Buffaloes battle it out on dirt tracks in Thailand's annual racing festival

The race is the highlight of the annual week-long buffalo festival held in the coastal town of Chonburi which is now into its 147th year (Photo: AFP)

The decades-old tradition started as a way for farmers to blow off steam during the slow moments of an arduous rice-planting season, and over time many superstitions developed around it (Photo: AFP)

For centuries, these gentle giants were of immense practical importance — ploughing the fields, providing transport, and even defending villages in times of conflict (Photo: AFP)

If a buffalo fell sick for example, farmers would pray to the spirits of their ancestors to heal it; if the animal recovered, a race would be offered in thanks (Photo: AFP)

But as farming became mechanised, buffaloes have taken on a symbolic role, acting as a reminder of Thailand’s farming tradition (Photo: AFP)

Phaichit Payindee has been competing for years, and prides herself in keeping last year’s reigning champion, four-year-old Ruang, strong and healthy (Photo: AFP)

An estimated 10,000 people attended the annual festival (Photo: AFP)