Horse Riding Games

[kasymov]

One of the fascinating things about Central Asia is the traditional games and sports of the nomadic tribes. The games in Central Asia are not like the sports you will see in the Olympics.

The horse riding games include:

Goat Grabbing: Kok-Boru or Ulak Tartysh or Tai Kazan!

Of all the Sports in Central Asia, this is the most famous traditional horse riding game. It is traditionally known as buzkashi which means goat grabbing. Others will refer to it as the dead goat polo. Two teams wrestle on the back of horses to win possession of a dead and headless goat or sheep. After winning the possession of the goat, the team has to ride as fast as they can and place the goat on the goals of the opponent. In the traditional setting, the goat is known as Tai Kazan. The team must have the same number of players, and the duration of the game is fifteen minutes. The pitch size is about 300 x 150 meters. Even though there is a pitch, the horses are not that intelligent to respect the boundaries, and therefore the spectators are usually urged to be alert always.

Picking up Coin off the Ground: Tyiyn Enmei

From the name, it is self-explanatory what the horse riding game entails. Coins are placed on small mounds of sand that are white in color or sawdust at intermediary intervals along the pathway of a distance of 100 meters. At the start, the referee gives a go-ahead of the commencement of the race. The riders set off at a quick pace with the target of reaching low from the back of a horse and grabbing the coin off the ground. The judge can disqualify a competitor if he notices the rider is moving at a slow pace or when the horse comes to a halt. In the case that the rider falls off the horse, he must continue to the finish line so as to avoid disqualification. Each rider is given three rounds and the winner is the one who picks up most of the coins.

Chasing After the Girl: Kyz-Kuumai

The game involves a girl and a man. They are both on horses back. Both the riders must ride as fast as they can. The man has to get the girl who has a small head start, get her and then kiss her. If the gentleman fails to accomplish this, the lady has to whip him.

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