"Horse racing always been something to unite the people of the Virgin Islands." GQ Sports presents "Cruzan Cowboys," a short film directed by Doug Segars. A reflection on the rich history and generational stories within the horse jockey community of Saint Croix — through the perspective of a young aspiring jockey, native to the island.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 Bushra sin, I was been something to unite the people of the Virgin Islands.
00:17 [MUSIC]
00:29 Bushra's been a part of our culture from way back in the days.
00:34 My father and did it everywhere on the island,
00:37 it happened everywhere on the island and just like, over time things die out.
00:41 So with one stretch would end and another would form somewhere else.
00:46 So it would never like completely just end.
00:49 [MUSIC]
00:53 >> You can start from anywhere.
00:54 So we start from the bushes.
00:58 These young jockeys or young guys start racing here in the bushes.
01:02 And that's how they know they can ride.
01:03 Then they evolve into becoming a professional racer and stuff.
01:07 [MUSIC]
01:10 Two horses battling against each other, more than likely for
01:14 a bag of feed or something like that, bragging rights.
01:16 That's what they do all day.
01:18 All we want to do is see horse racing.
01:19 We just like to see it in the bushes.
01:22 I mean, this is what we love.
01:24 [MUSIC]
01:34 My name is Tito.
01:44 I am 15 and I'm an apprentice jockey from St. Croix.
01:50 I was 11 years old when I first started getting into horses.
01:55 I got into horseback riding by Glenroy.
02:01 Glenroy is one of my close partners.
02:04 We've known each other for a while now.
02:06 But he's older than me though, but we grew up in the same area.
02:11 I used to see him like dealing with horses and stuff and
02:15 I always was passionate about horses.
02:17 So when I saw him, I just came around and started to help.
02:20 And from there, he taught me everything and
02:23 I used to tell him I want to ride.
02:25 And he told me, it gonna come, but
02:27 you have to know how to take care of a horse in order to ride a horse.
02:32 The process was like, I had to learn how to groom a horse,
02:39 curry comb a horse, feed a horse,
02:43 how to walk the horse, and how to tell when the horse is hurting,
02:50 how to band horses, all of that I had to go through.
02:55 So then I just kept doing it and kept learning.
02:59 And I just got better and I learned more step by step.
03:04 [MUSIC]
03:09 A normal day for me is like getting up, eating, and
03:12 in the afternoon I come out, exercise the horses.
03:16 I have to exercise and after that go and chill with my friends and stuff.
03:20 I mostly chill with Martin.
03:23 [MUSIC]
03:33 [MUSIC]
03:43 In the Virgin Islands, it ain't really that good cuz the track closed down.
03:57 But I still managed to practice and
04:00 I have connections for after I'm done school and stuff to leave.
04:05 Because we're not sure when the track gonna open back up.
04:08 [MUSIC]
04:15 People was really loving the sport, it's just we had nothing to do.
04:19 We didn't have any really race horses or anything, no track or anything like that.
04:23 So people came out to the bush tracks and everybody loved that.
04:29 So it got popular and they shut us down and we made a big stink about it.
04:34 They came about it the wrong way.
04:37 If they had came to us and said, this is how you do it, this is the right way to do
04:43 it, then of course we would have done it because it was getting real popular.
04:47 [MUSIC]
04:54 When this was running, the way it was running, two years,
04:58 crime rate was down in St. Croix, but nobody never talked about it.
05:02 [MUSIC]
05:04 After this closed down, ask them how the crime rate skyrocketed.
05:12 [MUSIC]
05:14 It's just facts.
05:15 >> They talking about it has fast and it won't jump.
05:18 >> So we didn't have no hospitalization for about five years for no reason actually.
05:23 >> Hey, you see the whipping man?
05:28 Look, look the whip.
05:30 Look, get on.
05:33 [MUSIC]
05:35 >> The surveillance video shows someone opening fire causing-
05:38 >> A lot of people lose their life due to
05:40 the fact that they didn't have nothing to do.
05:43 Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
05:45 [MUSIC]
05:49 On the island, there's a lot of violence.
05:51 And this is my way of keeping away from violence.
05:54 So my major fear is dying and not getting to express the love I have for
06:00 horses and sharing it with the younger kids and stuff like that.
06:04 Making a difference, basically.
06:06 [MUSIC]
06:16 [MUSIC]
06:20 There's trouble I get into and my most problem is fighting.
06:24 But since I started exercising horses, my mental health got better because
06:32 horses keep my mind off of a lot of stuff.
06:34 Like when I ride in horses, it clears my mind.
06:38 When I get angry, I could control it more now,
06:42 like better than how I used to control it.
06:46 I think I build relationship with these horses because,
06:50 like, I just love to be around them.
06:52 They're just my favorite animal and I like them since I've been small.
06:59 And now that I have the opportunity to be around them and ride them,
07:03 it's a good feeling.
07:05 [MUSIC]
07:15 >> Sienna, do you have four trees?
07:24 Would have been nice to get the camera help.
07:25 >> [SOUND]
07:30 >> Touch it, touch it.
07:31 >> Mama.
07:31 >> [LAUGH]
07:33 >> Touch it.
07:34 Touch it.
07:34 [MUSIC]
07:44 This, having this, unite the people in the community.
07:53 >> Look at the results, right?
07:54 Now we're telling everybody to don't drive on the stretch.
07:56 What a beautiful stretch, look.
07:57 >> [LAUGH]
07:58 >> Right?
07:59 >> Grass.
07:59 >> Right?
08:00 [MUSIC]
08:09 >> I want to go next.
08:11 I want to go next.
08:12 [MUSIC]
08:15 >> You know, we mix in on a regular basis.
08:18 You know, we see each other every weekend.
08:21 You become friends.
08:22 [MUSIC]
08:25 When we mix like this, everybody will become one.
08:29 [MUSIC]
08:31 >> You have my respect.
08:32 >> [FOREIGN]
08:34 [MUSIC]
08:40 >> This horse racing community on St. Croix, they always influence me to do good.
08:44 Like, they tell me like, if you're not doing good in school,
08:48 they wouldn't put me up to ride.
08:50 And like, they always tell me to don't follow bad company.
08:53 Just do what you have to do, so I can leave this island.
08:59 [MUSIC]
09:04 When I finish school, my next plan is to like, leave and
09:09 go state and start as an exercise rider.
09:13 And from there, go to be a jockey.
09:17 [MUSIC]
09:23 The fears I have about the future is like my family.
09:27 Because they're not gonna be coming with me when I go state to ride and stuff.
09:33 So they're really the people who I'm going to be leaving behind.
09:38 [MUSIC]
09:48 [MUSIC]
09:58 I am one, I'm proof.
10:06 Started in the bushes, gradually went to the track here,
10:11 went to Puerto Rico, to Gulf Stream.
10:13 So I'm proof that you can start from the bushes and end up professional.
10:18 [MUSIC]
10:22 I want my impact on the world to be for like, younger people,
10:26 younger than me, who wants to be a jockey or in general just have a dream.
10:31 Don't let no one discourage you, chase your dream,
10:35 because it all falls in place.
10:38 [MUSIC]
10:40 I know for sure that I'm going to chase my dream and
10:45 one day be the best jockey to represent St. Cloud.
10:50 [MUSIC]
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