Africa & Middle East > South Africa > Cape Town and around > Cape Town > Articles > South Africa - Ruffling Feathers at an ostrich rodeo

It’s the world’s craziest rodeo, where the blinkered ‘bronco’ only has two legs and the rider resists its attempts to throw him by holding on, not to reins, but to wings.

Ostrich feathers may have gone out of fashion, but racing this dumb, yet powerful, bird is the latest trend at Oudtshoorn, Cape Province, in the arid, Arizona-like heart of South Africa’s ostrich-farming country.

And if you are feeling a bit peckish after a bruising ride, then how about an ostrich cutlet, ostrich omelette (one egg could feed a family of five) or even an ostrich burger?

Before World War I, ostriches, which once roamed the whole of Africa from Egypt to the Cape, were a major industry in South Africa. South African ostrich feathers adorned fashion-conscious women across Europe and America, but the arrival of the automobile in 1920 virtually killed the industry because women couldn’t wear the feathers in an open car.

Though the number of ostrich farms in South Africa plunged from 80,000 before the First World War to a few hundred today, the country is still the world leader in ostrich farming.

Today, ostrich feathers are mainly used as dusters, and as capes for leggy Las Vegas showgirls. The skin is also used for shoes and handbags, which tend to be hideously expensive.

Some people say that the hide itself, with its bumpy appearance, is hideous as well; like a handbag with herpes. There is an upside, however; ostrich hide lasts nearly forever.

What the ostrich may lack in glamour, it more than makes up for in comic value. Close up, this huge bird, which has not changed since the Stone Age, could kindly be described as a chicken that has seriously over-dosed on steroids.

Despite being six feet tall and weighing more than 14 st, the ostrich has a brain not much larger than that of a chicken. This is not one of Mother Nature’s most cerebral creations.

Oudtshoorn is also home to Highgate, the country’s largest ostrich show farm. Visitors to the farm learn everything they’ve always wanted to know about ostriches and more.

The highlight at Highgate is watching a brief but hectic ostrich race, followed by the opportunity to ride one of the big birds yourself.

The corral where one rides the animals is covered with straw about eighteen inches deep, and specially tamed birds, which are more or less used to people, are selected for riding purposes.

Like getting on a horse at a rodeo, a volunteer rider steps off a raised platform and on to the animal’s broad back - the bird itself has a wind-sock placed over its head to keep it calm.

Once settled on the big bird’s back, however, riders are warned not to grab the neck as that will choke the bird (which makes it angry as well as stupid). Instead, one grasps the stumpy little half wings and hangs on for dear life.

As soon as the wind-sock is pulled off the bird’s head, it tends to race off in a sort of controlled panic. Few non-professional ostrich riders - a rare profession, one assumes - can hang on for more than 30 seconds.

After witnessing this bizarre ostrich rodeo, guests at Highgate are treated to that delicious ostrich cutlet. It tastes a lot like turkey, but the red meat is even more healthy because of its low fat content. Ostrich omelets can be shared among eight people, and washed down with superb South African wines.

Finally, for those seeking a unique gift item, there are decorated ostrich eggshells the size of toasters, and for the truly discerning traveller, there are table lamps made from the three clawed, reptilian-like ostrich legs - just the thing for your least favourite aunt or cousin.

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