Goat Carcass Polo

Last weekend I went to Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan (near the borders of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) to see the Nariyz New Year festival games which is celebrated on the Equinox every March around the 21st/22nd. The games revolve around horses and the amazing skill of the Kazakh riders. What a fantastic cultural experience...

Overview of the games day – 2 min including a bit of show jumping, racing, eagle handling, and the main events below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXx_JmYn-1I

Kokpar - Goat Polo - as confusing as rugby to the uninitiated. Apparently the ARE rules.   6 mins

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqW-MWAiODE

Horseback wrestling 3 mins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C86d-vGEIDg

Kiss Chase (Kyz Kuu) - if he kisses her she gets revenge by chasing him back and beating him with a stick!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQzu--jIBWE

I think I'll stick to motorcycles....