Working the Pony

Abstract

We present a model of the drinking practices of Latina immigrants who work in bars or cantinas and are compensated for drinking 8 oz beer or ponies with customers, hence working the pony. A total of 358 women recruited from 61 randomly selected cantinas were interviewed as part of a community study conducted in a metropolitan area in the U.S. Southwest. Participants reported drinking an average of 21 beers on nights they worked for ponies. Multiple regression results indicate that drinking practices are related to sociodemographic, work history, drug use, and sexual risk characteristics. The drinking of cantineras is more than 4 times higher than the heavy episodic drinking of high risk Latino male drinkers and young male restaurant workers. The findings suggest that they may be at risk of multiple health problems and could benefit from alcohol risk-reduction interventions.