, human rights groups slammed them and the labour ministry demands they cease, but none of that has stopped Mongolia’s politicians from letting child jockeys saddle up.

Despite the outcry, coaches still hire child riders to race at breakneck speeds across the freezing steppe in high stakes contests with powerful backers.