Woman who became a pro camel rider at 40 and hopes it becomes an Olympic sport says it ‘isn’t for the faint-hearted’

A woman who became a professional camel rider at 40, after a career as a horse trainer, is now campaigning to have the sport – which she says “isn’t for the faint-hearted” – included in the 2032 Olympics in Australia.

Jennifer Reggio, now 42, who grew up in Dubai, began horse riding at age six and went on to become a horse trainer and racer at 23 in the United States, before returning to Dubai in 2013 to raise her son, Liam, now 13.

A decade later, in 2023, she discovered women’s camel racing and instantly wanted to “give it a try” – and after just two months of training she finished fourth in her first 2,000-metre race.

In the races, she taps the camel on the neck to guide it, and although they are trained to run straight, they do not always comply – Jennifer said she needs to be able to “hold on or know how to fall away” from the camel’s feet.

Jennifer said she gets “a lot more respect from men” in Dubai when they see her racing camels, as they “understand how difficult it is”.

Jennifer, who lives between Dubai and Louisiana, US, told PA Real Life: “Camels can decide mid-race to turn in the opposite direction, likely unseating the rider or throwing you off entirely.

“I’ve had it happen – it’s painful but you get back on.

“That’s the nature of the sport, it’s terrifyingly thrilling.

“Starting something new at 40 is the best thing I can advise to any woman or man.

“We are at our prime – smarter and stronger.

“To other women, take a chance, do what brings you joy and butterflies in your stomach!”

Jennifer was born in Dubai – so, from a “very young age”, she became “used to camels wandering around” her in the desert.

At age six, she began horse riding and her love for animals “grew even more” as she got older.

At 23, in 2006, she became a horse trainer and racer in the United States, and eventually moved back to Dubai as a single mother in 2013, after having her son in 2012.

“It was just a safe place for me to raise him on my own and then the camels were obviously still very much a part of the scenery here,” she said.

“And we would ride camels for fun through the desert.”

In 2023, at age 40, she reconnected with a woman from horse racing, who told Jennifer she was taking part in a women’s-only camel race.

She said: “I thought, ‘Well, I live here, I hadn’t even heard of that’, and so I went with her to the race, and I started talking to the lady who’s the director of the women’s team at the Arabian Desert Camel Riding Club here and I told her I wanted to compete.”

Her friend then “worked very diligently” to train Jennifer in camel racing to prepare for the next race in two months’ time.

She said: “I was used to the speed, because horses and camels both go at about 40mph, but I certainly wasn’t used to floating on the back of a camel, which is very difficult.”

“The training was just sort of throwing yourself on the camel and going for it – you have to have strength in your mind and body and have a natural balance.

“You also need a brave heart.

“Training for racing is more than throwing yourself up there – it takes guts and determination and a lot of balance and patience and confidence.”

To begin with, Jennifer found the training “nerve-wracking” because she had less control compared to riding a horse.

She explained: “We have a whip that we use to guide the camel directionally. We tap them on the neck on the right side to make them go to the left and vice versa.

“The camels are trained to go straight, but they don’t always go straight!

“When you end up on a camel that makes a very sharp U-turn, you just need to be able to hold on or know how to fall away from their feet.”

In her first 2,000-metre race, as part of the Arabian Desert Camel Riding Club (ADCRC) in 2023, she came in fourth place and was “so proud” of herself.

She added: “We’re an all-female team, but in the races we race individually and it’s every woman for herself.”

In the summer of 2023, she went on to race in France and has since competed in Saudi Arabia several times a year.

She added: “The nerves start days before a big race and sometimes they are so intense that I feel physically sick.

“The nausea can be crippling.”

She has tried to manage her pre-race anxiety through breathing exercises and visualisation techniques but her nausea was “hard to tame”.

However, when she began using Sea-Band Acupressure Nausea Relief Bands, which she has not been paid to discuss, she claims her nausea improved.

She said: “They’ve become my little emotional support bracelets.

“I put them on my wrists, and within minutes I feel calmer.”

Since competing, she has realised that there are many misconceptions about camels.

“They’re extremely smart animals, but most people would probably look at a camel and think they don’t have too much going on upstairs,” Jennifer explained.

“The best camel might be on his mark today and unbeatable but, then in the next race, if they’ve had a bad morning and someone was rude to them, they won’t want to do it.”

Jennifer said the reception she gets from the local community in Dubai is “very positive” as they “understand how difficult it is”.

She said: “We get a lot more respect from men and when they see us on the camels there’s a sense of admiration from them because some of them won’t even jump on a camel.”

“We really look after camels – we take them for walks and to the beach for a swim.”

When she explains her sport to people who are not based in Dubai, many think it is “really strange”.

She added: “It’s always an interesting talking point for people, and obviously they’re very interested to understand how I started, and why I started.

“Most people just don’t think that camels move that fast.”

To those who believe camel racing is unethical, she said: “Camels are a part of really rich history here in the Middle East, and camels were their main form of transportation for years.”

Looking ahead, Jennifer is campaigning for the sport to be included in the 2032 Olympics in Australia.

She said: “Camel racing isn’t a sport for the faint-hearted, but when I’m on the track, flying across the desert on one of these incredible animals, there’s nothing else like it.

“That’s why I keep pushing forward and why I’ll never give up on the dream.”

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