Year of the Ox: Watch men get dragged through muddy paddy fields in Indonesia cow racing

Year of the Ox: Watch men get dragged through muddy paddy fields in Indonesia cow racing

Locals in Indonesia's West Sumatra province marked the Lunar New Year by taking part in a traditional bull racing event on Saturday (February 13).

Locals in Indonesia's West Sumatra province marked the Lunar New Year by taking part in a traditional bull racing event on Saturday (February 13).

Exhilarating footage captured in the muddy rice fields of Tanah Datar District shows jockeys getting dragged by their bulls for the traditional event.

A popular tourist attraction, pacu Jawi (cow race) is closed to the general public due to the coronavirus pandemic until May.

Although described as a race, the bulls do not directly compete against each other and no formal winner is announced.

The tradition, which has been around for hundreds of years, sometimes takes place to celebrate the end of the rice harvest season.

The raucous event also allows sellers to show off their best bulls to buyers.