Horse Games Festival
The next one in the Top 4 Most Famous Festivals in Kyrgyzstan that Toplist would like to introduce to you is Horse Games Festival. Horses and hunting dogs have always played an important role in Kyrgyz daily life. They were indispensable not only during the hunt, but also in everyday family life. Even today, the majority of the country's rural population lives in a semi-nomadic manner. Almost anyone can ride a horse, and a variety of horse games passed down from generation to generation provide an excellent opportunity for riders to demonstrate their riding skills, agility, and quick reaction.
Today, you might see games like:
- At Chabysh- long-distance races. Fascinating races with distances of up to 100 kilometers in which young boys aged 10-15 are frequently involved for horse playfulness and sometimes saddles are removed to increase speed.
- Ulak Tartysh- an enthralling game in which two teams of riders 'compete' for the carcass of a goat. Many people are enchanted by the moment when the riders almost droop and get a 30 kilo carcass while riding. The team should then use an improvised ring to lower the carcass to the slope.
- Kurosh- horse wrestling in which riders must push and seize the other rider's horse in order to bring him down.
- Oodarysh- a type of wrestling in which riders must get the other rider off the horse without using their hands. You can only win if you can ride a horse skillfully enough to push the other rider, possibly even with his horse.
- Kyz Kumay- a beautiful game that is still difficult to classify as a game. The rider must catch the girl-rider in order to receive a kiss.
- Tiyin Enmey- a game in which the rider attempts to collect coins from the ground while riding.
The dates of the folk games were outside of the normal "tourist season," as it was not intended to be a festival for tourists, but rather a festival for locals. The majority of the participants are mountain workers who take cattle to one of the mountain jailoos (pastures) for the summer. When the herd reaches the lower meadows, the preparation for horse games begins.
Takes place: July
