The sun is already casting a golden glow over the mountains surrounding Lake Son-Köl in central Kyrgyzstan as four horsemen gallop towards the yurt camp, situated on the shore of the lake at an altitude of three thousand metres. One of them is holding a goat upside down by its legs. At least on its head… blood is dripping from the beast’s neck, leaving a red trail on the summer meadows.
As the horsemen approach with the hanging corpse, two men at the lake pass around a vial containing an indefinable substance. “Pre-competition doping,” one of them laughs before explaining that it involves sucking on tobacco. A little push really doesn’t hurt. The knights are about to mount up to play kok boroe – a traditional Central Asian equestrian sport that is a strange combination of polo and rugby.
But with one essential difference. Kok Boroe’s players are not competing for a ball, but for the carcass of a decapitated goat. The goat now lies on the grass.
Medieval battlefield
Eight riders, four per team, stand at the edge of the water, about a hundred metres from the carcass. After a loud cry, the horses charge towards the beast. The ground shakes and earth explodes everywhere. Testosterone and adrenaline fly through the air. Once next to the goat, the riders try to pull the carcass off the ground by hanging on to the side of their horse, while reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour.
It is definitely not an easy task. According to the rules, a Kok Boro goat must weigh between 30 and 35 kilos. In addition, almost everything is allowed: hitting a horse with one’s own horse, immobilizing other riders, hitting one’s own or another’s horse with a whip, pulling the goat while an opponent is holding it, throwing the animal. There are only a few things that are not allowed: pushing or pulling a (human) opponent, grabbing their saddle or reins, or causing a horse to rear.
The spectacle is reminiscent of a medieval battlefield. After one of the players pulls the goat off the ground with an acrobatic move and skillfully swings the carcass from one side to the other of his horse, holding it under his thigh, he gallops towards one of two tai kazans, a round hole into which players throw the goat to score. Although during today’s friendly match, a large carpet serves as a goal.
breaking ribs
The rider’s quick attack fails a few moments later. On the way to the goal, an opponent catches up with him and strikes him with his horse. The rider falls off his horse, goat and all, after which his opponent quickly snatches the first mentioned animal from the ground.
The action receives loud applause from spectators along the side of the field. The times when the horses narrowly pass them, they jump back to avoid being trampled.
It’s not limited to near misses. The race lasts three twenty-minute halves, and during that time two riders, horses and all, fall to the ground with a thud. They’re not bothered. One by one they get up, dust themselves off, and remount. The goat’s carcass ends up under a hoof countless times in that same hour, causing the animal’s ribs to crack audibly.
Wolf hunting as combat training for warriors
In the West, people often laugh at “dead goat polo.” Critics believe it is a barbaric sport that involves unnecessary animal suffering. But anyone who puts aside such Western judgments will see that there is more to it.
The sport has its origins among the nomads of the Central Asian steppe and arose from wolf hunting: cooking boron means “blue wolf” in Kyrgyz. To protect their yurt camps and livestock, horsemen would hunt packs of wolves in order to tear them alive from the ground and throw them out.
Over time, wolf hunting evolved into combat training for warriors. A martial art that taught nomads to be fearless.
Kyrgyz culture
Today, the essence is not much different, says 24-year-old Isko Oemerbekov after the match, panting to polish his boots. “I started playing kok boroe 13 years ago and now I play professionally. Of course it is dangerous, I have been injured several times. But I am not afraid, rather I am proud to play this sport. Kok boroe is a tradition deeply rooted in Kyrgyz culture.”
It is not for nothing that the United Nations included this sport on the list of intangible cultural heritage in 2017. All the more so, says Oemerbekov, because kok boru is a serious matter. All Central Asian countries have their national competitions and the sport is a regular and extremely popular event at the World Nomad Games, a biennial international competition of ethnic sports from Central Asia.
“Kyrgyzstan always wins at Kok Boroe,” Oemerbekov says proudly. “We are simply the best.”
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