Meet Afghanistans national sport: Buzkashi
The game is played with 20 or more riders. There were also matches with more than 1000 horses and riders. In the beginning a dead goat or sometimes a dead calf is layed down on the pitch, the game is usually played at a big field. The first rider who’s bringing the dead animal to the judge is the winner. There are no teams, so everyoe is playing for himself. Everything is allowed to get the goat (as you can see in the pictures). If someone is having the goat, the other ones try to take it away from him, so this person can’t bring it to the judge. The more riders, the more time the match will take. Sometimes it takes several days. It’s allowed to use the whip in any way, so the riders wear thick clothes and a thick head. The match ends when the dead animal is completely ripped apart or when someone carried the goat / calf to the judge. The winner will get a lot of social prestige and often a very valuable prize - such as an expensive horse.