The Porocup (Reindeer Cup) competition series started in Rovaniemi, the capital of Finnish Lapland, in February and continues throughout the spring.
Competitors are collecting points in series, aiming to earn a starting berth for the Reindeer King Race in early April, which the 24 reindeer with the most points can enter.
The final is held in northernmost Finland's capital of Finland’s indigenous Sámi culture, known as Inari in Finnish and Aanaar, Aanar and Anár in the various Sámi languages.
Some drivers are training seriously for the competition with an eye on the crown, while others approach it with a more relaxed attitude, considering the sport as a hobby.
The third event in the Porocup series is being held in Yli-Ii this weekend, with Sunday’s races beginning at 11am in the village of Kierikki, some 50km northwest of Oulu. The day's events include a junior race, adult heats and a final.
Tuula Määttä from Oulu is an avid competitor.
In the competition series' general category, she drives reindeer owned by her father and his friends, which are selected from among the regular breeding reindeer for the competition.
Määttä told Yle that she trains for each competition a few times, but that there’s always a chance of being stuck behind one or more reindeer for whom competitions are a new experience.
"It may be that none of the reindeer has raced in a group before, and then you never know what they’ll do. You have to be careful to avoid crashes," she said.
Reindeer are semi-domesticated and usually only rounded up once a year. Only male reindeer are used for racing.
Nine decades of competitions
The sport is practiced in different parts of the reindeer husbandry area, which extends not only through Finnish Lapland but also to the northern parts of Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu.
This year's second competition was in late February in Ylikiiminki. It was hosted by a local youth organisation, which ploughed a track for the race in Saarisuo, a bog area about 100km east of Oulu.
Formal reindeer competitions have been organised in Finland since 1932. However, they haven't been held every year. For instance, the 2021 season was cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions.
There are an estimated 200,000 semi-domesticated reindeer in northern Finland, as well as a wild related species known as forest reindeer.