TITLE: Dead Goat Polo

Trying to outrun your opponents with a decapitated (headless) goat wedged between your leg and your horse, might not be your idea of a fun game, but in Kyrgyzstan, Kok Boru is the national sport.  Dead goat polo as some refer to it, feels more to me like cavalier rugby. Generally organized in two teams of four, but sometimes many more, riders race from one end of the field to the other chasing the rider with the goat whose sole intention is to score a point by heaving the 30 kilo body into the Tai Kazan (goal) on either end.  Only stallions are used in this game, as they are naturally anti-social and eager to fight off rivals.  The men train their horses to muscle out other horses while they try to snatch the goat and race full speed towards the Tai Kazan, braking only as they slam into the rubber tires around the edge of the meter-high mound.  It’s a rough and tumble game played by boys from the age of 4 - 5, though children learn to play on donkeys and instead of a goat, they fling around a much lighter pillow made of goat skin stuffed with hay.

Most villages throughout the country have a playing field, some have official stadiums. Professional teams play tournaments which culminate in the national championships played during the festivities surrounding Nooruz on March 21st when the Kyrgyz nation celebrates the beginning of Spring.

AUTHOR: Alain Schroeder (Belgium)