The traditional characteristics of the Mnarja horse races should be preserved, otherwise their attraction will be lost, Charles Ciangura, a race horse enthusiast and retired building contractor said in an interview.

Mr Ciangura's father Karmnu, known as Sigaretti, used to organise the races for over 50 years.

Although there is still a lot of enthusiasm by those who want to take part in the races, the races are being run on a commercial basis that kills their traditional cultural character, Mr Ciangura, 67 argued.

"The races have gone to seed. Riders should not wear stable colours but traditional garb such as franella, a flannel top and go bare foot.

"Riders should ride bareback without the use of a saddle and no sulkies should be allowed."

The route is half a mile long. The races will be held tomorrow at Saqqajja starting at 3.30 p.m.

"Far too many races are held and certain riders use a saddle on which they are able to exert greater strength to whip the animals."

The Mnarja is the traditional agrarian festival which coincides with the feast of St Peter and St Paul. Vegetables, fruit, poultry and farm animals will be judged tomorrow morning at Buskett Gardens.

"In the old days if you were caught hitting or otherwise pricking a donkey with a goad to spur it on, you were liable to get sentenced to eight days' imprisonment."

Anton Miceli, a member of the Kumitat Nazzjonali Folklor who are in charge of the Mnarja festival, said that between 25 and 30 races are held.

"We commission the Ghaqda Dilettanti Ponijiet to take care of the races. They are the experts in the field.

"One of the conditions that we make is that in six of the races the riders have to ride bareback. Apparently, there is not much enthusiasm for this type of racing," Mr Miceli added.

Continuing, Mr Ciangura noted that tourists who attend the traditional Siena palio races go there because of the way the riders still ride their horses bareback and the way the route is lined with mattresses to take the impact of those horses that inadvertently rush on and crash into the soft barriers.

Mr Ciangura recalls that word used to spread like wild fire when donkeys used to arrive in Valletta by ship from Tunis. Donkeys were used mostly as a means of transport and by hawkers who sold live poultry, live rabbits and vegetables.

One could buy a two-year old donkey for about £30.

Mr Ciangura's father used to buy and sell mules imported from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. "Ponies" are not to be confused with Shetland ponies or similar species but are horses known in Italian as mezzo cavallo.

They were imported from Albania and popularly known as ponijiet tal-Griegi - Greek "ponies".

"These ponies were practically tireless. We used to have one and used it as one would today use a car for transport.

"My father used to buy the mules, horses and ponies from an open air animal market in Sta Venera known as l-ghalqa tal-bhejjem.

"On May 1, my father used to apply for the permit to allow riders to try out their horses at Saqqajja. There were four main classes: horses, mules, mares and donkeys.

Entrants who failed to make it to the main races were raced in a section called barranin.

Most of the mules were used to plough fields but those that were to race in Mnarja were prepared two months in advance by not working in the fields and given two times or three times the amount of grain a day to build up their strength.

The walls alongside the race course had to be whitewashed yellow and the doors brown. Four days prior to the Mnarja, the bandu - a remnant of the Grand Master's edict - used to be organised announcing the feast with a drummer and a fifer player who was known as Bajumbaj.

Hundreds of people including tourists used to accompany the town crier bearing the bandu from Mdina down to the race course near Saqqajja close to il-Barrakka, the place where the prizes are presented after the races.

The bandu was announced four days prior to the races because that was the last day when the four-legged candidates for the races used to be taken through their paces.

"This tradition has been allowed to die out. Before the races those taking part with their animals used to congregate near the Roman Villa in Rabat where the old pitkali, the vegetable market, used to be.

"They would then proceed to the spot near Tattingers, in the shadow of the carob trees to avoid the burning heat of the sun. There used to be a pathway there leading to Mdina which is blocked now.

"The more popular riders were iz-Zwa, Guzi Cordina known as Halliela, Peppi l-Bahri and his son George Schembri, l-Bubuna and il-Guggu who today shoes race horses".

Mr Miceli pointed out that because of the high temperature prevailing at this time of the year, from next year the races will either be held later on in the day or during the early morning. But no final decision has yet been taken.

No goads will be allowed and whips used are according to international horse racing rules. An ambulance as well as representatives of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be present during the races.