The stuff of a champion race buffalo is comprised of a number of factors, including the tenacity of the beasts themselves, the dexterity and adroitness of the jockey concerned and, most importantly, the skills of the dukun (shaman) who accompanies every jockey and his pair of buffaloes. The role of the dukun in the beraban kebo is to arm his jockey and buffaloes with a cosmic protection against the black magic spells cast by the dukuns of rival teams. Sometime, buffaloes break their legs during the race or, more tragically, jockeys are killed by the angry beasts with their lethal horns. According to local lore, these kinds of occurrences show up the dukun concerned as a poor shaman, with weak magic powers.

In Sumbawa, the owner of a champion pair of buffaloes is revered and respected in their local community. Considering how much they cost to buy, ownership of a race buffalo in itself is a symbol of status. A pair of champion buffaloes could be sold for as much as Rp30 million (approx. US$3,000).

It's not unusual for the owners of racing buffaloes to honor their prize beasts with more attention than they do their own children. Most bathe their buffaloes in a special kind of holy water twice a day, and read a prayer as they do so. And as well as their regular feed, the buffaloes are fed jamu (medicinal herbs) twice a day - a concoction which consists of lita wood bark, kasumang buntit roots, katumang bawi roots, ginger, eggs and honey. This special mixture is meant as a cure for aches and pains, but is also believed to serve as a protection against bad spells cast by the dukuns of rivals. Race buffaloes also undergo daily training and it are forbidden to work in the rice fields.

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