Buzkashi

Buzkashi is a traditional Central Asian equestrian sport, best known in Afghanistan, where riders on horseback fight for control of a goat or calf carcass and then race to a scoring area while everyone else tries to stop them. It is fast, physical, and built on real horsemanship, which is why it still pulls big winter crowds. Skilled riders, often specialists, seize the carcass, hold it tight against the leg or saddle, and push through a wall of horses to score.^{1, 2} Many modern tournaments now use a weighted synthetic substitute instead of a real carcass. What follows is a plain guide to where it comes from, how matches are run, what equipment is actually used, and why it sits so deeply inside Afghan public life.

What buzkashi is

The name comes from Persian for "goat dragging", and that is close to the literal job. Competitors seize a decapitated and dehoofed goat or calf carcass, hold it firm, and ride through pressure to reach a goal or designated scoring zone.^{1, 2} It looks rugged, even violent, because the whole contest happens at close quarters. Horses shoulder in, riders lean low with one boot searching for the ground while the other locks into the stirrup, and the carcass becomes a heavy, awkward weight that has to be carried without letting rivals peel it free.²

Buzkashi is most strongly tied to Afghanistan, particularly the north, though related versions are played across Central Asia under other names such as kokboru, kokpar and ulak tartysh, and in parts of north-western China.^{1, 2} Claims that it has "become popular in Australia" are overstated. You may come across diaspora community events, exhibitions or media coverage, but it is not an established mainstream Australian sport in the way polo, campdrafting or rodeo are.

Where the game comes from

Most scholarly summaries trace buzkashi to the nomadic Turkic peoples who moved west from China and Mongolia between roughly the 10th and 15th centuries, with the game likely growing out of practical horse skills tied to herding and raiding.² In the 1950s, Afghanistan's central government began hosting national tournaments in Kabul, bringing a more controlled, official format alongside the older, looser village and provincial styles.^{1, 2} The two modes still sit side by side, one bounded and refereed, the other sprawling and negotiated in motion.

How a match works

Rules vary by region and event, but many descriptions group buzkashi into two broad forms.^{1, 2}

In traditional tudabaray, the free-for-all version, there may be no formal teams and no crisp field boundaries. Riders surge out of a packed scrum to gain sole possession, then try to get free and clear with the carcass, which sounds simple until you watch a dozen horses clamp down around a single line of travel.^{1, 2} In modern qarajay, teams play on a defined field with set scoring areas. That format is easier to referee and easier to stage as a spectator event, especially in large tournaments.^{1, 2}

Winning depends on the local ruleset, but the core aim is consistent. Secure the carcass, keep it under control through contact and pursuit, then complete the scoring requirement, which usually means reaching a goal area or dropping the carcass in a designated spot.^{1, 2} Matches can be short rounds or long contests across a day, with prizes awarded per round or per final result, sometimes money, sometimes animals, sometimes prestige items, and always status for riders and sponsors.²

The carcass, the horses and the gear

The playing object is not a ball, and a couple of popular details about it are simply wrong. It is traditionally a decapitated, dehoofed goat or calf carcass. It is not "cut into pieces and sewn together", and it is not "filled with coins".^{1, 2} In some modern tournaments, organisers use a synthetic substitute designed to mimic the weight and handling of a carcass, partly for practicality and standardisation.³

The horses are the true engine of the sport. They are powerful, compact animals trained to push into crowds, pivot sharply and hold a line while their rider leans dangerously low to lift the carcass from the ground.² Riders may carry whips, mainly as aids for controlling their own mounts and managing space in a tight pack, though practices vary by place and event. Clothing is often heavy, and protective headgear is common in organised play, reflecting the very real risk of falls, kicks and collisions.²

What it means in Afghanistan

Buzkashi is not only a sport. In many areas it is a public gathering where sponsorship, local influence and reputation are tested in front of a crowd, with horses bred and trained by patrons, specialist riders hired to compete, and prizes displayed as proof that the host can afford to reward the winners and keep order.² Even where it is framed as lighthearted fun, it usually sits inside a wider social landscape of who funds the event, who controls the field and who is allowed to attend. Recent reporting on major tournaments has noted large crowds and official attendance in Kabul, alongside restrictions that bar women from the stands under current rules.⁴

The elite riders have a name worth knowing. They are called chapandaz, plural chapandazan, specialists whose experience and tactical strength can dominate a match.² Lists of "famous buzkashi players" online are often poorly sourced, and many names circulate without clear verification, so it is more accurate to describe the recognised role than to repeat uncertain profiles. If you want to include notable individuals, use names that can be confirmed through reputable reporting or scholarly sources, and cite them directly.

Watching buzkashi today

Large tournaments are still held in Afghanistan and draw substantial crowds. Recent coverage of Kabul's annual tournament describes multi-day competition, organised teams, and, at least in some events, a synthetic carcass used for play.^{3, 4} For viewers outside the region, coverage from established newsrooms and documentary outlets is a safer guide than vague "Buzkashi TV" or unverifiable streaming sites.

It is tempting to say buzkashi is disappearing, but the picture is uneven. In some places it remains vibrant. In others the pressures are practical, such as the cost of horses and their care, access to safe playing fields, and security and travel restrictions, or political, such as what public gatherings are permitted and who can attend.⁴ Separately, UNESCO's work in Afghanistan focuses on safeguarding cultural heritage broadly, including sites, museums and cultural practice, especially during periods of instability, because losses to heritage can be permanent and hard to reverse.⁵

The sport also turns up in film and literature. It appears regularly in documentary photography and reportage, and in fiction it works as a shorthand for Afghanistan's speed, grit and public theatre. A well-known example is Joseph Kessel's novel Les Cavaliers ("The Horsemen") and its film adaptation, which helped introduce the sport to wider audiences outside the region.² One popular claim needs correcting: the Afghan film Osama (2003) is not about a girl disguising herself to play buzkashi. Its story concerns a girl disguising herself as a boy to work and survive under Taliban rule, and it does not centre on the sport.

The bottom line

Buzkashi endures because it matches the landscape that produced it: big horses, open ground, winter crowds, and a kind of skill that is half balance, half nerve and half animal handling, always shaped by local custom and the people who sponsor and control the day.² If you are watching for the first time, keep two ideas in view. The rules can be looser than you expect, or stricter than you assume, depending on the event. And beneath the dust and noise, the sport is also a social stage, one where status, resources and tradition are tested in public.

References

1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, "buzkashi" (summary)
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica, "buzkashī" (G. Whitney Azoy)
3. Associated Press, Photos capture Afghanistan's traditional buzkashi tournament near Kabul (Dec 2025)
4. Associated Press, Thousands turn out in Kabul to cheer on Afghanistan's traditional buzkashi equestrian games (Dec 2025)
5. UNESCO, Afghanistan: UNESCO calls for the protection of cultural heritage in its diversity (updated Apr 2023)