The Kalabaw (Carabao, a type of Water Buffalo) is perhaps the most prized and beloved animal in the Philippines. It has been the companion of Filipinos even before the Spaniards came. The Kalabaw is used by Filipino Farmers to plow their farms, as a mode of transporting goods, and as simply a mode of transportation similar to the way other people uses horses. Even with the advent of modern Farm equipment, the Kalabaw is still the top choice of most farmers to plow their fields.

If you would ever visit an urban area in the Philippines, you would almost always see people riding the Kalabaw bareback. If you do try to ride the Kalabaw this way, it is better if you are wearing jeans or long pants, since the hairs on the Kalabaw’s skin can sometimes make you itchy. The Kalabaw is often used to pull a type of wooden sled. This is often used to carry goods such as sacks of rice or baskets of vegetables, but can also be used as a kind of transportation since there is a makeshift seat in the sled.