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Buzkashi is the National Sports of Kyrgyzstan, which is also known as Ulak Tartish or Kok Boru. The game is most popular in the mountains though a national competition also takes place annually. The game is somewhat similar to Polo but the difference lies in the fact that instead of a ball a carcass of sheep or calf is used in the game. The target of the player is to get hold of the carcass of calf or goat and get past other players and pitch the carcass in the target circle or goal line.
The Buzkashi players train themselves for years. The masters of the game called chapandaz are often more than forty years old. The horse too is trained rigorously so that it adapts itself according to the rules of the games. The game is played in two forms: Tudabarai and Qarajai. Tudabarai is the simpler versions of the play. The main aim of this game is to grab the carcass and get clear of the other players. Whereas in Qarajai, the player need to carry the carcass near a flag or marker located on one end of the field and then throw it into the scoring circle located at the other end.
Other then Kyrgyzstan, Buzkashi is also played in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
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